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How to write a lawyer resume?

[ Click here to directly go to the complete legal resume sample. ]

Good lawyers know the law, great lawyers know the judge. . and fantastic lawyers know how to get shortlisted for the legal job everyone's after!!

You've probably done a great job at representing people in courtrooms, cracked the toughest of cases, and maybe, even taken up a lot of pro-bono projects. And now, you want to work for the most badass legal firm in town.

What do you do?

While your professional experience and past association with reputed firms look fantastic on a resume, that's not the only thing you will need to get the coveted job in the prestigious law firm that you have been dreaming to go to.

You will need to communicate the right things in your legal resume. You'll need to show the promise of showmanship. You'll need to demonstrate that you fit right in.

And to do this, you will need a highly relevant, well-written resume that hits the right notes.

Here, you will be able to write entry-level attorney resumes, attorney resumes, law school resumes - basically, you will be able to write legal resumes irrespective of the career stage you are in.

That's not all.

You will also learn:

• How to write a perfect summary of your attorney resume.
• How write professional experience to make an articulate lawyer resume?
• How to add personal information in a legal resume cover letter?
• Should you discuss your legal resume bar admission?

. . . All so you can get shortlisted for the legal job of your dreams.

Read on to uncover the top legal resume tips to help you write the best legal resume.

Watch out for the 10+ legal resume samples and legal resume examples to get a better idea of how each section is to be perfected.

What is a Legal Resume & why do you need it?

A legal resume is a resume that is designed for to-be-lawyers and lawyers in all stages of their career such as:

• An advocate resume is a legal resume for advocates.
• A law student resume is a legal resume for law students.
• A general counsel resume is a legal resume for general counselors.
• An entry-level attorney resume is a legal resume for entry-level attorneys.

They are all legal resumes for different legal professionals.

You need a legal resume to get shortlisted for your dream job. But given the onset of the ATS (applicant tracking system) and it’s rampant use across most industries and companies for hiring, the need of the day is to make an ATS-targeted or ATS-compliant resume.

This means:

• Your advocate resume should be ATS-compliant.
• Your law student resume should be ATS-compliant.
• Your general counsel resume should be ATS-compliant.
• Your entry-level attorney resume should be ATS-compliant.

Doing this will ensure that your legal resume will have a higher scope of getting shortlisted because it will rank well in the ATS.

Legal Sample Resume

Before we begin, take a look at our legal resume sample to know what an ideal resume should look like:

• Legal Research
• Legal Proceedings
• Case Resolution
• Legal Memorandum
• Case Study & Report making
• Motion Drafting
• Document Review
• Legal Contracts
• Documentation
• Tax Compliance
• Bankruptcy Proceedings
• Corporate Law
• Dispute Resolution
• Appointed as New York State Bar member in May '12
• Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Elementary)
• Administered the drafting of pleadings, and settlement demand letters
• Supervised legal research and prepared ~5 legal memoranda on a weekly basis
• Facilitated 10+ written & oral case status reports to co-counsel and clients every month
• Conducted legal research, motion drafting , and document review to implement fact-based litigation
• Interpreted law, rulings , and regulations for 20+ businesses on a monthly basis
• Monitored company compliance with taxes, business licenses , and employment regulations
• Implemented department-based company initiatives and assigned projects to lawyers & paralegals
• Advised small & mid-size businesses in bankruptcy proceedings and corporations & partnership agreements
• Consolidated 30+ legal documents to finalize closings for high profile clients every month
• Settled landlord/tenant disputes and resolved bank discharges & title policy issues to prevent stalling of closings
• Awarded ' Most Competent Associate ' for concluding the highest number of closings per month in Jun, Jul & Sep '16
• Top 5% of the class
• Top 10% of the class

How to write a Legal Resume

Writing the perfect legal resume demands that you follow the 3 stages of resume writing that we have mentioned below:

• Stage 1: Master Legal Resume
• Stage 2: First Draft of Legal Resume
• Stage 3: Final Draft of Legal Resume

Master Legal Resume

In this stage, you have to compile all your information in one place. Doing this guarantees a reserve of information with you at all times.

Be it your educational background, the certifications you have done, the professional expertise that you have amassed, etc. - put them all in one place.

That's step 1.

This helps in the twin process of resume writing in the present & resume update in the future as the need to fish for information gets removed.

All you have to do is pick the relevant information and write or update your resume accordingly.

First Draft of Legal Resume

The second stage of resume writing involves composing the following sections:

• Personal Information
• Profile Title
• Professional Experience
• Certifications (if any)
• Awards & Recognition (if any)
• Additional Information (if any)

Final Draft of Legal Resume

In the final stage of resume-writing, your job is to conclude your legal resume.

As part of this conclusion stage, you have to compose two sections i.e. the 'key skills' section and the 'summary/objective' section.

Both these sections are composed towards the end as it becomes easy to identify your core skills and career highlights, which makes drafting these sections extremely easy.

It also saves you the much-needed time as the scope of revisiting some sections of your resume just to compose these sections gets eliminated.

Legal Resume Sections

Knowing what to put in your resume is winning half the battle. Knowing how to present this information is what helps you hit the right notes with the ATS.

The ATS often scans your resume, and when information is presented haphazardly, it reduces the ATS-compatibility of your legal resume.

Thus, as a general rule you should always arrange your information under the resume sections that we have mentioned below:

• Summary/Objective

Additionally, you can also put in the extra information regarding your work life under the below-mentioned sections:

Legal Resume: Professional Experience

Most people will tell you that the shortest route to an impeccable resume is a highly informative professional experience section. And they're right.

It is only after thoughtful evaluation of this section that a recruiter gets the best idea of your professional caliber and work history.

But, that's not the only thing.

How you present information also matters.

So here's what you can do to effectively present the details of your work experience in your sample attorney resume:

• Frame points
• Use the STAR format
• Use Bucketing & Bolding

Framing Points

Do you know that using paragraphs is counter-productive in a law student resume?

Do you know what you can do to reverse it?

One-liner points. This is the answer to all your problems.

Let us elaborate further through the legal resume examples that we have outlined below. All you have to do is observe them closely:

As part of my roles & responsibilities as a layer at Company X, I was responsible for looking after a range of important functions which mainly included handling clients and resolving cases by concluding settlement agreements. To achieve this, I interviewed and briefed clients on a day to day basis. Other responsibilities include preparing motions, affidavits, interrogatories, contracts, and negotiated contracts. I have also been accountable for the important responsibility of filing lawsuits, handling legal research and preparing for court appearances - something I did with a lot of diligence.

• Handled cases, interviewed clients, and prepared briefs daily
• Prepared motions, affidavits, interrogatories, contracts, and negotiated contracts
• Filed lawsuits and handled various aspects of legal research & preparation for court appearances
• Studied case files and signed settlement agreements to resolve client disputes

Framing Points: Analysis

The legal resume examples that we have given above brings us to the following conclusions:

• Both attorney resume examples are communicating the same message.
• While Law Resume Example 1 uses one long bulky paragraph to talk about the applicant's roles & responsibilities, Law Resume Example 2 uses one crisp one-liner point which helps demonstrate the applicant's work experience optimally.
• Law Resume Example 2, which uses one-liner points, also has the added advantage of being reader-friendly. It is both easy to read & comprehend vis-a-vis Law Resume Example 1 which uses paragraphs.
• It also uses action verbs which give your sample lawyer resume the much-needed tone of assertiveness & professionalism.
• Our advice? You should use one-liner points instead of paragraphs to communicate the details of your work experience.

STAR Format

Next up is the STAR format.

What is its importance? Let's find out!

But before we do, here's what the STAR stands for:

• The Situation or context of your contributions.
• The Task you were assigned in the given situation at work.
• The Action or strategy you have deployed to execute the assigned task.
• The Result or outcome of your work or actions using performance figures.

Performance figures are numbers using which you can showcase the extent of your contributions in your workplace. It helps you show the importance of your professional skills in your chosen industry.

It helps you demonstrate how your efforts helped scale a business.

Thus, adding numbers make your actions more meaningful and relevant. It helps a recruiter understand your professional abilities which enhance your shortlist chances.

Bucketing & Bolding

Now that you know how to enhance the readability and effectiveness of your sample attorney resume, the next thing in your to-do-list is to ensure that your work experience details get read .

This is where the bucketing & bolding comes handy.

Mentioned below are two lawyer resume examples showcasing how bucketing & bolding helps you enhance the visibility of your sample attorney resume:

• Interpreted law, rulings, and regulations for 20+ businesses on a monthly basis
• Implemented company initiatives and assigned projects to a team of 5+ paralegals
• Prepared 10+ legal memorandums and conducted legal research every week
• Administered the drafting of pleadings, discovery, and settlement demand letters
• Facilitated 10+ written & oral case status reports to clients every month
• Conducted legal research, motion drafting, and document review to implement fact-based litigation
• Regulated company compliance with business licenses, taxes, and employment regulations

Legal Compliance & Bankruptcy Proceedings

• Interpreted law, rulings, and regulations for 20+ businesses every month
• Regulated company compliance with business licenses, taxes , and employment regulations

Legal Research & Memoranda

• Administered the drafting of pleadings , discovery , and settlement demand letters
• Facilitated 10+ written case status reports to clients every month

Bucketing & Bolding : Analysis

The above-mentioned legal resume examples present us with the following information:

• Law Resume Example 1 uses one-liner points to communicate the details of your work experience using points. It is extremely readable but it doesn't do enough to get your law resume get read.
• Law Resume Example 2 uses bucketing & bolding to organize each one-liner point by organizing similar points under relevant subheadings & marking the important career highlights in bold.
• By using bucketing & bolding, you can easily divert the recruiter's attention to your key responsibilities and skills as it becomes next to impossible to ignore them.
• Thus, you should use bucketing & bolding alongside one-liner points to ensure that your resume projects your career highlights effectively.

Legal Resume Sample for Professional Experience

It is embedded with experienced attorney resume samples to help you effectively illustrate your professional caliber in the professional experience section of your resume.

Moreover, make a healthy habit of picking the right resume format for your lawyer resume. The legal resume format you choose will significantly impact the receptiveness of your resume as it prioritizes the elements in your resume for maximum effectiveness.

The reverse chronological resume format is the industry choice for drafting attorney resumes. Use this format as it is both ATS-compliant & recruiter-friendly resume (a win-win!).

The lawyer resume sample that we have attached below shows you what this section should ideally look like once you follow the legal resume tips that we have explained for this section:

Legal Resume: Key Skills

The whole point of writing a lawyer resume is to demonstrate your professional skills. To do this, make a separate ' key skills ' section highlighting your core skills.

Add your 'technical skills' if you are writing a resume for a technical profile.

Since a lawyer resume does not fit into this category, you don't have to make a separate 'technical skills' section.

For best results, compose this section only after you have concluded the professional experience section. Doing this helps you curate an impeccable 'key skills' section without missing out on an important point.

Here's a sample law resume showcasing what the skills section should ideally look like in your legal resumes.

Legal Resume Summary or Objective?

Whether you write a legal resume summary or a legal resume objective depends on the number of work experience with you. If your work experience transcends 3 years, write a summary, and if you have less than 3 years of work experience, write an objective.

Both ways, the goal of both is to endorse your skills to ensure that you get shortlisted for a job in the legal industry. It has to be impactful and highly effective.

