How Attorneys and Law Students Should Write a Legal Resume: Resume Examples, Suggestions and Resources

 

Click Here to View Sample Legal Resumes

You can also explore How to Perfect Your Legal Resume: 20 Essential Tips for Attorneys and Law Students for a practical, tip-based roadmap. There are two styles of resumes: functional and chronological. Chronological resumes are useful when outlining your accomplishments and experience in relation to your past employment. Functional resumes break your accomplishments into areas of experience and are more useful when you have had many jobs or large gaps in your employment history. If you have had many jobs, all of which are relevant, the employer is likely to assume that you were unhappy or unsuccessful at your past jobs. Constant job migration is never a good indication to any employer. By emphasizing your knowledge and set of skills on your attorney resume while downplaying your job-hopping, you can sometimes eliminate the stigma that employers will associate with your employment history. However, because many legal employers are interested in seeing a resume that paints a chronological picture of your advancing career through your past employment, the functional resume will appear confusing and will make the employer suspicious of your intentions. This article is designed to help both experienced and inexperienced job seekers design a lawyer resume that is effective and sure to leave a favorable impression with any potential employer. For a deeper discussion of how narrowing your legal focus can elevate your resume, read Why Focus Matters: Tailoring Your Legal Resume to Stand Out. For a detailed walkthrough of how to polish every section of your resume, watch our Resume Review Workshop to see real examples and recruiter-backed strategies. If you're looking for quick, high-impact improvements you can make today, this short video — Five Immediate Changes You Can Make to Your Legal Resume — breaks down simple tweaks that dramatically increase interview responses.

• Complement these foundational resume strategies by reviewing Top 10 Common Legal Resume Mistakes That Keep You from Getting Hired, which identifies frequent pitfalls to avoid.

Let Top Employers Find You – Upload Your Resume to BCG Attorney Search Now.

See the following articles for more information:

• A Resume Must Tell the Whole Story
• What Should I Put on My Attorney Resume?
• 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms
• Attorney Resume Writing Tips

 

Harrison Barnes

 

This article consists of two sections that offer specific tips for improving the content and appearance of your resume. The article is followed by two appendices. Appendix I contains a list of several hundred Action Verbs, words that will energize your job descriptions and emphasize all your accomplishments properly. In Appendix II, you will find a legal resume sample.

 

What to Include in Your Resume

 

Here are the requirements for a stellar legal resume. Tell the truth. Lying on your resume will not help you. Employers are very familiar with employment verification and reference-checking services, and they do use them. Do not lie or stretch the truth on your resume. Don't even think about it. Absolutely every statement on your resume should be the absolute, verifiable truth. No exceptions.

Be proud of your extensive career. If you have been practicing law for many years and have many accomplishments under your belt, you do not have to be limited to a single-page resume. If your resume spills onto a second page, it should fill at least a half of that page. Be sure to put your name and contact information on the top of the second page as well.

Eliminate excess language. Your resume will be scanned by someone who has already scanned a hundred resumes that day and will still have to read a hundred more before the day's end. Saying "currently, I am actively involved in the day-to-day decisions regarding the antitrust division of my firm" will make the decision maker sick of reading it. Instead, you can say "supervised all daily decisions regarding antitrust cases" or "made key decisions for all antitrust cases." Many of these struggles stem from a lack of internal alignment. The insightful piece Finding Happiness in the Legal Industry dives into how attorneys can reconnect with purpose and joy even amid career challenges.

You are not writing an essay. There is no need to use "I" or "my," and you should eliminate articles where appropriate. A better phrasing of "I reorganized the firm's billing practices, reducing our errors by 35%" is "reorganized billing practices, reducing errors by 35%." Short phrases and sentence fragments are the most efficient and effective methods for making your points. For a hands-on example of resume review in action, watch the Quarterly Legal Resume Review Workshop to see expert feedback on real legal resumes.

