Best Lawyer Resume Example + Guide + Tips
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Lawyers are professionals who provide legal advice and assistance to their clients. They perform legal research, draft legal documents and provide advice on legal matters. Lawyers can specialize in many different areas of law, such as criminal law, family law, corporate law or environmental law.
You need a great resume to get a job as a lawyer, and we’re here to help you learn how to write a resume for the lawyer position you want. Our lawyer resume samples and guide will help you make the most of your design skills and attention to detail to ensure you stand out to employers.
Start by editing this sample lawyer resume template, or explore our library of customizable resume templates to find the best template for your lawyer resume.
Lawyer resume example (text version)
CARLA PHAM
City, State, Zip Code
000-000-0000
email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Driven and detail-oriented lawyer with nearly a decade of experience working in law. Excel at leveraging research and close collaboration with clients to avoid or win litigation. Can expertly manage and delegate tasks to ensure clarity and efficiency in all areas of work
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATION
- Have achieved desirable settlements in over 80 percent of cases.
- Expert at clearly articulating legal subtleties and complexities to clients and coworkers.
- Remain informed about evolution of business-relevant laws, adjust plans for future strategy accordingly.
WORK HISTORY
General Counsel, 11/2016 to Current
Company Name, City, State
- Negotiate and reach settlements with other parties; have successfully avoided litigation in all but three cases over three years.
- Advise executives, other employees, and third-party clients regarding law as it relates to their jobs, rights and opportunities.
- Stay up-to-date on changing laws, update all employees as it relates to their work.
Paralegal, 01/2014 to 05/2016 Shannon & Stuhlbarg LLC
Company Name, City, State
- Performed research and drafted thorough briefings to assist attorneys in trial preparation.
- Mentored, trained and continued to supervise two junior paralegals.
- Oversaw travel arrangements, scheduled meetings external and internal.
Administrative Assistant, 08/2009 to 10/2012
Company Name, City, State
- Took thorough notes while managing all senior leadership schedules.
- More efficiently categorized proprietary digital database that reduced future research and contract drafting time by 15 percent.
- Took thorough notes during meetings with all partners or executive staff.
SKILLS
- Patent law
- Finance knowledge
- Residential mortgage lending regulations
- Equity programs
- Corporate transactions
- Broad-based compensation programs
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Political Science, City, State
5 essentials of a top lawyer resume
Contact details
Place your contact information at the top of the page. It must include your full name, city, state, ZIP code, phone number and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile and professional website, add them as well.
Professional summary
A professional summary is a concise, three- to five-sentence statement that tells the hiring manager who you are and what you bring to the table. Include some of your top skills in your summary, along with one or two notable accomplishments.
Here’s a great sample lawyer resume summary:
“Dedicated and highly skilled professional lawyer with over eight years of experience in a wide variety of legal areas, including corporate law, contract law, family law and criminal law. Experienced in providing comprehensive legal advice and counsel to individuals, businesses and public interest groups. Highly organized and detail-oriented with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Committed to upholding the highest standards of professional legal practice.”
Skills
A lawyer’s job is to ensure that their clients receive the best possible outcome from any legal proceeding they may be involved in. They must be well-versed in legal principles, statutes and procedures to effectively provide sound advice for their clients. They must also have strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills to work with clients and paralegal staff. They must be able to communicate effectively with their clients and other lawyers to ensure that their clients get the best possible outcome.
On your lawyer resume template, create a skills section so hiring managers can see your skills at a glance. Add a bulleted list of five to eight job-relevant skills in this section, like in our sample resume for a lawyer. Include a mix of hard skills such as research and soft skills such as negotiation.
Work history
A lawyer resume must include a job history section. In reverse-chronological order, list your current and previous employers and provide company names, locations and the dates you worked for them, plus three to five measurable achievements.
If you’re applying for your first job, use this section to highlight extracurricular activities, coursework, presentations, volunteer experience and community service.
As a lawyer, your resume’s measurable achievements might look like this:
- Stayed current with relevant laws and regulations by analyzing case law, statutes, regulations and legal precedents regularly.
- Drafted more than 200 legal briefs for clients in a variety of legal matters.
- Negotiated settlements on behalf of clients in over 150 cases
Education
Like in our lawyer resume sample, a resume for a lawyer must include an education section. List the names of the schools you attended and the years you graduated. If you haven’t graduated, list the school you’re attending and some of your classes.
Educational requirements for lawyers vary depending on the jurisdiction in which they practice. Generally, lawyers must have a law degree from an accredited law school and must pass a bar examination administered by the state in which they wish to practice.
In some cases, they may also be required to have a minimum amount of supervised legal experience. Most states require lawyers to have a Juris Doctor degree, which is a postgraduate law degree, to practice.
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action words for a standout lawyer resume
Action words strengthen your resume because they tell hiring managers exactly what you did and your impact.
Here’s a short list of perfect action words for a lawyer resume:
- Research
- Present
- Develop
- Create
- Manage
- Complete
- Attend
- Perform
- Recommend
- Advise
- Lead
- Strategize
- Analyze
- Identify
- Spearhead
Browse our library of hundreds of sample resumes for more lawyer resume samples to help you write the perfect resume.
Top lawyer skills for a resume
Review the job description closely and match the required skills to those that match yours.
Top lawyer skills for a resume might include:
- Knowledge of legal principles and procedures
- Research
- Analysis
- Speaking
- Writing
- Interpersonal proficiency
- Networking
- Negotiation
- Mediation
- Discretion
- Ability to work under pressure
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Organization and time management
Need a lawyer resume now? Our Resume Builder has all the tools you need to create a professional resume in minutes! Get inspired with our lawyer resume examples, then fill in a matching template with our ready-to-use expert phrases. You can make edits on the fly, download your finished resume, save it in one of the standard resume formats and send it to your target employer. It’s that easy!