Here's a list of what you should do to write impactful summaries & objectives:

• When you compose your resume summary/objective after concluding the rest of your resume, it helps you write effective summaries and objectives as you simply have to pick the highlights of your career and present them here.
• The idea is to endorse your legal resume skills in the most pro-active way.
• Unnecessarily bulking up your resume summary or objective would be counterproductive. So as a general rule of thumb, try to keep your legal resume summary/objective limited to a 3-5 lines paragraph.

Here's a lawyer resume sample showcasing what an ideally composed summary for your lawyer resume should look like.

Legal Resume: Header

Your lawyer resume header needs to be composed while keeping in mind its importance. Its goal is to give your resume an individual identity of its own.

This is why writing 'CV' or 'Resume' is frowned upon because it is obvious that you are submitting a resume.

You don't have to announce such obvious facts to the world.

This is why you should personalize this space and make a habit of writing your real full name as the resume header.

Do this and position it at the extreme top part of your lawyer resume and write it in the largest font size of 16-20 points to enhance its visibility. Doing this will tell the recruiter that this resume belongs to you.

We have attached a legal resume sample below. It illustrates what the perfect resume header should look like:

Legal Resume: Personal Information

This section of your lawyer resume should communicate important contact-specific information about you such as:

• Your mobile number
• Your Email ID
• Your Location

Make sure that you don't unnecessarily flood this section with irrelevant and extremely personal details such as your sexual orientation or religious beliefs unless explicitly asked for. Doing this will make you prone to biased hiring and you don't want that!

Mobile Number

Are you writing your contact information correctly on your law resume?

Have you been composing it the wrong way this whole time?

Read on to find out:

• Use your country’s ISD code as a prefix before your mobile number.
• Put a plus sign (+) before the ISD code.
• Eg: +1 37648 21511.

Do not mention more than one mobile number in your law resume and makes sure that this mobile number is active. Recruiters tend to get in touch with you over the phone, so any mismatch would mean that you would miss out on a potential job offer or shortlist announcement.

Your email ID is just as important as the mobile number in your law resume as it is the official mode of communication between two professionals - the recruiter and the applicant.

Thus, you mustn't use childish email IDs that spell unprofessional.

All you have to do is write your name followed by the domain name i.e. [email protected] . Example: '[email protected]'.

Your location is another important element of your law resume. It gives the recruiter a fair idea of the place of your residence, which further helps him/her identify if you would be up for a job-switch in another city or state.

Point is, locations are important.

Do yourself a favor and don't excessively complicate it.

Simply mention your city & state if you're applying for jobs in the country you are based in. For job applications in other countries, simply mention the city & country of your residence.

Legal Resume Sample for Personal Information

To know what an ideal personal information section should ideally look like, take a look at the sample attorney resume below.

Legal Resume: Profile Title

Your profile title is important as it communicates important career-relevant details about you.

Be it your functional industry, your seniority level in it, or your job title; your profile title says it all!

This is why it is important to illustrate them in your law resume with maximum visibility.

Here's what you should do to enhance the visibility of your law resume:

• Write it in the second-largest text in your sample legal resume.
• Write it in the font range of 14-16 points.

Given below is a lawyer resume sample illustrating the perfect profile title for your law resume.

The key is to truthfully present this information without exaggeration.

Legal Resume: Education

Most people tend to overlook this section.

This is where they are making a grave mistake. The education section of your resume is a must-include-section and should not be missed.

Your educational details are important. Thus, you must make a separate 'Education' section in your law school resumes.

It should have the below-mentioned information:

• The schools or universities you went to.
• The courses you pursued in the universities you went to.
• Location of your school/university.
• Detailed information of your enrolment & graduation in month & year format.

Here's a sample legal resume showcasing what this section should look like once you have followed the legal resume tips for the 'Education' section.

Legal Resume: Certifications

Is your lawyer resume up to mark? If it isn't, follow the legal resume tips we have mentioned below:

• Make a certifications section in your lawyer resume.
• Furnish it with important certification-centric information.
• Put down the certification name, certificate-issuing body, location of the institute and enrolment & completion date in month & year format .

After you do this, arrange these points horizontally in the below-mentioned format:

{Name of Certification} | {Affiliating Institution} | {Location} | {Date} (month & year format)

Legal Resume Bar Admission

Your legal resume bar admission is important and should find a place in your resume.

Not only does it tell a recruiter that you are educationally equipped, but it also shows that you have stepped it up a notch and passed the bar exam.

Showcasing this in your resume helps you demonstrate that you are qualified to practice law.

Here's a lawyer resume sample demonstrating how you should inculcate your legal resume bar admission details in your resume:

Legal Resume: Additional Information

If you have extra information that you'd like to put in your lawyer resume, but don't know where to put them, list them down in the 'Additional Information' section of your resume.

But while we say this, make sure that you make this section only if it helps you advance your job application in any way.

The sample law school resume that we have attached below perfectly demonstrates what this section should look like in your law student resume:

Key Takeaways

• Keep your lawyer resume simple and informative. Stick to a one-page resume if your work experience is limited to 10 years.
• Write a legal resume summary only if you have a minimum work experience of 3 years. If you don't, write a legal resume objective.
• Make a 'key skills' section to talk about your legal resume skills. Doing this will help a recruiter identify your proficiency areas in one go.
• Instead of blatantly stating that you're skilled in this and that, show the visible extent of your contributions using numbers. For eg:' Conducted legal research to resolve 10+ cases in one week'.
• Don't use paragraphs in your lawyer resume. Instead, use crisp one-liner points to communicate your roles & responsibilities.
• Use action verbs to begin each point in your professional experience section. Doing this gives your resume a tone of confidence & professionalism.
• Use the month & year format for dates across all sections of your lawyer resume.
• Use the city/state code format if you are looking for job applications in the country of your residence. If you're looking for opportunities outside your home country, use the city/country code format .

You can either follow these steps or use Hiration's Career Building Platform to frame a professional legal resume. This AI-powered platform comes with 24/7 chat support to provide you a smooth user experience. Additionally, you can also discuss your career related issues with our experts at [email protected] .

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Legal Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2024

As a legal professional, your resume is one of the most important tools you have to sell your skills and experience to potential employers. Whether you’re an attorney or a law clerk, your resume is the first impression you’ll make on a hiring manager or legal recruiter.

To help you navigate the legal hiring process, we’ve rounded up some handy tips, real-life examples, and compelling templates on how to write a legal resume that will help you get noticed. (But for all the right reasons.)

Read on and learn all about:

• Formatting your legal resume properly
• Building a compelling work experience section
• Including action verbs in your legal resume
• Showcasing knowledge of legal trends
• Highlighting legal skills in your resume
• Choosing relevant extra sections for your legal resume

1. Format your legal resume properly

Not every legal resume is equal. The expectations and roles vary, and so do your own experiences and skill set. It’s important that you’ve chosen a resume format that highlights your strengths. 

In fact, the layout and format of your resume is just as important as the actual content. If the reviewer is unable to easily parse out the most critical information, it’s unlikely that they’ll review it in depth.

Display the most relevant information prominently and use clear headings so that potential employers can easily find the information they are looking for. 

For example, if you’re a new graduate looking for their first role in the legal world, you may want to highlight your relevant education and academic accolades. If you’re a legal professional with over 10 years of experience, you will likely want to highlight the times and roles where you’ve made the biggest impact.

Writing a new resume can feel overwhelming but it’s easier than you might think. To help you land your next job in the legal industry, we’ve put together some legal resume templates and samples that you can easily adapt to your own skills and goals.

Use artificial intelligence to create your resume — FAST!

2. make your work experience section stand out.

A legal resume should be more than just a laundry list of all your past job duties and responsibilities. While it might feel more impressive to list out all the things you’ve done, a few specific legal examples will make a better impact .

Unspecific examples of resume points include phrases like, “Wrote emails and coordinated appointments” and “Filed and organized documents.” These are tasks or skills that could be related to any industry or role.

Instead, use specific examples of the legal work you have done and the results you have achieved. If possible, include the impact and the relevant practice area. The more details you can include, the better.

Here's a strong work experience section from a legal resume

Associate Attorney, XYZ Law Firm, Anytown, USA

• Conducted extensive legal research and analysis on complex cases, providing valuable insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Drafted and reviewed legal documents, including contracts, pleadings, and briefs, ensuring accuracy and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Assisted in all stages of litigation, including case preparation, witness interviews, and trial support.
• Collaborated with a team of attorneys to develop legal strategies and arguments for various cases.
• Participated in client meetings and effectively communicated legal advice, ensuring clients' understanding of their rights and legal options.
• Negotiated settlements and mediated disputes to achieve favorable outcomes for clients.

However, make sure you’re not disclosing any confidential client information.

3. Include action verbs in your legal resume

When describing your legal experience and accomplishments on your resume, use action verbs . Active verbs are powerful and clearly communicate your successes and skills on your resume.

Action verbs are effective at helping your resume tell a story. It also conveys a level of confidence in your skills to the reviewer. This is particularly important in an industry, like law, where being able to deliver successful results is incredibly valuable.

Consider some of the following action verbs when drafting your legal resume

• Represented
• Spearheaded

This will not only make your resume more interesting to read, but it will also help to demonstrate the impact you have made in your previous roles.

Workers in the legal industry need to be professional and have an eye for detail. So make sure to use the correct tenses when using action verbs in your resume.

Need more action verbs to help you write your resume? Here are 222 more you can use .

4. Demonstrate knowledge of legal trends 

The legal landscape is constantly changing. This includes everything from legal information to the technology used by legal professionals.

In order to be the most effective at your job, it’s essential for any attorney, law clerk, or legal assistant to keep up with the latest legal trends . Whether you have 2 or 30 years of experience, staying up-to-date can help you better serve your clients.

If you’re taking relevant courses or seminars to upskill yourself, make sure to mention them in your resume. Adding these educational opportunities demonstrates to potential employers that you are keeping up with the latest developments in the legal industry. 

Here's an example of how to effectively list courses and seminars on your legal resume

Courses and seminars

• Intellectual Property Law Seminar, Anytown Law School (2021)
• Contract Negotiation and Drafting, Legal Institute (2020)
• Legal Writing and Research Workshop, Bar Association (2019)
• Trial Advocacy Skills Training, Trial Lawyers Association (2018)
• Corporate Law Essentials, Continuing Legal Education (2017)

Find out your resume score!

5. Highlight any unique or specialized legal skills in your resume

The legal industry is an incredibly specific area of employment that requires special education. However, you may be surprised to find that there are many additional skills (outside of the legal sphere) that can make your application stronger.

Take the time to tailor your resume to the role you’re applying for. If you have any unique or specialized skills that would be relevant to the position, highlighting these will help a hiring manager take notice of your application.

Here are some examples of specialized skills or experience to include

• Proficiency in foreign languages – It can help you attract a larger client base.
• Experience in specific practice areas – from family law to insurance law
• Educational background – For example, a background in science or medicine would be beneficial if working in a healthcare legal practice.
• Client services experience – This will be helpful if your role is client-facing.
• Critical hinking:  The ability to analyze complex legal issues and formulate effective strategies is key.
• Business acumen:  An understanding of clients' industries can offer personalized and exceptional legal advice.

6. Choose relevant extra sections for your legal resume

Often, it's the additional sections on your resume that make you stand out as a top pick. Here are a few suggestions:

• Bar Admission:  In the field of law, your bar admission status is vital. Specify the state(s) where you're admitted to practice law.
• Certifications:  If you've earned any certifications beyond your Juris Doctor degree, such as Intellectual Property Law , Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), or others, be sure to include these.
• Volunteering Experience:  Have you offered pro bono legal services or volunteered in a community legal clinic? This reinforces your commitment to the law outside of a business context.
• Publications:  If you've written legal briefs, articles, or have been published in a law journal, this can highlight your expertise and communication skills.
• Languages:  Legal work can often necessitate interaction with diverse clients. If you're multilingual, include the languages you speak and your proficiency level.

