Learn about the important requirements, skills, and keywords that should be included in a lawyer resume.
You’re a legal expert and an ace in the courtroom, but you’re unsure how to write the best lawyer resume. Don’t worry. We’re here for you. We’ll help you create a resume that makes the Chief Legal Officer drop everything to call you for an interview!
But we know you’re busy, and since time is money, you may want someone to take this task off your plate. If that’s the case, we encourage you to hire one of our selections for the best resume writing service. Once you're satisfied with your resume, you can begin applying for new opportunities on ZipRecruiter.
Lawyer Resume Example
This lawyer resume example should give you a good idea of the look and feel of the document:
Perry Mason Matlock, Esquire
(555)-123-4567
Pmason.matlock@emailaddress.com
Persuasive, analytical, and ethical employment attorney with 5+ years of experience handling complicated and sensitive employee legal issues in the food service industry. Calm, collected, and confident in the courtroom, with a 100% success rate.
Work Experience
XYZ Corporation, 2013-present
Employment Attorney, 2018-present
- Represented the company in 8 lawsuits, with a 100% victory rate
- Consulted on 3+ complex employee relations issues weekly
- Drafted 20+ employment, contractor, and separation agreements weekly
- Supervised 3 Employee Relations Specialists
Employee Relations Specialist, 2015-2018
- Conducted 35+ employee investigations regarding harassment and discrimination claims and recommended appropriate remedies
- Trained 1,000+ employees annually on proper workplace conduct and how to report violations of the conduct policy
- Trained and supervised the Human Resources Associate
Human Resources Associate, 2013-2015
- Wrote 10+ reports each week, including those regarding employee investigations
- Organized and digitized 1,000+ employee files
- Handled 300+ employee inquiries each week via phone and email
Education and Credentials
Juris Doctor, 2018
ABC University
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, 2015
ABC University
Professional License
Florida State Bar, 2018
Skills
- Interviewing
- Legal Document Writing
- Trial Preparation
- Direct Examination
- Cross-Examination
- Legal Research
- Investigation
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
- Presentation
Volunteer Service
Pro-Bono Employment Attorney
Join The Break Community
ABC Organization, 2018-present
What Is Unique About A Lawyer Resume?
While a lawyer resume is much like a resume for other professionals in terms of formatting and types of content included, there’s one key difference. A lawyer resume gets created to help you make your next move in your legal career.
Moreover, every lawyer's resume will look different depending on the attorney’s specialty. For example, an immigration lawyer’s resume will showcase different skills and experience than a corporate lawyer’s.
What Should Be Included On A Lawyer Resume?
Your legal resume should contain several sections, including the following:
Contact Information
At the very top of the document, list your full name, cell phone number, and professional-sounding email address. You want to make it as easy as possible for a recruiter or hiring manager to contact you.
Pro Tip: You may also want to include the state(s) where you can practice law in this section.
Resume Summary or Resume Objective
Next, write a brief but powerful resume summary or resume objective. If you’re a seasoned attorney, write an impressive resume summary that encapsulates your top career achievements and accolades. But if you’re applying for your first attorney position, write a compelling resume objective that highlights your passion for law and your competencies and credentials.
Work Experience
The work experience section should occupy most of your resume's space. Here, you should list your relevant jobs in reverse chronological order. That way, employers can quickly get a sense of your recent accomplishments.
Each work experience entry should include your title, the company name, and the years you held the role. Then, add three to five bullet points that best demonstrate your contributions to the firm.
Your bullet points should include the skill you used (as an action word) and the results you got using that capability (expressed with a number). Using this format makes it easy for resume readers to see your impact and value.
Education and Credentials
In this section, list the degrees, certifications, and licenses you’ve earned in reverse chronological order. Each entry should include the credential name, which institution granted it, and the year of your accomplishment.
You can keep this section brief if you’ve been practicing law for more than a year or two. But if you’re a recent grad, it’s a good idea to beef up this area with details about your coursework, internships, and related activities. If you graduated from law school with a 3.9 GPA, list that here, too.
Skills
This section is your chance to convince applicant tracking system (ATS) filters and hiring managers alike that you have the competencies required to be successful in the role. So, before you start typing, review the job description and pull out the skills referenced within it. Then, include the ones you have on your resume.
To learn more about keywords to include, check out our lawyer job description.
Other Sections
You don’t have to create additional sections on your resume. But if there’s anything else you want a potential employer to know about you, this is the space for that. Some things you may want to write in here include conferences you’ve spoken at or awards you’ve won.
What Should Be Left Off A Lawyer Resume?
You have limited time and space to impress a recruiter or hiring manager. Unfortunately, that means you have to be ruthless when it comes to omitting unnecessary information from your resume.
Every piece of data needs to showcase you as the company’s next hire. If it doesn’t help achieve that goal, it should get left off your lawyer resume. For example, if you’ve been an attorney for several years, you don’t need to list your summer job as a lifeguard when you were in college.
Important Job Skills For Lawyers
As a lawyer, you need to have a rich skillset. But your list of capabilities will differ from other attorneys based on your specialty. Here’s a list of some of the competencies you may need to be effective in the legal profession:
Hard Skills
- Legal Research
- Investigations
- Trial Preparation
- Examination
- Cross-Examination
- Interviewing
- Mediation
- Legal Advice
- Legal Document Review
- Legal Document Writing
- Legal Recordkeeping
- Intellectual Property Law
- Privacy Law
- Corporate Governance
- Labor Disputes
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Contracts
- Criminal Law
- Civil Law
- Constitutional Law
- Immigration Law
- Real Estate Law
- Estate Planning
- LexisNexis
Soft Skills
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
- Presentation
- Analytical
- Communication (written and oral)
- Organized
- Detail-Oriented
- Client Care
- Ethics
- Emotional Intelligence
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
Pro Tip: Remember to keep the list relatively short when deciding what skills to include on your resume. You should be in good shape if you write ten of your strongest capabilities.
The Bottom Line
At this point, you should feel as confident in your ability to write a lawyer resume as you do when you yell, “Objection!” in the courtroom. But if you’re not, additional help is available through our best resume writing service partners. Then, once your document is as compelling as the last argument you made before a judge, visit ZipRecruiter to apply for your next position!
