- What should your lawyer resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as a lawyer?
- How to include a fitting lawyer resume education and certifications section?
- Which key skills are relevant for a lawyer resume?
- How to select the most impactful lawyer resume template
- Copyable lawyer resume example
- Key takeaways for writing a lawyer resume
A resume is your first chance to show employers how well you can argue a case. Follow our lawyer resume example and writing guide on how to highlight your top skills and courtroom victories to impress hiring managers and land your next legal job.
As a lawyer, your resume needs to be as sharp as your courtroom arguments. A strong, well-written resume can convince a prospective employer to contact you for an interview. We’ll show you how to write a lawyer resume that showcases your legal expertise and specialized knowledge.
This resume guide and corresponding lawyer resume example will go over these topics:
What to include on a lawyer resume
How to describe your legal experience and education
The best skills to add to your resume
How to choose the right resume template for a lawyer
What should your lawyer resume include?
When writing a lawyer resume, approach it like a legal argument. Your resume should be clear, strategic, and persuasive to make a strong case for hiring you.
Law firms and prospective employers expect to see certain information on legal resumes. Your lawyer resume should include your areas of expertise, academic background, and professional strengths. It should also highlight your career achievements, such as major cases you’ve won or complex settlements you’ve negotiated.
A lawyer resume should have these sections:
A resume header with your contact information
How can you create a professional summary?
Your professional summary is your opening statement—so make it count. In a few sentences, your summary should answer the question, “Why should a law firm hire me?” Keep your summary short and customize it to the specific job to get a hiring manager’s attention.
Start with a brief description of your professional background. Include your legal specialization, such as bankruptcy, personal injury, or criminal defense. You can make your summary stand out by discussing a unique skill, qualification, or achievement. For example, if you’re a corporate attorney, you might mention a high-stakes merger or acquisition that you’ve led.
Check out our adaptable lawyer resume summary below:
Superior litigator, negotiator, and communicator with 13 years’ experience deploying various approaches to reach satisfactory resolutions and outwork the opposition. Specialize in administering bespoke, research-backed legal advice to business owners covering a range of matters, from transactions, risks, taxation, and intellectual property rights to contracts and agreements. Protect commercial assets and company reputations by navigating, preventing, and resolving complex legal issues, while ensuring legal compliance, brokering contractual terms, transactions, and settlements, and regulating legal paperwork.
How should you describe your work experience as a lawyer?
In your work experience section, describe how you’ve successfully handled cases, clients, or legal challenges in past jobs. Provide your work history in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent job and working backwards.
For each job, include the firm or company name, the dates you worked there, the services you provided, and the outcomes of your work. If you have a private practice, discuss the clients you’ve represented and courts where you’ve argued cases. Focus on your responsibilities and achievements that align with the role you’re targeting.
Whenever possible, include measurable data to prove your competency as a lawyer. For example, you can include the value of settlements you’ve managed, the number of cases you’ve handled, or your success rate.
Here’s an example of including quantifiable metrics in a resume bullet point:
“Negotiated a $5M settlement in a complex commercial dispute to minimize risk and achieve favorable client outcomes.”
Maintain confidentiality
While your work experience section should discuss your professional successes, avoid providing information that may violate attorney-client privilege. For example, instead of naming a specific company you’ve represented, you can refer to the company as “a Fortune 500 company” or “a multinational company.”
For more guidance, review our adaptable lawyer resume employment history section below:
Lead Attorney & In-house counsel at The W Tax Group. Southfield, MI. 2014 - Present
As lead attorney, deliver viable solutions and advice to clients on how to best resolve unpaid tax debts, specializing in legal / business risk analysis, negotiations, compliance matters, and vendor relations.
Negotiate debt settlements or resolutions for unpaid debt as Revenue Officer Defense for diverse midsized businesses and individuals.
As In-House Counsel, draft and broker vendor contracts and administer evidence-backed legal / business advice to investors and stakeholders.
Position sales team to utilize solutions-based selling by explaining complicated tax issues in understandable terms.