Here's an example of how to list your extra sections

Bar Admission

• Admitted to the New York State Bar (2022)

Certifications

• Intellectual Property Law Certification (Yale University, 2019)
• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP, 2021)

Volunteering Experience

• Pro Bono Legal Consultant, Community Legal Clinic, Chicago, IL (2016 - Present)

Publications

• Co_author, "The Changing Landscape of Intellectual Property Law", Harvard Law Review, 2021
• Contributor, "Privacy Law and Internet Regulations", Stanford Technology Law Review, 2020
• Spanish: Conversational
• French: Fluent

Remember, these sections can underscore your strengths and demonstrate your diverse skills apart from essential legal competencies. Therefore, hand-pick those that best showcase your qualifications and fit the role you're applying for.

Legal Resume FAQ

In addition to basic such as contact information and education, include details about legal internships or clerkships, relevant coursework or achievements, skills pertinent to the role (such as proficiency in legal research or knowledge of legal software), and references if available.

A resume summary can be beneficial on a legal resume, particularly for seasoned legal professionals. It provides a snapshot of your legal career, highlighting significant achievements and skills. 

As a fresh law graduate or someone new to the field, focus on your education, internships, and any relevant coursework or extracurricular activities. You may also highlight skills, such as legal research or negotiation, gained from your education or internships. 

The resume length can depend on your level of experience. Generally, a one-page resume suffices for new graduates or those with less experience. However, seasoned legal professionals embarking on senior-level roles may need two pages to adequately detail their experiences and accomplishments.

Always, yes. Despite the legal sector's seeming uniformity, different firms or legal departments may look for different skills or experience. Tailor your resume to match each job description closely.

Julia Gergelova

Julia is a professional writer, translator and graphic designer. She holds degrees in translation and interpretation, and has international work experience from a number of different countries in Europe as well as China and Panama. Julia formerly taught academic writing and as a graphic designer contributed to outlets such as  The Business of Business . She has a passion for lifelong learning and good coffee.

Subcategories

• Law Clerk / Legal Clerk
• Lawyer / Advocate
• Legal Administrative Assistant
• Legal Secretary

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How to write a professional resume summary [+examples], how to put your education on a resume [+examples], how to describe your work experience on a resume [+examples], let your resume do the work..

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Legal Resume Writing Guide

Jenifer Kuadli

March 18, 2022

The goal of a legal resume is to create a good first impression for your potential employer. Due to the limited time hiring managers have to spend reviewing applicants, your resume must be precise, relevant, and professionally written. In our guide, we will highlight the important elements of a law resume and how to present them whether you are an experienced attorney or a law school graduate. 

Resume Outline 

Most law students will look to legal resume examples when composing their first one. However, merely finding a professional-looking resume isn’t enough. There are several other essential elements you need to consider. Furthermore, the resume outline for a law practicing professional is not the same as for other job positions. In our guide, we will go over each section in the order they need to be included in law resumes. 

Header 

In the resume header, you need to include your full name, email address, LinkedIn URL, phone number, and home address if you’re sending your resume by postal mail. If you are still a student, you can include your school email and address on campus. If you are applying for a legal job that’s not within daily traveling distance to your location, you can leave out the address. 

If you include your home phone and cell number, it’s good practice to format your legal resume to make a distinction between the numbers by having “(C)" or “(Cell)” and “(H)” or “(Home)” next to them.

Including a link for your LinkedIn profile is great if you keep it updated. Also, make sure that there aren’t any discrepancies between the profile and the resume you are sending to the employer. 

It’s important to know whether to list your education or work experience first. A legal resume’s format often prioritizes education unless you’ve worked as a lawyer for more than three years. In certain instances, it’s always a good idea to list your education ahead of the work experience.  

When adding education, make sure to list it in reverse chronological order. A law student resume should include whether you’ve acquired a Juris Doctor or JD degree or when you are expected to graduate. This section should also cover undergraduate studies, studying abroad, or other graduate degrees before law school. Use a bulleted list and make a separate entry for each educational milestone. If you’ve completed your thesis, add it below the appropriate degree and include the title in italics. 

Publications 

The publications section should include any law-related articles you’ve written during your studies. This section should come right after education. According to legal resume templates, such works should be cited in accordance with where your potential employer is based or by using The Bluebook style manual. Make sure to separate any articles you might have written before and after law school and anything that’s not law-related. 

Honors and Activities

The resume should also include academic honors and activities. It’s important not to overstate any achievements and have no more than three to five entries. A resume for law students shouldn’t have more entries in these categories because they can act as a distraction. 

The honors section is reserved for cum laude, summa cum laude, magna cum laude, Dean’s List, Phi Beta Kappa, and academic achievement awards. Keep in mind that these Latin phrases should always be italicized and in lower case. If you decide to include your GPA in a legal resume, it’s best to have it in brackets next to cum laude honorifics. Make sure to write down your exact GPA, and don’t round it up or down. Also, if the GPA is below 3.0, don’t include it on your resume. 

The activities listed on a law firm resume should show if you held public office or if you were a member of a sports team or any student organization during your time in university. 

There is no need to include your high school education and standardized tests and LSAT scores on the resume. 

A lawyer’s resume should outline prior work experience in reverse chronological order. There is no need to include more than the last five jobs you had. Furthermore, don’t include every job you had before or during law school. It’s more important to list the most relevant and significant work experience. 

Recent graduates or law students should include clinical work they’ve done during school. Volunteering also comes under work experience, and it shouldn’t be included separately in lawyer resumes. However, if you’ve done a significant amount of volunteer work, you can add a separate community service section. 

Most often, if there are gaps in your work experience or if you omitted something that’s not relevant to the job you are applying to, it may catch the hiring manager’s eye. Be prepared to explain any such occurrences. When it comes to duration, it’s enough to write down the year you started and stopped working on each of the jobs included in the resume.

Any legal resume template includes a description of the work done in previous job positions. These are essential, as they showcase your responsibilities and what kind of experience you have as a legal professional. Keep in mind that you should always emphasize job descriptions relevant to the position you are applying for. 

The best practice is not to exaggerate the responsibilities you had at your previous job position. Just concisely present what you did and the scope of work you handled. There are plenty of examples of legal resumes online that will show you how to describe the work you did precisely. Furthermore, you should avoid using personal pronouns in the resume and begin sentences describing your work with action verbs. This way, you’ll avoid cluttering the resume and highlight important elements. Try to avoid using verbs such as “help” and “assist” as they are vague and do not showcase any specific skills you possess. 

Applicants that are conversant or fluent in multiple languages can add the “Languages” category. For example, it’s enough to simply write “Fluent in Spanish” or “Conversant in French” to denote your skill with a foreign language. 

There isn’t any attorney resume template that doesn’t include a category for showcasing your personal interests or hobbies outside your career or law studies. Most hiring managers will want to learn more about your personality, and this section is an excellent way to start a conversation without having to resort to broad and awkward questions.

Include hobbies or interests that reflect positively on your character. Also, avoid broad categories like “reading,” it’s much better to specify what type of literature you’re interested in. 

What Not to Include in a Resume

You’re likely to come across templates for law resumes and examples that include categories we haven’t mentioned here. That’s because most often, these are viewed as unprofessional and inappropriate for the legal profession.

Career Objective

Placing the career objective or a related category in a prominent spot on your resume is often not appropriate for the law profession. This is even more pronounced if you are a student that’s looking for first-time employment. While it’s helpful for hiring managers when reviewing a legal intern’s resume and assessing if a candidate’s expectations match the job position, it may lose you the job interview.

The best practice is to have your education, area of study, research papers, and experience speak for themselves and show what position you are qualified for. You should include any specific career goals in the cover letter .

Qualities Summary 

An attorney resume doesn’t need to include a summary of your personal traits, like your great sense of humor or outgoing personality. These are inappropriate for legal resumes, so leave them out of the document. 

References 

Ending the resume with “References available upon request” is not necessary. Most hiring managers know that these can be provided when necessary. To keep your resume clear and concise, you can list references in a separate document with the same heading. There is no need to have more than three to five references to send to the hiring manager on demand.

A resume for a lawyer should reflect their skills through previous work experience, action verbs, and education. There is no need to create a separate list, as your work experience and qualifications will be enough for your potential employers. 

How to Include Bar Exam on Your Resume

Most importantly, you need to disclose the status of your license. Most attorneys and law students will need to include a licensure section or a bullet point in their resumes. 

A bar exam is a critical component of your portfolio. Here are a few ways to include it in a law resume with examples. 

If you passed a bar exam in one state, you could add a bullet point that states “Bar Admission: [name of the state or states].” 

For law graduates that need to take the bar, there are a few different ways to showcase it in your resume. If you are eligible to take the exam, but you haven’t applied yet, you should write “Eligible for [month and year of the test] [name of the state] bar exam.”

Legal resumes for bar applicants can also indicate when they will sit for the exam: “Candidate for [month and year of the test] [name of the state] bar exam.”

Maybe you’ve passed the bar, but you’re not sworn in yet. Then you should include the bar exam in the following format: [Name of the state] admission pending.

How to Format Your Resume

A resume for lawyers, attorneys, and paralegals needs to follow a specific formatting and style guideline that’s in line with industry standards. Keep in mind that the goal of the format is to emphasize your strengths. It needs to be clear and concise so the reader can see the relevant information within 30 seconds. 

As a candidate, you need to relay professionalism, so the resume needs to look the part. You are most likely to provide the document through an email or upload it through an online application form, so the best thing is to save it as a PDF. 

Avoid Using Templates for Your Resume

Because resume templates force their formatting structure, your information will adjust to the template instead of the other way around. Your legal resume format should follow the expected form, and then it’s up to you to edit it and use the appropriate font, paper size, and margins. 

As a standard, you should use font size from 10 pt to 12 pt, while the header can go up to 14. You should use traditional fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, and Courier.

When formatting either your PDF resume or a hard copy, make sure to use the letter format, which is 8.5” x 11” in size. If you plan to print and send a hard copy of your resume, make sure to use high-quality white paper. 

You should fit your resume within margins between 0.75” to 1” on the left and right. The top and bottom margins can be somewhat smaller at 0.7” and 0.5”, respectively. 

Length of the Resume

The length of the resume for lawyers and other applicants that work in the legal industry should generally fit on one page. This is especially recommended for law students or individuals with limited experience. Individuals with extensive experience can have two-page resumes. 

Remember that reducing font size below 10 pt or expanding margins to fit your information within the required format isn’t recommended. It’s better to use action verbs to make your text more concise. 

Proofreading is essential. Having grammar and spelling errors is unprofessional and shows a lack of attention to detail. 

With this information, legal resume writing should be straightforward for any future and current law professional. Even if you haven’t heard back from an employer yet, you should prepare for a law firm interview while keeping in mind that questions for paralegals are somewhat different than those for prospective attorneys. 

Remember that after the interview, writing a thank you letter can leave a good impression and improve your chances of getting a job in the legal industry .

Frequently Asked Questions

How many pages is a legal resume?

Your resume for a position in the legal industry should be no longer than one page or two pages if you have extensive work experience. 

How do I write a resume for a lawyer?

