Legal Resume—Template, Examples, and Tips for 2024

Looking for a legal job is awful. You hunt and apply, and hear the silence of an empty courtroom. Plus, you feel like your legal resume is vanishing without being read.

Hiring managers skim resumes. They don’t read them carefully. Your wonderful legal skills are probably being disregarded. Break precedent with a great law firm resume. With the right law firm accomplishments, you’ll shine like Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

In this guide:

• A legal resume sample better than most.
• How to write a legal resume that gets you hired.
• How to customize your legal resume template.
• Expert law resume examples to employ in your resume.

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Need a certain kind of law resume? See our guides:

• Accounting Assistant Resume Sample
• Accounting Manager Resume Sample
• Attorney Resume Sample
• Bank Teller Resume Sample
• Business Analyst Resume Sample
• Financial Advisor Resume Sample
• Law Student Resume Sample
• Law Clerk Resume Sample
• Legal Assistant Resume Sample
• Loan Officer Resume Sample
• Paralegal Resume Sample

Thinking about law school? You know you can do it. See our guide: Law School Resume Sample & Guide

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples for Any Job.

Legal Resume Template You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a legal resume that changes lives:

1. Use a Trusted Legal Resume Format

How can you look your best? You don’t want to write a legal resume that makes the wrong impression. You can believe your resume format is a big part of your case. But what format is best for a legal resume?

Use the reverse-chronological layout to acquit yourself in style. Then, follow these tips:

Legal Resume Format

• Choose 1-inch resume margins on all sides of your resume.
• Pick a common resume font like 10–12pt Arial or Garamond.
• What should a resume look like? Create resume sections for Heading, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills.
• Use white space for readability.
• Keep your resume length short at one page unless you’ve got 7+ years of legal experience. Only then a two-page resume is fine.
• Create a PDF resume. They don’t turn delinquent once you send them.

Expert Hint: Legal assistants average $57,000 a year. Paralegals earn $74,000. You can get an associate’s degree in paralegal studies for as little as $3,000 in 15 months. The smart money? Work as a legal assistant or legal secretary while you get your paralegal degree online. Then move your law resume up to higher pay.

2. Write a Legal Resume Summary or Objective

Nightmare time. You write the best law resume in the pile. But the partner doesn’t read it because she’s got 200 more. Don’t let her do that. Get her attention like a subpoena and start your resume with a stunning resume profile in the form of a (resume summary or summary of qualifications).

See these legal resume examples:

Legal Resume Summary Samples

Legal Assistant

Expert legal assistant with 3 years of experience finding efficiencies in law offices. Seeking to deliver time savings at Chelton & Zanahoria. Wrote 200+ legal documents at Michaud & Love with 99.9% accuracy. Saved 6+ hours a week with filing skills.

Attorney/Lawyer 

Driven litigation attorney with 2+ years of experience. Seeking to use proven skills in negotiation and trial preparation to help clients at Jolicoeur and Peabody. At HSL, billed for 1500 billable hours per year while maintaining 97% client satisfaction rate. Brought 32 cases to trial, settling 95% of cases out of court.

Paralegal

Certified paralegal with 4+ years of experience and a background in personal injury law. Seeking to save time at Beckstead & Passalaqua with expert legal research, legal document writing, and trial preparation. Assisted Chewonki Health’s Legal Affairs team in implementing a new filing system. Fluent in Spanish.

Those resume profiles all include:

1. An adjective (driven, certified)
2. The legal job title from the online ad
3. Years of experience (2+, 4+)
4. How and who you’ll help (save time at Beckstead & Passalaqua)
5. Best legal moments (97% client satisfaction rate...)

What if you’re still drying the ink on your legal degree? See these entry-level legal resume samples:

Entry-Level Legal Resume Objective

Entry-Level Paralegal 

Engaged paralegal and recent graduate with College of Eastern Idaho Paralegal Certificate and concentration in bankruptcy law. Seeking to used my skills in legal research and foreclosure trial assistance as a junior paralegal for the ACLU.

Entry-Level Attorney

Passionate attorney seeking to increase billable hours at Litman & Chouinard. Judged 5 Moot Court Competitions. Perform one pro bono trial preparation per month for small claims court. Have reviewed 12 contracts for local artists.

See what they did? Both those entry-level resume examples show their best law achievements to date.

3. Write a Specific Legal Job Description and Skills Section

You know what’s hard? You sit down to write a legal resume... It’s a piece of paper. It’s supposed to prove they should hire you. That’s enough to make you jump bail. But here’s the good news. Hand-pick moments from your past that fit this legal job, and you’ll look like Elle Woods.

That starts with finding resume keywords and resume skills buried in the job ad. Then, target your resume with them. See these legal resume samples:

Legal Job Descriptions for a Resume [Sample]

Legal Assistant

The job wants someone skilled in answering calls, billing, filing, and legal writing.

Experience

Legal Assistant

Michaud & Love, Las Vegas, NV

2016–2019

• Answered 60+ client calls each week for attorneys. Saved time for partners by answering client questions and solving minor issues.
• Created attorney billing statements. Achieved a 10% increase in billable hours, enabling a 15% revenue boost.
• Filed physical and digital records and documents. Created new physical filing system that saved 6+ office hours per week.
• Wrote 200+ legal documents, 99.9% error-free.