Increase customer retention and achieve high customer satisfaction ratings on continuous basis by focusing on quality service and excelling in crisis management.
Founded and serve as principal of tax debt resolution company, acquired in 06.2017, with direct report to investor.
Facilitated year-over-year growth, increasing sales to $2M annually and expanding team to 14 members by implementing and adapting operational structure.
Saved taxpayers $4.2M+ (93%) in tax debt through the Offer in Compromise Program, while representing 400+ individual and business tax debtors at any given time.
Drove sales by rolling out add on and subscription service packages sold to potential / existing clients and capturing new business by heading sales calls covering complex and high worth sales opportunities.
Leveraged in-depth understanding of IRS administrative code and manual to negotiate resolutions for individuals and businesses with state, and federal tax issues: Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, levy, garnishment, payroll and debt, liens, audits, and audit reconsiderations.
Trained 20+ team members with emphasis on mitigating IRS / State tax debt issues, while leading weekly staff meetings for back-end professionals.
Attorney at Harrington Dragich PLLC. Grosse Point Woods, MI. 2009 - 2013
Administered commercial litigation and corporate bankruptcy services for clients undergoing periods of financial distress.
Negotiated Chapter 11 plan as debtor counsel in consideration of diverse secured, priority, and unsecured debtor interests.
Applied in-depth knowledge of relationships between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automakers and overall understanding of auto OEMs.
Represented debtor in complex end-to-end Chapter 11 proceedings ($900M in revenue pre-Chapter 11).
Headed debtor financing and asset sales (subsidiary entities / real, personal, intellectual property) enabling secured and priority creditors to receive full payment, resulting in maximum returns for unsecured creditors.
Reviewed 100+ contracts determining which were necessary to advance under bankruptcy supervision, which were not, and those requiring renegotiation of different terms.
As liquidating trustee, maximized return for unsecured creditors, utilized pursuit of preferential and / or fraudulent transfers from 150+ creditors, and asset sales (real, personal, intellectual property).
Managed 85 lawsuits filed against creditors demanding return of preferential or fraudulent transfers.
Protected web hosting service providers by drafting master service agreements, hosting agreements, and co-location agreements governing customer transactions.
How to include a fitting lawyer resume education and certifications section?
An education section is an essential part of your lawyer resume because it shows that you’re qualified to practice law. It should include details about the degrees you’ve earned and where you’re allowed to practice.
Follow these tips for writing an education section for your lawyer resume:
List your degrees in reverse order. Begin with your highest degree first, such as your Juris Doctor or Doctor of Law (J.D.) above your bachelor’s degree.
Include information about bar admissions. List the states or jurisdictions where you are admitted to practice and the dates of admission.
Highlight other legal certifications. If you’ve earned other certifications in a relevant legal area, such as compliance or mediation, include those with the name of the certification and where you earned it.
Juris Doctor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at The University of Michigan
Which key skills are relevant for a lawyer resume?
Lawyers need to have specialized knowledge and technical expertise, so make sure to include those skills on your resume. Provide skills that are highly relevant to the job that you’re targeting.
If you’re unsure which skills to include, review the job description closely. Employers often include skills-related keywords that you should have on your resume to pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software scans and ranks resumes based on specific keywords and alignment with the job description. (For more guidance, read our article on resume ATS optimization.)
Here are some good skills to showcase on a lawyer resume:
Legal research and analysis
Client relations
Conflict resolution
Regulatory compliance
Case management software
While your lawyer resume should have a dedicated skills section, make sure that you’re mentioning your skills in other areas as well. For example, your resume summary can highlight skills that set you apart, such as proficiency in a second language.
How to select the most impactful lawyer resume template
Your resume template is a reflection of your credibility as a lawyer. Make a good impression with a clean, organized, and well-structured resume format. Use bolded section headings, white space, and bullet points to make your resume easy to read.
Choose a classic, professional font for your lawyer resume. If you want to incorporate color, limit it to strategic places on your resume, such as the header, and use traditional colors like navy or dark green. Most importantly, make sure the design of your resume doesn’t distract a hiring manager from your legal skills and qualifications.