Lawyers have different standards and approaches to writing resumes than other professionals. The document should be concise, easy to read, and include categories relevant to the profession. You should avoid adding sections for qualities, skills, personal traits, and career objectives. 

What should a legal resume include?

A resume for a professional in the law industry should include sections for education, publications (if any), experience, languages, and interests. Read our guide to see how to expand on each element of the resume and what the general practice in the legal industry is.

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Home / Resume Examples / Lawyer Resume Sample

How to Write a Legal Resume

Imagine losing a case or getting your motion thrown out due to a technical error. That feeling is a lot worse when your job application is tossed out because you used the wrong resume format or failed to proofread.

That's because writing a great resume is easier than filing a patent or putting a motion together.

However, preparing a job-winning resume could be as important as winning a lawsuit. Your next job could be the milestone that sets you on your career path.

There are many other reasons why writing a great resume is important.

• 35,000 fresh law graduates join the 1.3 million lawyers already in the job market every year.
• Only 57% of law graduates end up in private practice , which is almost every lawyer’s desire.
• Most HR departments use Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates.
• And those who personally review applications only spend about 7 seconds going through a resume.

Those reasons are also why you should take this article seriously. That’s because you’ll find the best tips on writing a great lawyer resume, including lawyer resume examples, in this post.

How Much Do Lawyers Earn?

According to the money.usnews.com , lawyers had a median annual wage of $ 126,930 in 2020.

Types of Resume Formats to Consider

Your resume format guides the recruiter to different sections and information. Using the right format means they’ll find what they’re looking for in those 7 seconds and continue reading your application. On the other hand, they’ll move on if your resume is poorly formatted.

There are three different types of resumes that you can use. They include:

• The Chronological Resume Format
• The Functional Resume Format
• The Combination Resume Format

The chronological resume format places more emphasis on your work experience. It lists your career history in a chronological order. That means you’ll start with your most recent job and end with your earliest. It’s one of the most common resumes to use and arguably the best.

The functional resume focuses on your skills and it’s ideal for fresh graduates or lawyers with significant employment gaps. It’s less common among professionals, but it does have its uses. Using this resume, you’ll be talking more about your skills, with less focus on your experience.

The combination resume is considered a hybrid resume because it combines the best parts of the chronological and functional resume formats. It’s ideal for professionals with lots of skills and work experience to showcase when bidding for high-level positions. It’s also the go-to resume for people switching fields.

Which Format Should You Use?

The best format to use, hands down, is the chronological resume format. Apart from being the right choice for professionals who have plenty of experience and achievements, hiring managers are used to the layout and scan resumes with the format in mind.

So, using the format would be a great idea as you want the hiring manager to see your work experience where they expect it to be.

That said, there are situations that call for using other formats.

For example, managers looking to hire interns or entry level associate attorneys may want to go through their skills rather than their experience. That’s because they expect to fill these positions with fresh graduates.

So, putting your skills at the top of the resume right after your career objective would be the right move in this case.

Also, the combination resume would be the right choice in specific situations. If the job listing requires specific skills and a level of experience, you have to emphasize your experience and skills.

So, look at the wording in the job description to determine which resume format to choose.

Lawyer Resume Example

Steps to writing a job-winning lawyer resume: the best lawyer resume template.

Picking the layout of your resume is the first important step, but what follows is just as crucial.

From writing out your resume header and a powerful professional summary, to listing out your skills and qualifications, you have to arrange the rest of the document in a way that gets the recruiter's attention.

But before you start with the header, there are few things you should take note of:

• Pick a great font: Ideally, your font size and type should be clean and legible. The best size falls within 10 to 12, and the font types to use include Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Cambria, Bookman Old Style, and Georgia.
• Use Proper Line Spacing: Double line spacing after subheadings (1.15) or single line spacing are the standard.
• Use Adequate White Space: White spaces make your resume scannable and easy to read. Packing everything closely together can confuse the recruiter.

Now, let's walk you through writing your legal resume the right way.

Start with Your Resume Header

The resume header includes your name, profession, contact information, and professional summary.

Your name should be the boldest part of the resume and your professional title should be right beneath it.

Your first name should come before your last name, and make sure you use the same name you use across all your legal documents and social media profiles.

Right after your name and your title goes your contact information. The contact information contains the following:

• Phone number
• Email address
• Website/portfolio
• Professional social media profiles

Here are some critical tips that should guide how you write your contact information:

• There's no need to write out your full mailing address unless the recruiter instructs you to do so. The name of your city or state will be enough.
• Your email address should contain your first and last names. Avoid using an email address with numbers or nicknames.
• You can use your personal or business email, but don't use your current work email.
• You can add a second phone number but ensure the first one is always reachable.
• Add your LinkedIn profile. You can also add your Twitter profile if it's professional.

Freya Bright, Lawyer

[email protected]

New York City, NY

Your Professional Summary

Your professional summary acts as your official introduction. It summarizes your entire resume and professional career just as its name suggests.

It should tell the recruiter everything about your professional life in a few, short sentences.

Make sure you point out your best qualities and experiences relevant to the job you're applying for. That way, the recruiter will find what they're looking for at the top of the resume, then proceed to read further.

The professional resume summary is ideal for lawyers with years of experience and rich work histories. It showcases your previous achievements at a glance, rounding up with a statement that shows your desire to work for the firm.

If you're fresh out of school, however, you should use a resume objective instead. It focuses on your enthusiasm and motivation to perform at the highest level.

Even if you're a fresh graduate applying for a junior or entry level role, merely writing about your courses and dedication to work won't be quite enough. You can stand out by adding small experiences you've gathered over the years.

First Example: Lawyer with Experience

Highly efficient real estate attorney with 5+ years of experience in handling documentation, litigation, and legal matters related to property bankruptcy and foreclosure. Oversaw 200 legal matters pertaining to new properties including purchase, property title, condemnation, leasing, and zoning. Resolved 58 development and property encroachment issues. Seeking to use my expertise to add value to Hold & Brown Associates.

Second Example: Lawyer with Less Experience

Dedicated real estate attorney seeking to log a consistent high rate of annual billable hours for Hold & Brown Associates as a junior attorney. Able to oversee legal property matters, having reviewed lease contracts for local landlords and settled 5 cases favorably. Judged 4 high school moot court contests and clerked for Judge John Waters of the New York City Housing Court.

Note: It would be a good idea to write your professional summary after you complete your resume. This way, you can pick out important bits from the resume to add to the summary.

The Experience Section

When it comes to any legal profession, experience matters a lot. In many job openings, it makes the difference.

The hiring manager wants to know where you've worked, what role you've handled, and if they're relevant to the open position they want to fill.

So, your top priority when preparing your experience section is to use the job description as a guide.

Sure, you've gained lots of experiences in the past. But how many of them are similar to the job you want to land?

Since you're using a one-page long document, you have to streamline your experience section to those past roles.

But it doesn't end at showing the recruiter you have relevant experience. They also want to know you have relevant capacity.

After all, merely saying you worked at a particular company doesn't show you excelled at the role.

So, you have to list your achievements in every role you've handled. Use numbers and metrics to back up your claim to make them look legitimate.

Each role should contain:

• The name of the company
• Your job title
• Number of years at the company

Since you're using a chronological format, start from your latest role to the earliest. Under each role, list your responsibilities and achievements with 5 to 6 bullet points, reducing the number of bullets as you descend.

Here's an example.

Senior Associate

Wendell & Sons

2016 - 2022

• Investigated zoning laws and property history to resolve 52 cases.
• Provided legal guidance on real estate leasing and selling, acquisition, and purchasing to 74 clients.
• Consistently clocked at least 1700 billable hours annually.
• Maintained a 97% client satisfaction score on exit surveys.
• Oversaw a commercial lease deal worth $8 million dollars for an international corporate body, increasing the rent over the previous contract by 25%.

2013 - 2016

• Negotiated and drafted sale agreements, options to purchase, lease, and subleases for clients with different financial resources and needs.
• Assisted landlords in 126 mediations with 95% favorable settlement rate.
• Assessed over 300 real estate deals to find legal risks and developed corresponding remedial measures to client satisfaction.
• Reviewed over 500 mortgage and lease documents, including Closing Disclosure forms.

How to Write the Experience Section for a Fresh Graduate

2021 was no doubt a good year for law graduates. The jobs market absorbed 91.9% of fresh graduates, according to the National Association for Law Placement , with 57% hired into private practice.

That said, you may still lose out on the best employment opportunity if you don't arrange your experience section right as a law school graduate.

So, before heading out for that dream job, consider filling up your resume with experiences such as judicial clerkship, pro bono work, volunteering at courts, and presiding over moot court competitions in high schools.

Your experience section can look like this:

Judicial Law Clerk to New York City Housing Court Judge

• Researched personal and real property tax issues.
• Researched, reviewed, and analyzed submitted documentary evidence in property tax assessment disputes.
• Drafted and reviewed judicial opinions.
• Researched and analyzed local, state, and federal property statutes.
• Drafted and reviewed orders in response to motions brought before the Housing Court judge.

Attorney Experience

• Performed bi-monthly pro bono trial research for the New York City Housing Court.
• Conducted legal research that led to favorable settlements.
• Judged Townsend Harris High Moot Court competition, writing 8 decisions and determining the winners satisfactorily.

Make sure you add other juicy achievements that you believe would be relevant to the job description. Use numbers, metrics, and scores if you have them.

Add Your Bar Admissions

Of course the recruiter will want to know that you're licensed to practice law where they operate, especially if you’ll be providing legal representation.

So, you have to list your bar admission on the resume. You can add it before or right after your experience section. However, whatever you do, ensure the recruiter can easily find your license status.

You can add it this way:

Bar Admissions

New York State Bar, Second Department, 2019

Avoid using the “Bar association” label to indicate your license. That’s because the bar associations in some states are private organizations, and membership to those bodies doesn't mean membership to the state bar.

How to Write Your Law Education Section

While your experience section remains the most critical part of your legal resume, you still have to provide your educational qualifications.

The education section is your opportunity to show off your ivy league school degree, which gives you a significant edge.

But it doesn't mean you have to skip the section if you attended a Tier 4 school or community college.

Your degree can still make an impact on your resume regardless of your alma mater. But it depends on how you write your education section.

So what should you do? Here are tips you should follow:

• Include the name of your college and its location.
• Write out your years in school.
• Indicate your degree.
• Add your bachelor's degree if you have a Juris Doctor.
• List your publications, relevant coursework, and achievements as a student.

Juris Doctor

New York University 2006-2009

• Pursued a concentration in property law.
• Co-authored a paper, "Modern Framework for Evidential Accuracy in Property Litigation." in the faculty journal alongside Professor Gains Johnson.
• Member of the NYU Law School Moot Court competition.

Bachelor of Science

New York University , 2003-2006

• Major in Law
• Minor in Economics

You don't have to add your GPA unless you bagged something higher than 3.5.

Preparing Your Skills Section

Listing your skills in your resume has gone beyond telling the recruiters you have the skills listed on their job description.

Instead, you can take things a bit further by stating how you used your skills in your previous positions. This way, the recruiter will not only believe that you possess those skills, but also know how you use them.

For example, if a job posting lists leadership, time management, and reviewing pleadings as part of the required skills, your skills section could look like this:

• Mentored 7 junior associates.
• Logged 25% more billable hours than other associates at Wendell & Sons covering the same work hours.
• Reviewed 18% more pleadings per month than Jordan and Shaw's average.

Even if you're a junior lawyer with less experience, you can list how you used your skills when you conducted pro bono work or in your capacity as a judicial clerk.

