Getting a job can be an intimidating endeavor, but having a strong curriculum vita will make it much easier to catch the attention of employers and allow you stand out from the other candidates. The following legal CV example is designed to help you start writing your own CV. The best CVs include information about all aspects of your professional career, including your skills, working experience, and acquired knowledge. With additional writing tips, you have everything you need to create a CV made to impress any employers that reads it.
123 Fake Street, City, State, Zip Code
E: email@email.com P: 000-000-0000
Knowledgeable and committed legal professional with more than five years working experience as a legal secretary. Held multiple law support positions and is familiar with daily practice in a firm. Administrative expert capable of fast and effective organizational and communication skills. Experienced behind a desk, arranging meetings, managing schedules, and answering calls. Self-motivated and detail oriented, with strong supporting abilities and active listening skills. A candidate who combines loyalty and extensive legal knowledge.
- Excellent legal knowledge, critical thinking abilities, and comprehension skills
- Strong administrative and organizational capabilities
- Priority in effective communication and active listening to prevent miscommunications with clients or lawyers
- Technologically capable and familiar with standard information processing software
- Extensive support experience in legal and non-legal environments
- Organize and file legal documents, maintaining a filing system so any document can be found quickly.
- Formulate legal documents with lawyer supervision, transcribing and writing accurately.
- Discuss case details with legal staff and clients, gathering and categorizing relevant information.
- Developed new organization system that improved firm efficiency by nearly 10 percent.
- Attend court alongside lawyers, providing support and organizing legal documents for quick recall.
- Submitted legal documents to legal clerk in a timely manner and efficiently.
- Organized client schedule, relaying this information to necessary legal staff throughout the day.
- Performed research on a daily basis, compiling legal documents and information into presentable reports for legal staff.
- Attained perfect record of document filing without ever suffering a lost document.
- Answered calls to the firm, communicated with potential clients, and filled inquiries.
- Created schedule of appointments, arranging different clients effectively.
- Explained legal documentation to clients when needed, ensuring understanding and comprehension.
- Improved efficiency at the firm front desk by a small percentage by implementing new organizational strategy.
In my free time, I enjoy travelling and experiencing all the beauty that different cultures have to offer. I also try to spend some time daily running and I enjoy playing tennis and squash. I also volunteer my time in several annual charity events.
Paralegal Job Overview and Tips
What Does Legal Do?
There are several positions in the legal field, the most obvious being lawyers, who are responsible for advising and representing clients. The other positions in this field act as support for lawyers, such as paralegals, legal secretaries, and legal assistants. These secondary roles are give then responsibility of looking up legal documents, transcribing notes, making appointments, and assisting in the courtroom. All legal careers incorporate administration and organization, as well as a strong understanding of the law. This means these are aspects that are valuable to emphasize on your CV. Legal support professionals are usually training to become lawyers themselves, so it is beneficial to include skills relevant to that position, even if you are applying to lower positions, in order to demonstrate initiative as seen in the above legal CV example.
Tips for Creating a Great Legal CV
To make sure that your legal CV is as strong as possible, follow these simple tips and make sure not to stray from the standard CV format:
- Accomplishments and achievements greatly strengthen your CV. It can be difficult to include them in a legal CV, but if you find a way to do so, it will really catch the attention of readers.
- Do not neglect your CV’s professional summary. It used to be acceptable for this section to be a single statement, but employers now expect four to six lines. As your hook, it should include information about all aspects of your professional experience.
- Do focus on your work section. This section is at the core of your CV. You should begin with your most recent employment and include the rest going backwards. Begin each bullet point with a technical action verb that captures your responsibilities.
- Entry-level CVs should be no more than one page. If you have more than 10 years of working experience, it is acceptable to include a second page.
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