With the career.io resume builder, it’s easy to build a modern, professional resume. Start by choosing a resume layout and get additional inspiration with our over 100 available resume examples.
Copyable lawyer resume example
Summary example
Superior litigator, negotiator, and communicator with 13 years’ experience deploying various approaches to reach satisfactory resolutions and outwork the opposition. Specialize in administering bespoke, research-backed legal advice to business owners covering a range of matters, from transactions, risks, taxation, and intellectual property rights to contracts and agreements. Protect commercial assets and company reputations by navigating, preventing, and resolving complex legal issues, while ensuring legal compliance, brokering contractual terms, transactions, and settlements, and regulating legal paperwork.
Employment history example
Lead Attorney & In-house counsel at The W Tax Group. Southfield, MI. 2014 - Present
As lead attorney, deliver viable solutions and advice to clients on how to best resolve unpaid tax debts, specializing in legal / business risk analysis, negotiations, compliance matters, and vendor relations.
Negotiate debt settlements or resolutions for unpaid debt as Revenue Officer Defense for diverse midsized businesses and individuals.
As In-House Counsel, draft and broker vendor contracts and administer evidence-backed legal / business advice to investors and stakeholders.
Position sales team to utilize solutions-based selling by explaining complicated tax issues in understandable terms.
Increase customer retention and achieve high customer satisfaction ratings on continuous basis by focusing on quality service and excelling in crisis management.
Founded and serve as principal of tax debt resolution company, acquired in 06.2017, with direct report to investor.
Facilitated year-over-year growth, increasing sales to $2M annually and expanding team to 14 members by implementing and adapting operational structure.
Saved taxpayers $4.2M+ (93%) in tax debt through the Offer in Compromise Program, while representing 400+ individual and business tax debtors at any given time.
Drove sales by rolling out add on and subscription service packages sold to potential / existing clients and capturing new business by heading sales calls covering complex and high worth sales opportunities.
Leveraged in-depth understanding of IRS administrative code and manual to negotiate resolutions for individuals and businesses with state, and federal tax issues: Trust Fund Recovery Penalty, levy, garnishment, payroll and debt, liens, audits, and audit reconsiderations.
Trained 20+ team members with emphasis on mitigating IRS / State tax debt issues, while leading weekly staff meetings for back-end professionals.
Attorney at Harrington Dragich PLLC. Grosse Point Woods, MI. 2009 - 2013
Administered commercial litigation and corporate bankruptcy services for clients undergoing periods of financial distress.
Negotiated Chapter 11 plan as debtor counsel in consideration of diverse secured, priority, and unsecured debtor interests.
Applied in-depth knowledge of relationships between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automakers and overall understanding of auto OEMs.
Represented debtor in complex end-to-end Chapter 11 proceedings ($900M in revenue pre-Chapter 11).
Headed debtor financing and asset sales (subsidiary entities / real, personal, intellectual property) enabling secured and priority creditors to receive full payment, resulting in maximum returns for unsecured creditors.
Reviewed 100+ contracts determining which were necessary to advance under bankruptcy supervision, which were not, and those requiring renegotiation of different terms.
As liquidating trustee, maximized return for unsecured creditors, utilized pursuit of preferential and / or fraudulent transfers from 150+ creditors, and asset sales (real, personal, intellectual property).
Managed 85 lawsuits filed against creditors demanding return of preferential or fraudulent transfers.
Protected web hosting service providers by drafting master service agreements, hosting agreements, and co-location agreements governing customer transactions.
Education example
Juris Doctor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at The University of Michigan
Skills example
Leadership
Strong mediation techniques
legal research
Contract negotiation skills
Key takeaways for writing a lawyer resume
Your lawyer resume should give employers an overview of your legal experience and professional achievements.
Customize your resume to the job by highlighting your area of expertise, relevant work experience, education and qualifications, and specialized skills.
Include job description-specific keywords to make sure that your resume gets through an ATS.
Choose a clean, organized resume template with the help of our online resume builder to showcase your legal professionalism.