Adding Extra Sections to the Resume

You can further level up your resume and flaunt your professional sophistication by adding extra sections. These sections will show the recruiter how deep you’ve gone into the legal profession and catch their attention.

Extra sections may include:

• Publications on law journals
• Volunteer work
• Awards and Honors
• Conferences
• Professional organizations

Main Takeaways

That’s how to write a resume that helps you lock down interviews. Remember to always streamline your resume to each job description and company. Use achievements to show the recruiter you’re right for the job. And use white space, the right font, and the right format to make your resume scannable.

You can also attach a cover letter to your application to further introduce yourself to the recruiter and create the right first impression.

Lawyer cover letter

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Crafting a Powerful Legal Resume That Lands Interviews

Your legal resume is the most pivotal career document you’ll ever create. This essential page serves as your first impression and credentials summary to prospective employers. A polished, professional resume can unlock your dream job, while a mediocre one can derail your candidacy.

That’s why all law students and lawyers should invest significant time honing their resumes. While no singular template guarantees success, adhering to best practices dramatically improves your odds of impressing hiring managers.

This comprehensive guide will equip you to write a stellar legal resume. Learn how to:

• Use proper formatting and structure
• Write targeted content for each section
• Tailor your resume to specific jobs
• Quantify achievements and highlight legal writing
• Refine wording and fix mistakes
• Update your resume as your career progresses

Follow these tips, and your resume will capture attention, open doors, and help you land more rewarding law jobs and careers.

Introduction to Legal Resume Best Practices

Your resume will likely be a legal employer’s very first impression of you. They may spend mere seconds scanning before deciding if you’re worth deeper consideration.

That’s why perfecting your resume is so crucial. Don’t minimize the importance of this foundational career document.

While creative formats fly for some professions, the law has strict expectations. Firms want resumes exuding professional polish. Expect old-fashioned conventions from this traditional field.

With so much on the line, anxiety around resume writing is understandable. Don’t let the pressure paralyze you. Think of your resume as an evolving project requiring ongoing refinement. If you are a paralegal , be sure to regularly update your resume.

Arm yourself with proven resume strategies to showcase your budding legal skills. Then update continually as you gain experience. Regular revision prevents resume stagnation.

Now let’s overview the framework vital for crafting resumes that make hiring managers take notice.

Resume vs. CV

Resumes and Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) are both credentials summaries. However, key differences exist:

Resumes highlight recent experience concisely. They are job search documents typically 1-2 pages long. Most legal employers want resumes.

CVs are academic and career overviews showcasing comprehensive credentials. CVs help academics pursue fellowships or professorships. Law students mainly need resumes .

Resume Purpose

Your resume must demonstrate how your background directly translates into you excelling in the open role. Succinctly summarize your education, skills, achievements, and experience while quantifying instances of impact.

Use targeted content and keywords from each job posting. Customization shows the hiring manager your qualifications align with their specified needs.

Finally, remember your resume complements other application materials. It should be consistent with your cover letter, transcripts, writing samples, references, and interview responses. Tell a coordinated story about your credentials.

Resume Mindset

Don’t view your resume as fixed or final. Adopt a growth mindset. Think of it as an evolving platform to dynamically showcase your legal skills as they progress over time.

Refine wording, add new achievements, remove outdated entries…continually improve it. Every resume section offers space to demonstrate expanding expertise.

Building an excellent legal resume requires patience and perseverance. But investing effort now equips you to capitalize on opportunities throughout your career. Keep leveling it up!

With the basics covered, let’s dive into crafting resume content that leaves hiring managers eager to meet you.

Related Terms: Job Title, resume objective, relevant skills, resume template, make a resume, write a resume, resume builder, job seekers, right resume format, hiring manager’s attention, technical skills,

Perfecting Resume Format

While content comes first, poor formatting undermines even stellar credentials. Follow standard conventions to convey professionalism.

Layout Basics

Use a clear, readable format consistent with legal industry expectations. Avoid anything too busy, cluttered, or distracting.

• Consistency – Your headings, spacing, and bullet points should be uniform. This orderly presentation builds credibility.
• Scannability – Structure content using short paragraphs and distinct sections. Make key details pop. Facilitate quick skims.
• White Space – Margins and breathing room prevent dense blocks of text. Cramped resumes appear amateurish.

Adhere to the following standards:

• 1-inch margins on all sides
• 11 or 12 pt basic font (e.g. Arial, Times New Roman)
• Single or 1.15 line spacing
• Target 1-2 pages in length when starting out

Pro Tip: Edit vigorously to pare down the word count. Be concise and laser-focused on selling your fit. Extraneous content dilutes your competitive advantage.

Template Use

Legal employers expect standardization. Download free resume templates to expedite the creation of a professional layout.

Microsoft Word contains pre-formatted templates. More exist online from sources like Zety, Novorésumé, or Hloom. There are also resume builders helping you create and customize templates.

Templates encapsulate best practices so you avoid starting from scratch. Look for legal industry templates incorporating proper sections, sequence, and wording.

Then customize the template to highlight your unique credentials and achievements. Don’t leave it generic.

Applicant Tracking Systems

Many organizations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen resumes before human eyes review them.

ATS scans for preferred skills, experiences, keywords, and formatting. It rates and ranks candidates algorithmically.

If your resume lacks expected elements, the ATS may filter you out prematurely. That’s why mastering conventions is vital even before tailoring content.

Pro Tip: Simple, clear formatting and keyword optimization improve your ATS ranking so a hiring manager ultimately sees your resume.

Avoid embellishments like photos, graphics, or artistic fonts on your legal resume. While a creative license is fine elsewhere, this traditional profession still expects formal business presentations.

Stick to classic, readable fonts like Arial, Calibri, and Times New Roman. The text should be fully black. Pick standard margins like 1 inch all around.

Use conventional sections like Education, Experience, and Skills, while highlighting achievements with numbers or awards.

Let your credentials speak for themselves without dilution from superfluous design elements. Reliable content presented clearly carries the day.

Key Takeaway: Master standard resume layout conventions – consistency, templates, ATS optimization, simplicity. This polishes your professional presentation.

Pro Tip: Have multiple reviewers critique your resume formatting. Fresh perspectives help catch issues you may overlook.

Writing Targeted Resume Content

With formatting fundamentals covered, next you need targeted content showcasing your legal qualifications.

Craft each resume section thoughtfully. Tell a compelling story about your credentials that aligns with the employer’s needs.

Let’s break down what to include in key sections:

Contact Info

Start with your full name prominently featured, along with:

• Phone number
• Email address
• City and state (Listing full address is optional)
• LinkedIn custom URL

For recent graduates, also list your law school mailing address and permanent home address if job searching in that location.

Make your contact information current. Update it immediately if anything changes during your job search.

Pro Tip: Purchase your own unique domain to use for a professional email like [email protected] . This builds credibility.

Resume Summary or Objective Statement

Next include a short Summary or Objective topping your resume. Both introduce your candidacy, but have subtle differences:

Summary – Briefly summarize your legal qualifications and goals in several sentences. Enables fully customizing for each application.

Objective – One sentence explicitly stating the role you are pursuing. Less flexible but clear. Better to target a single practice area.

Whichever you choose, explain:

• The specific legal role or practice area you’re pursuing
• 1-3 top qualifications or achievements demonstrating your fit
• What assets do you offer employers seeking those skills

This high-level preview serves as your thesis statement. Set context before diving into the details.

Pro Tip: Write your Summary or Objective last. You’ll have a better handle on your angles once the full resume content is complete.

This section proves you have the academic foundation to excel as a legal professional.

For each degree, list:

• Full degree name (e.g. Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Arts)
• University Name
• Location (city, state)
• Graduation month and year
• Overall GPA or Major GPA if either were very high
• Relevant coursework, honors, and awards
• Scholarships
• Dissertation/thesis topics if applicable

Feature your law school details most prominently. List previous degrees in reverse chronological order above that.

Pro Tip: Spotlight program completion if you didn’t finish your degree. For example: “Completed 3 semesters toward Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.” Forthrightness is admirable.

Legal Experience

This section forms the resume’s cornerstone. Thoroughly list any legal internships, clerkships, clinics, or jobs you’ve held – even if they were just for a few months or over a summer.

For each experience, include:

• Organization Name
• Your position title
• Dates of involvement

Then use 3-5 bullet points describing specific examples of:

• Legal knowledge applied
• Cases worked or clients assisted
• Research, writing, analysis, and other skills used
• Quantified achievements

Any experience interacting with the legal system is resume Relevant. Don’t downplay roles just because they weren’t long-term. List everything even loosely related to law.

For unrelated past jobs, see the Additional Experience section below.

Pro Tip: Emphasize resume keywords like “research memo” and “summary judgment” to describe assignments demonstrating core legal competencies.

Skills Section

This section highlights abilities crucial for legal roles. Include both:

Hard skills – Technical competencies and specialized legal knowledge. For example:

• Legal research using Westlaw and LexisNexis
• Drafting interrogatories and discovery requests
• Knowledge of litigation processes and courtroom procedures

Soft skills – Interpersonal attributes and professional strengths. For example:

• Strong written and oral communication abilities
• Comfort meeting with clients and conducting interviews
• Meticulous attention to detail

Back skills up with evidence for bonus points. For example, “Attentive listener able to extract key details from client conversations.”

Pro Tip: Sprinkling keywords from the job description throughout your Skills section helps align you with the role.

Achievements

Broad claims about your skills aren’t credible on their own. Prove you possess sought-after abilities through quantified achievements.

Use bullet points highlighting legal accomplishments like:

• Judges, juries, or senior attorneys praising your performance
• Case outcomes you secured
• Successful motions you wrote
• Trial skills honors received

Metrics demonstrating excellence build validity. For example, “Ranked #1 on Moot Court team with 82% win rate.”

Pro Tip: Weave quantified legal achievements throughout all resume sections for reinforcement.

Additional Experience

If you held other professional roles or college jobs unrelated to law, you can briefly feature here for well-roundedness.

Just list the organization, position title, and date. Include an achievement bullet only if highly meaningful. Otherwise, keep these concise. The focus remains on your legal qualifications.

For example, waiting tables to pay bills or leading a campus club both build positive impressions that you are motivated and responsible. But keep it tight.

Pro Tip: Tie any additional experience back to transferable skills like communication, multitasking, or problem-solving.

Similarly, showcasing select legal honors and activities can round out your credentials. Just feature the most prestigious examples like:

• Law Review membership
• Volunteer legal work
• Leadership in a Legal Professional Association

For each item, include the organization name, your position title, and dates active.

List 5 or fewer total Extracurriculars and Activities combined. Curate for relevance rather than trying to cover everything.

Pro Tip: If you need to cut content for space, exhaustive Activity involvement descriptions are better places to condense details than your Education or Experience sections.

Licenses & Certifications

Finally, indicate your bar admissions, whether passed or pending. List any other active professional licenses or specialized legal certifications as well.

These credentials prove you meet the qualifications to begin practicing law, and are powerful additions. For example:

• State Bar of California, Pending Examination, Expected 2023
• Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS), 2022

Key Takeaway: Thoroughly showcase educational, experiential, and skill-based qualifications. Emphasize legal knowledge, research, writing, analysis, and achievements.

Pro Tip: For every resume point, clarify why it matters to legal employers. Explain the significance.

Related Terms: Functional resume, most job seekers, functional resume format, cover letter, job, resume stand, job ad, combination resume format, chronological resume, chronological resume, chronological resume format, volunteer work, mid-level job seekers, online portfolio

Customizing Your Resume

With your core content drafted, you now need to customize it to each job posting.