That binds you to the job.

Attorney

This job wants a lawyer skilled in managing case files and mediations.

Experience

Attorney

Whitman, Price, & Hadad, New Orleans, LA

2016–2019

• Managed 32 case files from planning through trial and/or appeal.
• Scored 96% or higher in client exit surveys.
• Performed 90+ mediations with a 94% settlement rate.
• Sustained billable hours of 1500+ per year.

Do it like those legal resume examples and you’ll seem like Atticus Finch.

But hold on. What if you’re writing a law firm resume with no experience? Work that same magic with skills that slot into the job. See these law resume examples with no experience:

Entry-Level Legal Resume Job Description [Sample]

Legal Assistant

Say the job needs scheduling, proofreading, and answering phones.

Office Clerk

Michaud & Love, Las Vegas, NV

2014–2016

• Scheduled 1,700+ appointments and meetings with clients.
• Proofread 25+ legal documents a week with 98% accuracy.
• Answered 15+ phone calls each day.
• Performed 30 trademark searches.

 

Now let's say you were a marketing specialist and are writinga law school application. Well, you know law school students need skills in research, presentation, and collaboration.

Marketing Specialist

OptiTronz

2015–2019

• Performed market research, identified customer needs, and analyzed competitor performance.
• Researched facts online and during phone and face-to-face interviews for external and internal communications.
• Delivered presentations at 30+ industry events.
• Collaborated with internal stakeholders to communicate business unit position and branding.

See, this example uses power words instead of simply listing job duties. That’s Jones-Day-worthy.

Now you know—your legal resume skills must come from the job ad. Need a few skills to get you started? Take a look:

Legal Skills for Resumes

Paralegal

• Legal document writing
• Legal research
• Writing briefs
• Investigation
• Client counseling
• Office administration
• Proofreading
• Writing reports
• Settlement knowledge
• Litigation assistance

Legal Assistant

• Legal writing
• Docketing
• Research
• Filing
• Billing
• Scheduling
• Proofreading
• Correspondence writing
• Transcription
• Legal terminology

Attorney

• Legal procedure
• Trial
• Writing briefs
• Negotiation
• Product law
• Bankruptcy
• Healthcare law
• Client advocacy
• Corporate law
• Client management

Law School Applicant and Transferable Skills (Soft Skills)

• Interpersonal skills
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Leadership
• Computer skills
• Time management
• Organization
• Attention to detail
• Problem solving
• Active listening
• Negotiation

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

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4. Enhance Education Section in Your Legal Resume

Your education section is no joke in a legal resume. But did you know? It needs to sell a few more of your skills. These legal resume samples show how:

Legal Resume Example—Education

Paralegal

Education

Paralegal Studies, Post Baccalaureate Certificate

College of Southern Nevada

2012–2014

• Excelled in writing legal documents.
• Recognized by professors for research skills.

BA, Liberal Arts

University of Nevada, Reno

2008–2012

• Pursued a passion for writing.
• Awarded Daisy N. Roark Scholarship for research excellence. 

Attorney

Juris Doctor

Whittier Law School, 2010–2013

• Inductee, Moot Court Scholars Board.
• Excelled in litigation and trial preparation coursework.
• Wrote weekly column on bankruptcy law.
• Presented 7 legal arguments during Moot Court. Member of team that dominated state finals.

5. Increase the Value of Your Legal Resume

You’ve come so far. Don’t blow it by giving up before you’re done.

Your legal resume can wow them like Marshall Eriksen. But only if you pack it with incontestable proof.

Include certifications, publications, and other bonus items. Here’s a full list:

• Associations (NLA, ABA, NALA, ASAP)
• Certifications (Bar association membership, CP, etc.)
• Volunteering and pro bono work
• Publications
• Freelance projects
• Languages
• Conferences
• Additional activities
• Hobbies
• Sports & fitness
• References

See these legal resume examples:

Law Resume—Extra Sections

Legal Assistant

Additional Activities

• Member, NALA.
• Deliver 2x per month for Meals on Wheels.
• Daily cycling for fitness and self-care.

Certifications

• 2019 — Paralegal — NALA
• 2018 — Notary

Attorney

Journals 

• Journal Note: Examining Neidermeyer CA. L. REV. June 2017 

Conferences

• ABA Conference
• Legalweek — Gave talk about litigation 2017

Additional Activities

• Volunteer to deliver meals monthly at local food kitchen.
• Avid swimmer, hiker, mountain biker.

Why do those legal resume samples work? They show added competencies you can’t get from work experience.

Expert Hint: Writing a cover letter for your resume for legal jobs will boost your odds. The chance they’ll read it is 50/50, but if you don’t write one and they want it, you’re sunk.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See these related guides:

• Legal Cover Letter
• Paralegal Cover Letter
• Legal Assistant Cover Letter

Key Points

Here’s how to write a legal resume:

• Start with our legal resume template. Add high moments from your legal career.
• List legal skills like research or trial prep. Use numbers to prove you’re Watchell-Lipton-level.
• Write a legal resume profile. Craft it into a snapshot of your legal skills, experience, and certifications.
• Add “extra” sections to show you know a tort from a cream pie.

Got questions on how to write good resumes for legal jobs? Not sure how to put legal experience on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply! 

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