Your accomplishments are more important than your responsibilities. Which sounds more impressive: the fact that you were "responsible for estate planning" or that you "structured trusts to minimize clients' tax liability"? Responsibilities are a passive description. Using Action Verbs (see Appendix I) will revive the active voice and energize each job's duties and accomplishments. Several important Action Verbs to keep in mind are enacted, performed, supervised, maintained, organized, and developed. For a deeper dive into legal resume keywords and practice area targeting, check out The Ultimate Guide to Legal Resume Keywords and Practice Area Targeting, which provides step-by-step strategies to optimize your resume for both ATS and recruiters.

Avoid irrelevancies. It is important to exclude all irrelevant information. If you worked as a waiter during law school, it is not necessary to list that job. However, don't attempt to fill the gap by stretching your relevant employment dates. Instead, make sure you can give an honest answer if asked about it during an interview. Moreover, for legal resumes, an objective is unnecessary. It is assumed that you are applying for a position as an attorney.

Personal information other than your name, address, phone number, and email address is unnecessary. The employer does not need to know your birth date, height, weight, marital status, or hair color. This is a general statement that may have exceptions; if, for example, your spouse is well known in the field in which you are applying, you may consider disclosing your marital status and spouse's name. No matter how gorgeous you are, the hiring partner does not want a photo of you. Unless requested, you should not include a salary history, references, thesis, or other superfluous materials. With the amount of time given to each resume, do you want it spent gazing at your photo or reading your many accomplishments? You can also follow our detailed Attorney Resume Guide for additional templates and formatting guidance.

Give attention where attention is due. If your resume describes your most recent position as an attorney in only one line, but describes the paper you wrote for law review in four, you need to reassess your priorities. Accomplishments and experiences should get attention proportional to their importance. Generally, your current job as an associate is more important than your first-year summer internship, unless that internship gave you more relevant experience and skills. For a deeper, step-by-step breakdown of the essential components every attorney résumé should include, see The Complete Attorney Resume Guide.

Use job descriptions wisely. Because your job title may mean different responsibilities and skills to different employers, you should use descriptions to eliminate doubt and clarify your position. The responsibilities of a senior associate at some firms may be closer to the duties of an associate at other firms. While your job title may seem more impressive, employers may find it misleading. Explicit descriptions of your duties, responsibilities, and achievements can clarify the extent of your experience.
 

• To avoid title misrepresentation on your resume, consult Understanding Legal Job Titles: A Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Legal Careers Across Multiple Industries for clarity on how positions are officially recognized.

 

One exception is the summer internship. Unless you did more than perform research and draft memoranda, you should limit, and possibly eliminate, your description. Employers generally understand what work is done during a law student's summer. It is important to include where and how you spent your summers on your law school resume, but you must consider the overall import of your work experience on the law student section of your resume compared to your experience since. To ensure your experience aligns with employer expectations, review this practice-area-driven resume keyword list when preparing your bullet points.

Be creative and professional at the same time. This is possible. If you have a particular interest or hobby that may not parlay into a skill used in law, but it makes you stand out in a crowd, use it. Your resume needs to create an image of a person, not just a series of jobs and education. Your interests will let the employer know who you are as well as what you can do. You can have a section on your resume entitled "Personal" or "Areas of Interest." Be specific too. Instead of being "interested in sports and reading," you are an "avid skier and collector of Early American Literature." Personal interests and hobbies can be excellent ways to break the ice in an interview. However, you must use discretion. Keep in mind that if your resume makes it past the hiring partner's hands, it is likely to be read by many eyes. While some may find your interest in collecting Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia interesting, others may find fault.
 

• When applying to a litigation-focused environment such as Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP: Unveiling the Pathways to Success in Law, resumes should reflect not only technical skill but also resilience and innovation.