Generic resumes sent en masse get ignored. You want targeted alignment conveying “I’m a perfect fit because…”

Follow these tips to tailor content:

Research Each Employer

Visit the employer’s website and read anything about their culture , practice areas, and approach. Get familiar with their work and values.

Analyze the Job Description

Study responsibilities, requirements, skills, and preferences mentioned. Note the critical ones to emphasize.

Incorporate Keywords

Work keywords and phrases from the posting into your resume where possible. Just be sure usage flows smoothly.

Matching their terminology communicates your qualifications align with the specifics they desire. But avoid force-fitting keywords where irrelevant.

Spotlight Related Experiences

Elevate bullet points demonstrating skills and expertise closely related to the role. Push weaker, unrelated points down.

Refine Your Objective or Summary

Edit these sections to feature qualifications and goals matching the job focus.

Update Throughout

Keep massaging your resume content right up until submitting the application to incorporate additional keywords and shape focus.

Pro Tip: Maintain master resumes showcasing all your experiences. Then prune down to the most relevant version for each application.

Review Optimize, Submit

After customizing your resume:

• Thoroughly proofread for any errors
• Ask other legal professionals to review
• Tweak anything based on feedback
• Convert the finalized resume to PDF format – never submit Word documents
• Name the PDF file clearly, like “FirstnameLastname_Resume”
• Send the polished application package – cover letter, resume, transcripts, writing samples, references, etc.

Now you’ve done everything possible to impress!

Key Takeaway: Target and tailor your resume to each job posting. Analyze needs, incorporate keywords, and emphasize related experience.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t getting calls for interviews, study your resume packages for any gaps between your qualifications and employers’ stated needs. Identify weak points for improvement.

Showcasing Achievements and Legal Writing

Anyone can claim skills and strengths on their resume. Savvy applicants go further by citing examples and metrics that validate these attributes in action.

Let’s explore best practices for quantifying achievements and legal writing:

Use Numbers

Hard numbers most powerfully convey your legal excellence. Percentages, case volumes, duration of involvement…all of these metrics prove credibility.

For example, don’t just write:

“Drafted legal documents”

“Drafted 32 successful motions over 16 months, resulting in 23 favorable verdicts”

Get specific. Numbers demonstrate the tangible outcomes you deliver.

Note Meaningful Superlatives

Being “the best” or “top-ranked” also carries weight. For example:

• Ranked first in Client Counseling Competition among 45 law school teams
• Scored the highest grade in the Law Review writing course 3 semesters in a row

Group comparisons meaningfully convey exceptional performance. Don’t overdo it though – focusing mostly on metrics is stronger.

Showcase Legal Writing

Writing proficiency is mandatory for lawyers. Don’t just claim it – prove it by listing samples:

• Appellate brief arguing First Amendment rights violations
• Memorandum detailing product liability claims under California state law
• Motion for Summary Judgement in Insurance Litigation Case

Use descriptors positioning you as an expert researcher and persuasive writer.

Describe Client Impacts

How did your legal efforts help people? Highlight examples like:

• Secured modified child custody agreement providing a stable home environment for 3 minors
• Won summary judgment motion exonerating client wrongfully accused

Outcomes conveying that you competently serve clients and uphold justice build trust.

Pro Tip: Weave quantified achievements throughout multiple resume sections, not just one dense block. This strengthens credibility.

Balance Qualitative Notes

While numbers demonstrate excellence, some legal accomplishments are challenging to quantify.

In these cases, add brief qualitative descriptions to convey that you went above and beyond. For example:

• Assisted lead counsel in rapidly preparing a complex litigation timeline under a tight deadline
• Drafted customized estate plans balancing family legal and financial needs
• Researched niche tax implications of multi-national corporate merger

Vivid, specific examples, even without hard metrics, still prove you have sought-after experience.

Key Takeaway: Quantify achievements wherever possible. Incorporate metrics, superlatives, writing samples, and client impacts. They substantiate your qualifications.

Pro Tip: Recount meaningful compliments, awards, and feedback you’ve received. Recognition from legal experts further validates capabilities.

Refining Your Resume

First drafts demand extensive refining before your resume fully impresses. Build in ample revision time.

Follow the steps:

Check for Errors

Carefully proofread each resume section, double-checking:

• Spelling and grammar – nothing undermines credibility like mistakes.
• Consistent formatting and alignment, and;
• Dates and details matched across sections.

Verify there are absolutely zero mistakes. This is vital!

Pro Tip: Read your resume backward line-by-line to catch more errors. This technique disrupts assumptions your brain makes reading forward.

Remove Irrelevant Points

If bullet points don’t clearly demonstrate relevant legal skills, delete them.

Even if you’re light on content, a few excellent points are better than diluted ones.

Advanced Legal Resume Optimization Strategies

You’ve mastered the core foundations – stellar formatting, targeted content, and quantifying achievements. Now let’s level up with advanced techniques for resumes that truly wow legal employers.

Feature An Associate Summary

If you have minimal direct legal experience, briefing summarizes an attorney you worked with. This creates a “virtual” experience.

For example:

Associate: Sandra Day, Senior Litigator

• 15+ years handling complex insurance cases
• Recognized industry thought leader on insurer bad faith
• Secured over $40 million for clients during my career

This provides context about the caliber of lawyer and expertise you observed. Then in your experience bullets, mention assisting, shadowing, or working with said associate.

Showcase Powerful Adjectives

Sprinkle in selective adjectives and superlatives to highlight exceptional credentials, like:

• Published groundbreaking law review research on evolutions in privacy rights interpretations
• They led an award-winning team that dominated statewide mock trial competitions
• Developed cutting-edge strategy for navigating complex product liability claims

Avoid overusing adjectives. But strategically emphasizing uniquely impressive accomplishments keeps your resume from blending in.

Demonstrate Leadership

Legal employers covet professionals who demonstrate initiative beyond their core duties. Highlight leadership through examples like:

• Founded Women in Law student organization to support 60+ aspiring female legal professionals
• Led Law Review recruitment committee responsible for evaluator selection and training
• Elected President of the Public Justice Foundation pro bono clinic

Seeking leadership roles exhibits your drive and ability to motivate peers. Don’t underestimate these resume additions.

Show Personality and Passion

Resumes should remain professional, yet brief glimpses of personality can be endearing. Consider including:

• Hobbies and interests beyond law – shows well-roundedness
• Causes or organizations you actively support
• Testimonials from clients, colleagues, or coaches

This extra touch humanizes you amid the credentials. But stay concise and relevant.

Feature Testimonials

Ask associates, clients, professors, or legal mentors to provide 1-2 sentence testimonials summarizing your strengths as an upcoming legal professional.

“John brought exceptional writing skills and composure in handling client interactions far beyond his years. He has a very bright future in litigation ahead and I wholeheartedly recommend him.”

-Sandra Day, Senior Litigator at Dewey & Cheatem Law

Brief, credible testimonials from respected sources greatly boost your resume. Secure permission first and only include full names if given explicit sign-off.

Add Prestigious Honors

Competing for and winning selective legal honors signals exceptional talent. For example, highlight if you were:

• Chosen for a high-profile clerkship out of hundreds of applicants
• Accepted to join a state bar with the highest score on the exam
• One of 5 graduates selected for a competitive post-graduate fellowship

Don’t downplay rare distinctions that underscore elite skills. Mention any resume-worthy honors.

Feature Attractive Roles and Companies

It’s strategic to showcase experience with reputable employers, clients, and judges. Big names attract attention.

For example, bullets like these build immediate intrigue:

• Researched case precedents for litigation led by F. Lee Bailey
• Drafted appellate briefs under the supervision of Judge A. Schroeder of the 9th Circuit Court
• Counseled executives of Fortune 500 companies on corporate liability risks

Subtly dropping big brands and recognizable leaders creates strong associations between you and success.

Reference Available Upon Request

Resumes rarely include full reference contact info anymore due to privacy sensitivities. But you still want to indicate professional references are available. At the very end of your resume, simply include the line:

“References available upon request”

This reassures employers they can eventually verify your credentials and duties. Just don’t attach your references preemptively. Wait until specifically requested later in the hiring process.

Key Takeaway: Advanced optimizations like associate summaries, testimonials, leadership examples, awards, and renowned affiliations help resumes outshine competitors.

Pro Tip: Periodically reach out to your network requesting endorsements, reviews, and references. This maintains credible options to showcase throughout your career.

Resume Writing Services – Worth the Investment?

Resume help spans a wide spectrum of options:

General Templates and Examples – Free, publicly available resources providing advice, samples, and templates. Handy for reference.

University Career Centers – Most law schools offer feedback sessions and resume reviews. Take advantage while you can.

Professional Associations – Legal professional groups like bar associations sometimes offer resume workshops or mentoring.

Paid Resume Writers – Professionals guaranteeing resumes customized to your experience and targeted to desired roles.

Are paid resume writing services worth the money? That depends…

Potential Benefits

Expertise – They specialize in legal resume optimization and directly interface with employers daily. They know what works.

Objectivity – They assess your resume from a neutral third-party perspective instead of getting personally attached.

Time Savings – They do the heavy lifting of writing for you. You simply provide background.

Wording Help – Writers wordsmith content to be concise, compelling, and keyword-optimized.

Updated Examples – They integrate cutting-edge examples and best practices.

Revisions – Most provide unlimited revisions until you’re fully satisfied.

Potential Drawbacks

Cost – Resume writers range from $100 to $1,000+ depending on level of service and experience.

Impersonal – Your unique “voice” may get lost working with an unfamiliar writer.

Template Output – Some writers just plug your details into pre-set templates without much customization.

DIY Learning Lost – You miss the opportunity to enhance your own resume writing abilities.

When To Consider Hiring Resume Writers

• Making a major career pivot into an unfamiliar field
• Applying for highly competitive or visible roles
• As a senior professional with an extremely lengthy and scattered career history
• English as a second language limits nuanced writing abilities
• Frequently receiving negative feedback that your resumes are ineffective

Otherwise, thoroughly attempt optimizing your resume yourself using online guidance and career center feedback before paying a premium. Master this essential skill!

Key Takeaway: Resume writers provide turnkey expertise tailoring resumes, but are not always necessary investments. Consider carefully.

Pro Tip: Before committing to a paid writer, ask to see examples of legal resumes they optimized for actual clients. Quality varies greatly.

Resume Trends and Innovations

The core fundamentals of excellent legal resumes remain consistent, but subtle shifts and innovations constantly emerge. Stay alert to trends influencing best practices.

Single Page Resumes

Increasingly common in the modern era of scanning and digitization. Bulleted sections avoid dense paragraphs now. Prioritize only your most impressive and relevant credentials on page one. Additional context can go on page two if needed. Just keep each page highly focused.

Visual Elements

Subtle use of graphs, charts, and visuals to represent key metrics and achievements can help resumes stand out, though many legal employers still prefer traditional text-heavy presentation. Use sparingly and strategically.

Some cutting-edge resumes integrate embedded video clips, animations, audio samples or links building a multi-media profile. Ensure novel approaches still have clean mobile compatibility and print cleanly if going multimedia.

Keyword Optimization

More applicants now run resumes through online tools highlighting areas to incorporate missing keywords related to the target role and industry. This helps ensure you tick all the boxes.

Core Transferable Skills

With rapidly evolving legal needs, resumes increasingly emphasize transferable abilities like cultural competence, technology proficiency, project management, creative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Showcase these, even from non-legal experiences.

