Lawyer Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

Lawyer Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

• Entry level
• Midlevel
• Senior level

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Upholding the law, protecting rights, and facilitating justice are at the heart of what it means to be a lawyer. Your resume should reflect your dedication to these principles and emphasize your relevant legal skills and experience. In this guide, we’ll provide strategies and examples to help you write a lawyer resume highlighting your legal expertise and career achievements.

Key takeaways:

• Emphasize specializations: Quickly highlight your law specialties, such as corporate governance, legal research, patent filing, or trial preparation.
• Detail quantifiable achievements: Use specific numbers and outcomes to illustrate your impact in previous attorney roles, such as providing sound legal advice for more than 60 product transactions annually.
• Use keywords for ATS: Include relevant lawyer skills and keywords from the job posting in your resume to ensure it passes through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and reaches hiring managers.

How To Write a Lawyer Resume Example

Using a resume template can help you write an effective lawyer resume. Your attorney resume should include these sections:

• Contact information
• Profile
• Key skills
• Professional experience
• Education and certifications

1. Share your contact information

Provide your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Ensure your contact information is current so potential employers can contact you for an interview.

2. Create a compelling profile summarizing your lawyer qualifications

The profile of your lawyer resume is like an opening argument in court. It should present an engaging case to hiring managers by summarizing your legal career. Include your job title, level of experience, industry knowledge, and any specializations that could set you apart. Within a few sentences, show that you match key aspects of the job’s requirements.

3. Write a success-driven professional experience section

To create an effective professional experience section, clearly outline your career trajectory as a lawyer. Start with your most recent position first and work backward, discussing the legal work or cases you were involved in and any key details that align with the job you’re applying for. When you can, use numbers to measure and give value to your duties and accomplishments.

Resume writer’s tip: quantify your experience

Use numbers and metrics to show the results you achieved in previous attorney roles. Provide context to your work history and give recruiters a better understanding of your scope and impact. You can demonstrate your value and potential as a lawyer by detailing your success in securing significant settlements for clients, noting the number of cases executed, and citing compliance results.

What if you don’t have experience?

Creating a professional lawyer resume can be challenging if you lack real-world experience. However, you still have valuable skills and knowledge from your education and training and accomplishments achieved during internships.

Provide details on your degrees, honors, courses, and any notable projects. If you participated in law review or moot court, include that as well. Discussing internships, externships, or clinics will help to show your experience in real-world settings.

In addition to your experiences and education, emphasize transferable skills necessary for the job. You’ve likely gained many valuable technical and interpersonal skills through part-time jobs or volunteer work. Some of those that are valuable in a legal setting include writing, research, public speaking, negotiation, critical thinking, and client service.

4. Include relevant education and certifications

In addition to your education, feature any relevant certifications achieved throughout your law career. Although most employers will be more interested in your professional experience, obtaining other credentials can set your resume apart from other candidates and increase the chance of winning an interview.

For example, if you are a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), this demonstrates your knowledge of financial law and corporate governance, which will appeal to firms seeking this expertise. Always include the year you passed the bar exam and earned a license to practice law.

5. List pertinent key skills

Most organizations rely on some form of ATS to identify qualified candidates for job openings. To get your resume through the initial screening process and into the hiring manager’s hands, incorporate keywords from the job description directly into your profile, professional experience, and skills section. Below are key terms and skills that you may encounter while applying for lawyer positions:

Resume writer’s tip: Use common action verbs

Take a strategic approach with the words you use on your lawyer resume. In the professional experience section of your resume, incorporate action verbs to communicate your job duties and accomplishments. Instead of listing responsibilities, start each section with an engaging verb that shows how you executed critical tasks for practicing law. Avoid using first-person language such as, “I was responsible for…” Following are some action verbs you can use to liven up your attorney resume.

How To Pick the Best Lawyer Resume Template

When selecting your lawyer resume template, prioritize structure and readability over visual appeal. Avoid loud graphics and overbearing colors, and instead, focus on a clean design that showcases your content in an organized way. Hiring managers will always be more interested in your achievements and qualifications than the style of your template.

Lawyer Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Frequently Asked Questions: Lawyer Resume Examples and Advice

How do you align your resume with a lawyer job description?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for lawyers are projected to grow by 8% from 2022 to 2032, faster than average for most occupations. This growth is primarily driven by an increasing demand for legal services across all sectors. However, clients are more likely to negotiate rates, which could impact high-end legal work.

Although these projections are optimistic, you must align your resume with the job description to secure interviews for the most lucrative opportunities. Law can be a competitive field, and tailoring your document to individual job postings will significantly increase your chances of landing your next job opportunity.

For example, suppose a firm is looking for an attorney who specializes in civil cases, specifically personal injury claims. In this case, highlight your knowledge of civil law and success in securing sizable claims for personal injury clients.

What is the best lawyer resume format?

Reverse chronological format is ideal for most resumes, including those for attorneys. This approach ensures that your most recent and relevant experience is featured at the top of your document. Even at the entry level, avoid functional resume formats. If you lack hands-on experience, your resume will still be more effective if you highlight academic projects and involvement, such as moot court, rather than only listing technical skills.

What skills should I put on my lawyer resume?

Your lawyer resume should demonstrate your strong communication skills, organizational skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving capabilities, along with areas of expertise such as corporate governance, tort law, domestic law, or securities litigation.

How do I make my lawyer resume stand out?

Make your attorney resume stand out by highlighting courtroom achievements, demonstrating the value you bring to law firms by incorporating numbers and data, and incorporating keywords that align with the job description. Begin with a compelling profile summary, detail your accomplishments in the professional experience section, list relevant skills, and include your education and certifications.

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Carolyn Couch

Certified Master Coach and Academy Certified Resume Writer

Carolyn Couch is a Certified Master Coach, Academy Certified Resume Writer, and Certified Etiquette Consultant. Over the past 20 years, she has helped thousands of professionals start, reinvent, and advance their careers with confidence.