Certifications for a lawyer resume
Lawyers need to be licensed in order to practice law in the United States. Depending on the state, this requires passing the bar exam or other tests, completing continuing education courses and paying certain fees.
Other than getting licensed, lawyers can choose to specialize further by earning certifications in their areas of interest. Some examples include:
- Board Certification in [Area of Law]
- Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
- Labor and Employment Law Certification
If you have any certifications under your belt, make a specific section to display them.
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Lawyer resume FAQ
What should I include in my lawyer resume?
Your lawyer resume should include your contact information, a summary of your qualifications, a list of your professional experience, any relevant skills and any professional certifications or licenses you possess.
Resume examples for lawyers typical include some of the following:
Lawyer work experience:
- Ability to handle caseloads independently and efficiently.
- Experience in legal research and writing.
- Experience in representing clients in court proceedings.
- Experience in preparing legal documents such as contracts, pleadings, briefs and other legal documents.
Lawyer skills:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in legal terminology and principles.
- Ability to think analytically and critically.
- Ability to interpret laws and legal documents.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
Lawyer education:
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
- Bar admission in the state in which you’re looking to practice.
- Continuing legal education courses to stay up to date with changes in laws and regulations.
What are some tips for crafting a great lawyer resume?
A lawyer resume will vary from person to person, but pay attention to these important guidelines:
- Use the correct lawyer resume format.
- Get inspiration from lawyer resume examples.
- Ensure your resume is formatted correctly, meaning margins should be 1 inch on all sides, and line spacing should be single or 1.5 inches.
- Only use appropriate fonts, like Times New Roman, Arial or Helvetica, in 11-12 points on the body and 14-16 points on headers.
- Proofread your resume meticulously before sending it to potential employers.
How do you include keywords in a lawyer resume?
Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan and look for keywords in your lawyer resume that show you’re the right fit for the job. To get the correct keywords in your document, analyze the job posting and note specific attributes the employer is looking for.
Some keywords for a lawyer job might include:
- Litigation
- Writing court appeals
- Interpretation and writing of contracts
- Client negotiations
- Counsel
- Research
- Drafting
- Legal analysis
- Compliance
- Dispute resolution
- Regulatory processes
- Case management
- Advocacy
- Litigation
Do’s and don’ts for building a lawyer resume
- Use measurable achievements to describe your lawyer abilities and work experience. For example, “Developed and implemented effective legal strategies in over 250 cases.”
- Use action words such as negotiate, council and litigate to make an impact on your lawyer resume.
- Tailor your lawyer resume to your target job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your lawyer resume.
- Format your lawyer resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your lawyer experience and skills.
- Boast that you’re the “best lawyer ever.” Instead, showcase your accomplishments, like“Won American Judicature Society (AJS) Award for Excellence.”
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience not relevant to being a lawyer.
- Forget to proofread. A lawyer resume must be error-free.
Top 4 tips for acing a lawyer interview
Research first.
To make a great first impression, learn about the potential employer’s history, goals, values and people before your first interview. Talking about the company knowledgeably shows genuine interest, dedication and commitment, which hiring managers like to see.
Some things to consider when researching a law firm:
- Reputation of the firm: Research the firm and its lawyers’ reputation in the legal community, such as its ratings with Martindale-Hubbell, U.S. News & World Report, and Chambers and Partners.
- Practice areas and size: Evaluate the firm’s practice areas and the size of the firm to make sure they match your needs and interests.
- Culture and diversity: Learn about the firm’s culture, such as its values, mission statement, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Compensation and benefits: Research the firm’s compensation and benefits, such as salaries, bonuses and non-monetary benefits.
- Work-life balance and career development: Investigate the firm’s policies on work-life balance and career development, such as flexible work arrangements, mentorship and training opportunities.
Practice makes perfect!
To practice for your interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
- How would your co-workers describe you?
- Describe a time when you needed to cope with a stressful situation.
Ensure you’re ready to answer lawyer-specific questions, like:
- Can you describe a complex legal issue you successfully handled?
- How do you handle high-pressure situations in negotiations?
- How do you handle difficult clients or opposing counsel?
- Are you comfortable working with other departments, such as finance or marketing?
- Are you comfortable with managing a large caseload?
Think back to some of your recent work experiences and write down one or two possible answers as you review potential questions. Then ask a friend or relative to help you practice. Ask your interview partner for a review and work on improving your weaknesses. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time for the real thing.
Ask questions.
Your interviewer will likely ask if you have any questions at the end of your session — and they will expect you to have at least two or three questions for them.
Some questions you might ask for a job as a lawyer might include the following:
- What type of clients will I be expected to handle?
- What is the typical workload for lawyers in this position?
- What is the current caseload of the legal team?
- Are there particular areas of law the team tends to focus on?
- How does the team collaborate to ensure an effective resolution of legal issues?
Gather references.
Have professional references ready if the hiring manager requests them after your interview. Being prepared in advance can make a great impression. Have a list of two or three former co-workers and a manager who can speak highly of your job qualifications.
If you’re applying for your first full-time job, ask a former professor, volunteer coordinator, classmate or community leader who can vouch for your character and skills.
Cover letter examples for the next step in your law career
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Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Lawyers
- U.S. News Article. Kowarski, Illana How to Become a Lawyer: A Step-by-Step Guide
- University HQ. Article. How to Become a Lawyer
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Lawyer Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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