Diversity and Inclusion

featuring activities, committees, causes, and qualifications related to elevating equity, access, and social justice is increasingly valued to demonstrate awareness. However, specifics depend heavily on the employer’s culture. Do your research.

Personal Branding Statements

Some resume experts now recommend leading with a “personal branding statement” that summarizes your professional identity and strengths in a quick soundbite before diving into credentials. This optional addition can help you stand out.

Key Takeaway: Notice emerging resume trends and selectively incorporate where appropriate, while still adhering to legal employer conventions.

Pro Tip: Don’t rush to adopt every resume fad without considering if it dilutes or enhances your professional presentation for legal roles.

Continually Improving Your Resume

Never view your resume as “done” or fixed in stone. Adopt a growth mindset. Continually expand and refine it as your legal skills progress.

Over time, you’ll:

• Acquire new credentials and achievements to add
• Gain clarity on which opportunities were most meaningful
• Identify gaps needing more strategic presentation
• Accumulate additional examples quantifying your excellence
• Receive feedback to incorporate
• Forget old irrelevant details to remove

Set calendar reminders to periodically revisit and upgrade your resume – at least every 6 months, but even more frequently while actively applying for new roles.

Archive Accomplishments Real-Time

Don’t expect to accurately memorialize achievements after long gaps. Instead, record key resume fodder in real-time using tools like:

• Accomplishment trackers
• Performance reviews
• Project journals
• Milestone emails to yourself

With prompts and details already captured, resume updates become far easier.

Customize Your Master Resumes

Maintain master versions containing your full career history and accomplishments. Then customize streamlined derivatives for each specific application focus – don’t just blanket send the same version everywhere.

Let It Grow As You Grow

There’s no need to restrain your resume length as your experience expands. Professionals with 10+ years in legal practice often have robust 3-5 page resumes detailing their accomplishments and expanding competencies. With more to showcase, err on the side of thoroughness.

Tighten As Needed Too

On the other hand, avoid retaining irrelevant or underwhelming early accomplishments as your career advances. Judiciously trim older bullets to keep the emphasis on your most powerful examples demonstrating growth.

Key Takeaway: Continually update your legal resume throughout your career as your expertise expands. Archive details in real-time to ease future enhancements.

Pro Tip: Every few years, start resume revisions from scratch. This allows a fresh perspective on content and format unbiased by past versions.

• Breach of Contract
• Business Formation
• Business Law
• California Crimes
• California Law
• California Taxes
• Cannabis Law
• Civil Litigation
• Contract Law
• Copyright Law
• Domestic Violence
• Employment Law
• Federal Taxes
• Immigration
• Intellectual Property
• Landlord and Tenant
• Legal History
• Legal Questions Answered
• Medical Malpractice
• Other Services
• Personal Injury
• Privacy Law
• Security Deposit Law
• Sexual Harassment
• Trademark Law
• Workers' Compensation
• Workplace Discrimination

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Legal Resumes

This guide contains some basic suggestions about preparing resumes, and includes samples for you to consult. If you would like to have a Career Development Office attorney-counselor review your draft resume, send it to the career email box, [email protected] . The resume process, from start to finish, can take much longer than you anticipate. Start early, and give yourself plenty of time .

A. What is a Resume?

B. effective resumes, c. writing your resume, d. resume suggestions, e. finalizing your resume.

• Sample Resumes – Students (These are included as a pdf to preserve formatting, an essential element of effective resume-drafting.)
• Suggested Action Words for describing experiences
• “1L Resume Workshop” Presentation (10/2023)

A resume is a marketing device whereby you present the most attractive, true picture of yourself with the goal of convincing an employer to meet with you. During an interview, you may be asked questions about any entries on the document. For lawyers, the resume also is a writing sample that shows your ability to communicate clearly and concisely and your attention to detail.

Your resume is often your first contact with a potential employer and will probably determine whether your qualifications and background warrant an interview or serious consideration for a job. While employers do not usually hire on the basis of a resume alone, they may decide not to interview an applicant on the basis of a poorly prepared or presented resume. Therefore, excellent content and presentation are vital. Employers assume that your resume represents your best work and is indicative of your general work product in terms of clarity, organization, accuracy and appearance.

Most decisions about what to include and how best to present information in your resume are based on your personal assessment of your strengths, the kind(s) of position you are seeking, your own taste and style, and your knowledge of how resumes in the legal profession traditionally look and read. Consider having more than one resume to emphasize different things for different types of prospective employers.

Resumes for public interest organizations. For these employers, a demonstrated commitment to public interest work will be a key factor. Evidence of your commitment can take the form of extracurricular activities, journals, internships, clinics and volunteer work, all of which should be included on your resume. Consider including substantive clinical work or student organization activities (e.g., CARC) in your “Experience” section, where you can elaborate on your tasks and responsibilities. If your experience justifies it, you may consider creating an additional section entitled “Community Service” or “Volunteer Activities” to list your volunteer or community activities that will emphasize the extent of your dedication to public interest issues. In addition, languages can be very important to public interest/public sector employers, depending on the communities they serve or the work you can do for them. Unlike resumes aimed at private sector employers, public interest resumes can go over one page if your experience requires it; however, it is still critical to use concise language and efficient formatting.

Resume Rules. There are a few absolute rules for writing resumes. Your resume must be:

• scrupulously honest;
• conservative (graphically and linguistically, not necessarily politically);
• selective (because your resume is not your whole life history, perhaps not even your entire employment history);
• visually appealing so it will be easy to read rapidly;
• absolutely free of typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistencies.

Difficult Issues. Some items you might include in your resume may reveal political leanings, religious beliefs, ethnicity, disability, and/or sexual orientation, which, depending on the prospective employer, could work against you or in your favor. (This is true regardless of the legality of taking such factors into account.) The decision whether to include such information is a personal one. First, consider how important the inclusion of such information is to you, and whether you would want to work for an employer who would use it in making a decision whether to hire you. If you choose not to include this information, you still have the option of bringing it up in an interview, or later in the hiring process. If you are unsure about whether to include items of this kind in your resume, contact a CDO attorney-counselor.

Accuracy of Resume Information and Verification of Resumes. It is imperative that all information presented on your resume be scrupulously honest and free of embellishment. The potential for misrepresentation of academic or work performance is of great concern to employers; they typically verify this information. Berkeley Law has established practices to ensure the fair and accurate presentation of students in the placement process, including procedures for the verification of statements concerning grades, journal membership, or other law school achievements that a student has made in a resume or other document. By making such statements to an employer in writing, a student consents to the Law School verifying the substance of these statements at the employer’s request. (Berkeley Law’s Registrar will inform the employer whether written grade information is accurate, but will not provide the correct grade information to the employer without the student’s prior consent.)

Any falsification or misrepresentation of law school grades or other records, recommendations, or other qualifications is a violation of the Academic Honor Code.

First, brainstorm. Inventory your background and accomplishments and list everything which helps to distinguish you individually, professionally, and as a student. You might ask for input from family or friends because you may overlook some basic but important areas. Remember to focus on what you bring to the table based on your experience. What will make the employer interested in you?

Name and Contact Information

This information should go in large (font size 14-16) bold face type at the top of your resume. If you choose to include both your school address and your permanent address you should indicate which is which. (Students often include an out-of-area address in order to show that they have a connection to an area outside of Northern California.) Always include your phone number and email address, but only one of each. (Your email address, as well as your voicemail greeting, should be professional.)

List your education in reverse chronological order (law school first). Include basic information on schools attended, degrees received and dates (or anticipated dates) of graduation, and major field(s) of study.

Under your undergraduate school heading, include major and minor areas of study and thesis topics, if applicable. Be consistent. If you use the term “J.D,” then use “B.A.” Alternatively, if you write out “Juris Doctor” then write out “Bachelor of Arts.” Other than law schools, you need not include schools from which you transferred and did not graduate. No need to include your high school. If you acquired a degree which employers might not recognize by its abbreviation, spell out the degree name.

For your law degree, you can either list it as “J.D. Candidate” with your expected graduation date, or you can list “J.D.” and the date as “Expected May 20XX.”

A Special Note for Transfer Students : If you transferred here from another law school, put Berkeley Law first, followed by the other law school, for at least your first year at Berkeley Law. If you received honors at the other school, put them under that law school’s section. If you were invited to join law review at your former school and didn’t because you transferred here, indicate that you were invited to join and explain why, e.g., “Invited to join University of San Diego Law Review on the basis of high academic achievement.”

Joint Degree Students : If you are pursuing a joint degree program, be sure to list both schools under your education section.

Honors and Activities. Honors attached to your degree should appear in lowercase after the degree awarded, e.g., B.A., summa cum laude , June 2006. (If the honors are in Latin, they should be italicized.) Other academic honors are listed separately below your degree, along with school activities.

If you have extensive undergraduate honors and activities, you might consider listing only a representative number of them. Make sure it is clear which activities are at which institutions. If you were involved during school with an activity not related to the school, it should go under a different section of your resume.

For law school, list all honors and activities of importance such as law review, participation on other journals, moot court, trial advocacy, clinics, fellowships, scholarships, committees, student organization membership, and academic awards.

If an activity in college or law school was or is especially involved or relevant, consider putting it under the Experience section. For example, if you are a public interest student, your participation in CARC could go under Experience, with a description of the work you did on your asylum case.

Grades, Rank and LSAT Scores. Because Berkeley Law does not use a traditional grading system, students do not have GPA’s. Berkeley Law does not rank its students (except for the sole purpose of clerkship applications), and Berkeley Law faculty policy provides that students must not include any representation or estimate of class rank on a resume or in a cover letter. LSAT scores should not be listed on your resume, as they are designed to predict law school performance only, and are not an indicator of professional performance.

Use reverse chronology. You can list a brief summary of your most important duties, or list the skills you have developed at the job so that the employer can see what you can bring to the table. Your experience is worth including not for what you did, but for what it says about you and what you can do in the future. 

List the name and location of the employer, your title, the dates of employment, and a brief summary of your most important duties. Emphasize law-related work in any area, but do not struggle to make your experience appear more law-related than it really is; many students come to law school with no legal experience whatsoever, and employers know this. Three or four phrases are usually all you need, but elaborate further if you have the space and believe that your duties were especially interesting, responsible, and/or relevant to your legal career.

• If the name of the employer is inadequate to convey the nature of the business, try to incorporate a description of the employer in your job duties, e.g., “prepared marketing materials and sales analysis for start-up company selling online pet products.”
• Avoid insider jargon.
• Use present tense verbs to describe your current job and past tense verbs with all former positions.
• Provide specific information about actions and responsibilities (e.g., budget, percentage of increase in revenues or sales, number of staff supervised, direct work with clients, etc.) Many skills obtained in non-law jobs are transferable to law practice (e.g., attention to detail, meeting deadlines, writing, research and analytical skills, working under pressure, working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, etc.). Try to highlight such skills.
• If you were at one job for a long time, show promotions and increased responsibility, if applicable.
• If you had many part-time or temporary jobs while in school, consider summarizing them, e.g., “Worked part-time during undergrad to finance education.” (Employers will value the fact that you have worked while going to school, particularly if you were still able to do well academically.) For certain jobs, such as in retail or restaurants, or as a ski instructor, it can be appropriate to omit the description altogether, as most people know roughly what this work entails.
• Include summer jobs to avoid time gaps on your resume.
• If a prior job is your only link to a prospective employer’s city, include it.
• Any experience can be relevant, regardless of whether or not it was paid, so if your volunteer or community service is substantial, include it in the main body of your resume, especially if you are applying for public interest positions. Volunteer work can also be presented in a separate Community Service section, or at the end or your resume under a heading such as “Other Information.” Jobs are usually assumed to be full-time and paid unless you indicate otherwise; be sure not to appear to overstate your experience.

