The job market is tough.  Anyone who has to look for work in this current market better have a PhD if you want to find something fast and even then, you may still be the underdog.  Unemployment is high, around 9 % these days.  If you're one of the fortunate people that has a steady job then that's fantastic.  If you're currently unemployed and work in the legal profession, then legal temp agencies might just have something that can provide you with a temporary job to pay the bills.  Who knows, if you do well perhaps they'll keep you on as permanent staff.

Legal temp agencies will typically start by having you fill out an application to assess what kind of skills and work history you have.  You need to make sure that you bring a resume with you for them to have on file.  Make sure that your resume contains any extra skills that you have.  Since you are applying at a legal temp agency, it would be nice to let them know that you can type, are familiar with spreadsheets and whether or not you have any type of certifications like a paralegal certification. 

Next they will probably have you take a skills test.  Since a legal temp agency is in the profession of hiring legal professionals, they might make you take tests that assess your typing skills and may have a WPM (words per minute) minimum that you need to meet.  You may also be required to do a data entry test to make sure that you can input data with minimal mistakes.  They also might want to make sure that you understand grammar and spelling so if English wasn't your best subject in college, be sure to brush up before you go.

After the application and tests are done, you'll have an interview so that the legal temp agency can go over your application and your skills test.  They might ask you questions on customer service since in a legal setting, you could deal with some angry people.  They may also ask you how you handle high stress environments.  Legal work is no joke, it is hard work in a very high stress environment where meeting deadlines is of the utmost importance.  Don't apply for these types of jobs if you can't handle the stress.  Legal temp agencies may ultimately be able to place you in a permanent position so smile big and look your best when you go.  Happy job hunting!