 

Other categories that you can add are "Professional Affiliations" or "Community Activities." These sections are good ways to show your level of involvement in the local professional or business community.
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There is no need to record those abilities the employer will take for granted, such as computer skills. Every lawyer should have general computer skills and know how to research online; therefore, by listing those skills on your resume, you are identifying those as the most notable of your abilities. This will make you look average, not exceptional. Other sections can include "Writing," "Public Speaking," or "Languages." If you speak a language, include that language and your level of proficiency. The employer has the right to know whether someone who lists Chinese as a skill has taken two years of Chinese or has lived in China for six years.

No grades are not good grades. Regardless what the old maxim says about "no news," the omission of your GPA or class rank on your resume implies that your grades were very likely mediocre to below average. If you have any honors or an impressive GPA or class ranking, include them. As the years out of law school grow, your grades may grow less important; however, a senior attorney who graduated at the top of his/her class still has an edge over a similarly qualified attorney with poor grades. If you have mediocre or poor grades, omitting them will not get you off the hook. You should always be prepared to discuss your grades and position in your class.

 

• For more in-depth guidance on creating a standout legal resume, refer to Crafting an Effective Legal Resume: Essential Advice for Attorneys.

 

Your Resume's Appearance

 

Don't use a scripted font. Scripted fonts may look fancy, but straightforward, easy-to-read fonts such as Times New Roman and Courier New are highly preferable.

Avoid small type. Eight-point font will make your resume illegible. While it may seem better to keep your resume to one page by using a smaller font, do you want the hiring partner to be forced to squint to read your resume? With the abundance of resumes coming in the door, it is easier to throw yours out and move on to the next one.

Leave enough white space, but not too much. Margins that are .2 inch wide will make your resume appear crowded, while margins that are 1.5 inches wide will present the impression that you don't have enough to offer to even fill a single page. You need to leave margins that are wide enough to eliminate a cramped feeling, while at the same time keeping your margins small enough to prevent the appearance of space-filling. An effective margin width would typically be around 1 inch.

Use bullet points wisely. There is no need to use a bullet point for every job; instead, use them to highlight important accomplishments of one or two particular jobs. Too many bullet points will eliminate their effectiveness in emphasizing aspects of your resume.
 

• Strong resumes can open doors to elite firms — see how structured career progression unfolds at Carlton Fields PA: Unlocking Career Pathways in a Prestigious Law Firm.

 

Walk the fine line between a slick resume and a "slick" resume. You many think that going to a professional printer and having your resume printed will make it an attention-getter. You would be right, but it would be the wrong type of attention. Professionally printed resumes will give the impression that you hired someone to do your resume for you because you cannot do your own work-an impression you certainly cannot afford to give. However, your resume must look professional. You should print your resume using a laser printer, with professional, heavy-stock paper that is a muted color. For a deeper dive into formatting and structuring your legal resume effectively, see How Attorneys and Law Students Should Write a Legal Resume.

Emphasize your job titles and experience. Your only priority should be making your achievements obvious in a quick scan. While the dates of your past employment are very important, the employer will not examine these carefully until you become a candidate for an interview. This only happens after the hiring partner has initially seen what you have to offer and kept your resume from the dreaded circular file. Do you really need to have "Employment" and "May 2001" in bold, or is it better to have "Associate Attorney, Corporate Division" in bold instead? Once your resume is polished, the next crucial step is mastering how to prepare for your first-year summer job interview — the ultimate test of your communication and professionalism.

Proofread your resume. SpellCheck is a wonderful invention, but it cannot yet tell you that you meant to use "if" instead of "is." There is a big difference between a "rabid" and a "rapid" typist. After spending all week writing your resume, you will be tempted to skim it. Resist this temptation or pass the resume on to a colleague or friend who will carefully read every word. The importance of language in the legal profession only heightens your responsibility to send an error-free document.

 

• See 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms for more information.