Other Categories.

If space allows, you may choose to elaborate on one or more of the following categories, under a heading such as “Other Information” or “Interests and Activities”:

• Languages : If you include languages on your resume, state your level of fluency (e.g., “fluent,” “proficient,” “reading knowledge only” (where your fluency is very limited, it is probably not worth listing the language)). Do not overstate your level of proficiency.
• Publications : You may include a short list of publications on law-related topics, particularly if the area of research is relevant to an employer’s practice. A more extensive list of publications should be compiled as a separate document. Be prepared to discuss in interviews any publications you list.
• Professional Licensing and Affiliations : Include any relevant licenses or certifications (such as a CPA license). Include past and present memberships with your title, if any, and dates. Give the full name of the organization.
• Bar Admission : Bar membership, only applicable to graduates, should appear at the top of your resume, above the Education section. If you have a substantial amount of experience as an attorney, the Experience section of your resume should precede the Education section. If you are registered to take the bar exam or awaiting the results of a bar exam you have written, you can include that information in a cover letter.
• Keep your resume to one page, unless you have substantial working experience prior to coming to law school, or for public interest resumes.
• Do not use abbreviations, with these exceptions: the two-letter state abbreviations and academic degrees.
• List each item only once. If you list Debate Team Captain as a college activity, don’t repeat it under Other Activities at the bottom.
• Make your resume easy to read. The reader should be able to locate your graduation date, duties of employment, etc., by scanning (not reading) your resume.
• Use short descriptive sentence fragments separated by semicolons with strong action verbs to relate your job responsibilities, not sentences. (A list of “ action words ” can be found at the end of this guide.).
• Be specific about what you did at your jobs; avoid vague expressions such as “gained exposure to,” “participated in” or “assisted with.”
• List your job responsibilities in descending order of responsibility and challenge (start with the most impressive and work down to a “catch-all” item, if appropriate).
• Put your references on a separate document, and don’t include “references available on request” on your resume. Employers know to ask for them.
• Avoid extraneous information and try not to convey too many ideas at once.
• Do not include computer abilities, except as part of a job description where you used highly specialized skills.
• Do not include such personal information as age, marital status, etc.
• Do not include anything in your resume you would not want to discuss in an interview.

Resume Style. Resume styles vary, as presented by the samples found at the end of this guide.

In addition to using physical layout, take strategic advantage of the various ways to highlight important information, such as bold face, capitalization, italicizing, and underlining. Be completely consistent with the choices you make (e.g., all educational institutions in boldface, all job titles in italics), all the way down to the way you use commas, periods and spaces. For legal resumes, it is most typical to use Times New Roman font (or another similar serif font) in size 11 or 12. Look for a pleasant balance of text and white space on the page. While margins can be smaller than the standard for a term paper, you should allow at least .7″ all around.

Proofreading. Once you have your resume set up as you want it with content and layout, proofread it carefully. Look for inconsistencies in style as well as actual typos. Do not trust yourself as the only proofreader; enlist the aid of at least one other person. If you discover a typo, you must redo your resume, even if it has been already been printed; no typo is insignificant.

A few technical notes.

• If you send your resume electronically, it is preferable to convert it to a PDF file first; this way your formatting and any document history are invisible, and you can control exactly the way your resume appears and prints.
• Email addresses in your contact information should be text, like your phone number, not a hyperlink.

Sample Resumes (These are included as a pdf to preserve formatting, an essential element of effective resume-drafting.)

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How to write a legal memorandum

• April 16, 2024

Jennifer Anderson

So, you landed your first legal job? Congratulations! If it hasn’t happened already, you should know what’s coming next; a legal memorandum.

Invariably, some high-powered lawyer in your firm will call you into their office and speak words that strike fear into the hearts of many fledgling legal professionals:

“ Can you draft me a memo on [insert arcane legal theory here]?”

The request, while anxiety-producing for many, is a fair one. The legal memorandum is how you earn your chops as a young legal professional. Indeed, few skills are as pivotal as the ability to draft a clear, concise, and persuasive legal memo. 

The truth is, a legal memo will always be a critical tool within your practice, both as writer – and years from now – as the seasoned attorney requesting a thorough analysis on one topic or another. At any stage, it’s an important document that provides analysis and advice on key legal issues impacting your clients. 

Whether you’re communicating with a senior partner, advising a client, or presenting an argument to a judge, the legal memo is your bridge between legal research and practical application.

Understanding its structure, purpose, and audience is essential for any lawyer aiming to make a significant impact in their job.

Not surprisingly, that is the topic of today’s post.

Understanding the purpose and audience

The cornerstone of any effective professional writing is a deep understanding of both the memo’s purpose and its intended audience . A legal memorandum primarily aims to inform and persuade.

It’s a detailed document that analyzes a particular legal issue or question, outlines the relevant law, applies the law to the facts at hand, and concludes with a recommendation or analysis. 

The audience for a legal memo can vary, ranging from senior attorneys within your law firm who are well-versed in legal jargon to clients who may have little to no legal background. This variance in audience necessitates a flexible writing style that can be adapted to be as accessible or as detailed as the situation requires.

Thus, before you ever set out to write a single word of a legal memorandum, it is critical that you understand who you’re writing for and why you’re writing at all. Simple questions, to be sure, but the answers dictate everything else you’ll do in the process.

Components of a legal memorandum

Although the purpose and audience of your memo will certainly inform the final output, each legal memorandum should be made up of the same critical parts . Let’s break down each section:

This section includes the basic information about the memo: who it’s to, who it’s from, the date, and the subject matter.

And, while the information in the heading may seem obvious (and perhaps unnecessary) today, I promise you those details will be critically important for the young attorney in your firm who discovers your memo 10 years from now and is trying to determine if it contains useful information for her topic de jour . Legal memos never die. Hopefully, they just get filed effectively for future use.

Opening statement/issue presented

Begin with a clear and concise statement of the issue at hand. This section should succinctly summarize the legal question or problem your memo is addressing and is often framed as a question. For example, the top of your memo might read: “Issue presented: Does a California landowner have an obligation to disclose dangerous property conditions to a prospective tenant?”

Brief answer

Follow the opening statement with a brief answer . If your “issue presented” was stated as a “yes or no” question, begin your brief answer with one of those two words. Then you can provide a very short explanation of that response. This snapshot of your conclusion allows the reader to understand the memo’s direction from the outset.

The facts section is where you lay out the relevant information that forms the foundation of your legal analysis. It’s critical to be both accurate and objective, presenting the facts in a manner that is unambiguous and straightforward.

This is the heart of the memo, where you provide a detailed legal analysis. Here, you’ll examine the legal precedents, statutes, and principles that are relevant to the issue. It involves critically analyzing how these legal frameworks apply to the facts of your case, and presenting a reasoned argument that supports your conclusions.

In the conclusion , summarize your analysis and reiterate the answer provided in the brief answer section. This part should clearly state your final recommendations or findings based on the preceding discussion and should identify any laws that were critical to your analysis.

Research and analysis

Before drafting a single word of your memorandum, be sure to conduct thorough legal research . The strength of your memo hinges on the validity of your research and the relevance of the legal precedents, statutes, and regulations you identify. 

Start by consulting primary sources of law, such as statutes that directly address your legal issue and case law where similar issues have been adjudicated.

Later, secondary sources like law review articles and legal treatises can offer insights into the interpretation and application of the law in various contexts.

Effective legal analysis doesn’t merely recite the law; it involves applying the law to the facts of your case in a manner that supports your conclusions.

Be critical in your research, however. You should look for potential counterarguments and learn those arguments as well as the ones that support your position. This demonstrates not only the depth of your research but also your ability to anticipate and counter opposing viewpoints.

And, as always, don’t forget to make sure the research you’ve relied on is current and remains good law .

Writing style and format

The clarity of your writing is one of the most important aspects of your legal memorandum. The goal is to communicate complex legal analysis in a manner that is both accessible and persuasive.

To achieve this, embrace plain English and strive to be as clear and concise as possible. Avoid unnecessary legal jargon or complex sentence structures that might obscure your message. Instead, use simple, direct language that conveys your analysis effectively.

The format of your memorandum should enhance its readability. Use headings and subheadings to break down the discussion section into manageable parts.

Bullet points or numbered lists can clarify lists of factors or elements. Consistent use of these formatting tools not only makes your memo easier to navigate but also highlights the logical flow of your arguments.

Revising and editing

A well-crafted legal memorandum is often the result of rigorous revising and editing . The first draft is rarely your best work. In fact, you should think of it as a starting point. Begin by reviewing your memo for structural coherence; does the argument flow logically from introduction to conclusion? Are your major points supported by solid evidence and analysis?

Next, scrutinize your language and style. Eliminate any ambiguities, redundancies, or instances of passive voice that can dilute the persuasiveness of your arguments. Pay special attention to legal citations to ensure they comply with the relevant citation manual and accurately support your assertions.

Finally, seek feedback from peers, mentors, or supervisors. A fresh set of eyes can catch errors you might have missed and offer insights to improve the clarity and effectiveness of your memorandum.

In a pinch ( i.e., when you have to work all night to get your memo on the partner’s desk by morning), you’ll have to be your own editor. One effective way to do this is to read your memo aloud to yourself . Somehow, this helps your brain to spot typos and unclear sentences in a way silent reading never does.

Ethical considerations

This tip is crucial, though the practical implications of it can be uncomfortable. Always remember that you have an ethical duty to represent the law accurately and honestly.

This includes presenting a balanced analysis that considers all relevant legal precedents, even those that may not support the outcome your client or your boss want to hear. Misrepresenting the law or selectively citing authorities is not only unethical but can undermine your credibility.

Moreover, ensure that your memorandum adheres to the highest standards of professional integrity by avoiding plagiarism. Properly cite all sources of legal authority, including cases, statutes, and secondary sources. Use quotes accurately and give credit where it is due.

Ultimately, you should think of the legal memorandum as more than just a document. It’s really a manifestation of your ability to analyze, argue, and advise within the confines of the law.

Mastering legal memo writing not only demonstrates your competence in legal analysis but also showcases your ability to communicate effectively – traits that are indispensable in the field you’ve chosen.

Additional resources

If you still feel like your memo-writing skills could use some improvement, consider spending some time with these resources

• Books: Legal Writing in Plain English and The Winning Brief (both by Bryan A. Garner) offer invaluable insights into effective legal writing techniques.
• Online courses: Websites like Coursera , LinkedIn Learning , and edX offer courses on legal writing and research taught by experienced legal professionals.
• Continuing education: You have to do CLE anyway, so why not take a writing course? Companies like Lawline and the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education offer courses on writing. And if you’re in a time crunch, there’s even a crash course in legal writing that will only take a half hour to complete. 

Drafting legal memoranda is an essential skill that every lawyer must master early in their career.

A well-constructed legal memo allows you to effectively communicate your analysis, arguments, and recommendations while demonstrating your grasp of legal principles and precedents.

Clarity and precision in writing, thorough research, and an understanding of the audience are all crucial components of an impactful memo. Revising and editing your work ensures that your arguments are well-supported and logically structured.

As you continue to hone your memo-writing skills, you will set yourself apart as a reliable and effective legal professional.

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