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Consultant Resume Examples and Templates
Attorney Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
Last Updated:
September 20, 2024
Table of Contents
Attorney Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)
- Attorney
- Associate Attorney
- Real Estate Attorney
When writing your resume for attorney positions, focus on your ability to help clients understand their rights and navigate legal proceedings. This guide provides tips to help you create a persuasive resume emphasizing your relevant attorney experience.
Key takeaways:
- Use bullet points to showcase your highlights as a legal professional. Start each bullet point with a strong verb or verb phrase like “Created,” “Enhanced,” or “Represented.”
- Spell out the results of your past work. When possible, use relevant data to capture how your efforts served clients and the law firm.
- Emphasize your skills related to an attorney role, such as client consultation or transaction negotiations.
How To Write an Attorney Resume
Using a template can help you write an effective attorney resume. Your attorney resume should usually include these sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
1. Share your contact information
Give your full name, phone number, email address, location, and links to any online professional profiles. Ensure your contact information is current so employers can reach you for an interview.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn Profile
2. Summarize your attorney qualifications in a dynamic profile
Impress hiring managers at the top of your resume by giving the three to five primary reasons you excel as an attorney. For instance, maybe you have an extensive background in legal research and analysis, an area emphasized by the law firm you’re pursuing.
Example
Seasoned real estate attorney with a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Master of Laws in real estate from Georgetown University Law Center. Expertise in drafting and reviewing contracts, negotiating real estate transactions, and resolving disputes, with a record of securing favorable terms for clients.
3. Add your attorney experience with compelling examples
View the experience section as a chance to give impressive details about your work as an attorney or in previous legal roles. For example, you could describe your success negotiating real estate transactions and how that benefited clients’ bottom line.
Example
Associate Attorney, Kirkland & Ellis, New York, NY | June 2016 to present
- Drafted and reviewed over 500 legal documents, including contracts, agreements, and legal briefs, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance
- Conducted extensive legal research for over 100 cases, using various resources to gather information and build strong cases
- Represented and advocated for clients in over 50 court proceedings, negotiations, and other legal matters
Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience
Use relevant performance data and metrics to show the results you’ve achieved as an attorney. Hard numbers put your work in context and give recruiters a better sense of your scope and impact.
Do
- “Handled and resolved over 50 real estate disputes through mediation, arbitration, and litigation, maintaining a 90% success rate in favor of clients”
Don’t
- “Responsible for handling real estate disputes ”
Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application
Most law firms rely on some form of applicant tracking system (ATS) to identify qualified candidates for job openings. To get your resume through the initial screening and into the hiring manager’s hands, incorporate keywords from the job posting directly into your profile, professional experience, and skills section.
What if you don’t have experience?
Writing a resume can be hard if you don’t have real-world experience. But you still have valuable skills and knowledge from your education and training. Focus on any relevant coursework you’ve done or certifications you’ve earned. Also, consider including volunteer work or internships you’ve completed in your field, and emphasize your work ethic and willingness to learn. By highlighting these qualities, you can show how you’d be an asset to any team.
4. Include attorney-related education and certifications
With the education and professional development sections, you can show you have a strong base of legal knowledge. These resume sections are particularly important for attorneys given the advanced training and specialization required for your field. Following are templates to help you organize this information on your resume (note, years are optional).
Education
Template:
[Degree Name], [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
[Relevant coursework or academic honors]
Example:
Master of Laws (LL.M.), Yale Law School, New Haven, CT
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] | [Completion Year]
Example:
Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), International Association of Privacy Professionals
5. Include a list of skills and proficiencies related to an attorney
The resume skills section lets you quickly display the different ways you can assist and advise a law firm’s clients. Below, you’ll find a list of key terms and skills to consider for this section:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Arbitration | Client consultation |
| Client relationship management | Client representation |
| Contract law | Dispute resolution |
| Legal research and analysis | Legal writing |
| Negotiation and mediation | Public speaking and presentations |
| Real estate law | Reporting and documentation |
| Transaction negotiations | Trial preparation |
Resume writer’s tip: Use descriptive action verbs
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs help you keep the hiring manager’s attention and show the varied nature of your experience. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your attorney resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advised | Analyzed |
| Created | Decreased |
| Defended | Drafted |
| Educated | Enhanced |
| Fostered | Generated |
| Grew | Improved |
| Increased | Instructed |
| Lowered | Navigated |
| Negotiated | Presented |
| Prevented | Pursued |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Represented | Secured |
| Streamlined | Updated |
| Won | Wrote |
How To Pick the Best Attorney Resume Template
A resume is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted accordingly. Choose a clear and straightforward template, and avoid any template with elaborate graphics or various colors and font styles. Simple resume design helps a hiring manager scan for relevant information. It also helps you tailor the document to each job application and make updates to your work history going forward.
Attorney Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Skyler Thompson
San Francisco, CA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | LinkedIn
Attorney with over a decade of experience in top law firms Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper. Strong record of researching and managing complex cases to achieve favorable outcomes for corporate clients.
Key Skills
- Case management
- Client consultation
- Legal research and analysis
- Legal writing
- Negotiation and mediation
- Reporting and documentation
- Settlement negotiations
- Trial preparation
Education
Master of Laws (LL.M.), Yale Law School, New Haven, CT
Juris Doctor (J.D.), Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA
Professional Experience
Senior Associate, Baker McKenzie, San Francisco, CA | June 2015 to present
- Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated over 200 complex legal documents, including contracts, agreements, and legal briefs, ensuring they were legally sound and protected client interests
- Managed over 50 tax and intellectual property cases from start to finish, including conducting legal research, preparing for trials, negotiating settlements, and representing clients in court proceedings
- Provided legal guidance to over 100 corporate clients, developing strong attorney-client relationships through regular communication and updates
Associate Attorney, DLA Piper, San Francisco, CA | May 2012 to May 2015
- Performed comprehensive legal research and analysis for over 100 corporate law cases
- Negotiated and mediated in over 50 real estate cases, resulting in favorable settlements for clients
- Demonstrated knowledge of legal procedures in all tasks, ensuring compliance and minimizing legal risks
Professional Development
The State Bar of California
- Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS)
- Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law (CSEPTPL)
- Criminal Law Specialist Certification (CLSC)
Why this attorney resume example is strong:
This resume excels with a prominent skills section showing the different ways Skyler can add value to an organization.
Frequently Asked Questions: Attorney Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with an attorney job posting?
First, look closely at the job post text and highlight words that are repeated or emphasized. Compare these highlighted phrases to the language you’re using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then, seek ways to align your resume language with the job posting while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, if the organization seeks someone collaborative, call out that aspect of your experience in your profile. Or say the firm has many non-English speaking clients. Showcase your foreign language skills both in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each opportunity.
What is the best attorney resume format?
The combination or hybrid format, which merges a functional resume's profile section with a chronological resume's experience section. Most modern resumes (including the three on this page) follow this format because it gives hiring managers the clearest view of an applicant's strengths and work history.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
A good cover letter enhances most job applications. To make your letter stand out, tell the hiring manager why you’re interested in their firm and the specific attorney role they hope to fill.
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Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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