 

Keep it simple on the law school part of your resume as well as the rest of it. With the popularity of the internet, emailing a resume is very commonplace. If you have structured your resume using complicated columns and tables with a unique font in Microsoft Word, what will happen when your potential employer uses WordPerfect and only has three fonts? Keeping your resume a simple block of text with basic formatting and indenting will offer much better results with employers who use different software. For an in-depth review of errors attorneys often make, check Legal Resume Mistakes That Sabotage Your Job Search (And How to Fix Them).

Once your resume is ready, the next step is nailing the interview—check out How Lawyers Can Excel in Interviews: Harrison Barnes’ Guidance for Attorneys
 

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Conclusion  

Your resume is not the key to a successful job. There are many components that work together, including the skill and credibility of your recruiter, your job search, and even being in the right place at the right time. However, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and by following these tips and avoiding the pitfalls, you can move one step closer to your new job. At BCG Attorney Search, our recruiters have been candidates like you, have reviewed resumes when serving on recruiting committees in major firms, and have advised hundreds of candidates in making sure their resumes accomplish the intended purpose of creating a good, strong impression on the hiring partner. If you are a candidate with superior academic credentials and solid legal experience, please call us. You can also send us an attorney resume sample or sample legal resume by going here: https://www.bcgsearch.com/resume_submit.php. For a visual walk-through on applying these strategies, view the Resume Review Workshop, where our experts critique real attorney resumes and share actionable improvement tips.

• Attorneys and students facing obstacles in drafting their resumes can also benefit from Key Legal Resume Insights: Comprehensive Answers to Common Resume Challenges, which addresses the most common stumbling blocks.

 

Appendix I: Action Verbs

Appendix II: Sample Resume (PDF file)

For examples of how strong resumes also set you up to ace interviews, visit How Attorneys Can Create Winning Resumes and Ace Interviews.

For actionable steps to ensure your resume stands out in today’s competitive market, see Why Over 85% of Attorney Resumes Are Failing—and How to Fix Yours Now.

Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files and is available for free at www.adobe.com.

 

• For a deeper dive into proven strategies, see our guide on how to enhance your career with a killer attorney resume."

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Interested in more interview advice? See our most popular interview articles:

• The Five Musts of Interviewing
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
• Employers Want to Hire You
• How To Answer The Tell Me About Yourself Interview Questions

 

Click here to contact Harrison

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About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations-from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

• Immigration Law
• Workers Compensation
• Insurance
• Family Law
• Trust and Estate
• Municipal law
• And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

• Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
• Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
• Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
• Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success - The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm's unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison's legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

• His articles on BCG Search alone are read by over 150,000 attorneys per month, making his guidance the most sought-after in the legal field. Read his latest insights here.
• He has conducted hundreds of hours of career development webinars, available here: Harrison Barnes Webinar Replays.
• His placement success is unmatched-see examples here: Harrison Barnes' Attorney Placements.
• He has created numerous comprehensive career development courses, including BigLaw Breakthrough, designed to help attorneys land positions at elite law firms.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials-he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison's work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

• Finds and creates job openings that aren't publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
• Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
• Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney-no matter their background, law school, or previous experience-has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

• Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
• Senior attorneys who believed they were "too experienced" to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
• Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options-only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
• Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist-often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today - Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison's expertise will help you take control of your future.

Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Harrison's reach, experience, and proven results make him the best legal recruiter in the industry. Don't settle for an average recruiter-work with the one who has changed the careers of thousands of attorneys and can do the same for you.

About BCG Attorney Search

BCG Attorney Search matches attorneys and law firms with unparalleled expertise and drive, while achieving results. Known globally for its success in locating and placing attorneys in law firms of all sizes, BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys in law firms in thousands of different law firms around the country. Unlike other legal placement firms, BCG Attorney Search brings massive resources of over 150 employees to its placement efforts locating positions and opportunities its competitors simply cannot. Every legal recruiter at BCG Attorney Search is a former successful attorney who attended a top law school, worked in top law firms and brought massive drive and commitment to their work. BCG Attorney Search legal recruiters take your legal career seriously and understand attorneys. For more information, please visit www.BCGSearch.com.