Legal resume examples

Legal resumes are the most conservative in any industry, and the reader expects exact credentials in a fixed place. Bar admissions go in the header or directly under it, with the state and the year. The law degree lists the school, the year, honors and journal membership. Paralegal candidates state the certificate program and whether it is approved by the bar association, plus a notary commission where relevant. A hiring partner or a legal recruiter reads these lines first and reads nothing further if they are missing or vague.

Practice area and matter type define the fit. Litigation or transactional. Civil or criminal. The subject areas, such as employment, intellectual property, real estate, corporate, family or immigration. The court levels you have appeared in. The deal types and their values. Case volumes carried at once. The research and practice platforms you work in, from legal research databases to e-discovery and case management systems. A resume that names the platform the firm uses saves the firm a training week. State the size of the firm or the department and the attorneys you supported, because the scale of the practice changes what the same title means.

Bullets in this industry count work product. Motions drafted and their outcomes. Depositions taken or defended. Documents reviewed in discovery. Hearings and trials, with your role. Contracts negotiated and their values. Filings prepared and deadlines met. Clients or matters managed at once. Confidentiality is absolute. Describe the matter type and the outcome, never the client, unless the matter is public record and the firm would want it named.

One page for anyone under about seven years of practice, with education first for new graduates and experience first afterwards. One typeface and nothing decorative, because a hiring partner reads the resume as a drafting sample and every date, citation and title on it must be exact. Writing samples and references are provided separately, on request.