Lawyer Resume: Free Template & Guide

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Defending legal clients or prosecuting criminals can be time-consuming for a Lawyer. Save time and energy by using our personalized resume templates. Make sure you win your case when your resume is standing trial.

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It’s critical for your Attorney resume to hold up with an employer as well as your cases in court when you apply to join a law firm. Be sure to present a clear legal career objective that aligns with the needs of the firm, especially if you’re applying to specialized roles in corporate, criminal, or civil law.

• The right format for your resume
• Work experience employers in a law firm want to see
• College and law school highlights that look great on a resume
• How to write an entry-level resume for Attorneys

Adding all of these details can help you shine over other applicants, and with our AI resume builder, you can make sure you’re adding the best keywords to your application, including strategically placing your bar admission on resume so employers can quickly verify your credentials.

Keep reading to make sure your resume helps you win your next case.

Before we head straight into the details of how to formulate each section of your lawyer resume, let’s cover the basics first.

resume Example

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[Jessica Smith]

[Lawyer]

[Bay Area, California | +1-555-455-555 | JSmith@randomemail.com]

Summary

Corporate lawyer with over 8 years of experience in litigation, commercial disputes, and mergers and acquisitions. Proven track record of managing complex cases, negotiating settlements, and mentoring junior associates. Successfully increased legal consistency across jurisdictions and improved case outcomes by 46%.

Experience

K and L, Attorneys at Law | Los Angeles, CA

Corporate Lawyer

2020 – Present

• Have litigated 170+ cases, including complicated civil and commercial litigation that covered a wide range of legal issues.
• Represented 50+ clients in negotiations regarding mediations, arbitration, and settlements.
• Overseen over 30 associates, provided mentorship and guidance on litigation, settlement, and trial strategies in bankruptcy court.
• Coordinated counsel to improve consistency by 63% in legal positions for cases that span in multiple jurisdictions.
• Developed litigation, settlement, and trial strategies, increasing wins by 46%.
• Advised 32 clients on procedures related to mergers and acquisitions.

K and L, Attorneys at Law | Los Angeles, CA

Junior Corporate Lawyer

2018-2020

• Interacted with 15+ court clerks, attorneys, and legal staff for procedures in over 20 lawsuits.
• Involved in providing solutions for 17 financial disputes over assets and insolvency problems.
• Prepared 7 commercial claims and counseling labor litigations.
• Assisted eight human resource staff members in updating databases, labor contracts for 100+ employees, and termination of 50 employees.

Legal Undertakings, Co. | San Diego, CA

Legal Assistant

2015-2017

• Assisted 16 lawyers with arbitrating disputes, appraising inventory, and filing legal pleadings.
• Met with 50+ clients in order to obtain preliminary information before senior attorneys became involved.
• Gathered research data that increased the positive likelihood of winning by 18%.

Education

California State Bar | 2015

• Passed the California Bar Exam

University of California, Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, CA | 2014

• Juris Doctor (JD) 

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA | 2013

• Master of Judicial Science; Major in Legal Studies

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA | 2009

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Skills

• Corporate Law
• Legal Research
• Dispute Resolution
• Litigation
• Legal Writing
• Legal Advice
• Document management software
• Office Suite
• Legal brief preparation
• Administrative expertise

You didn’t finish a law degree by cutting corners. Let’s go into even more detail of what you should and shouldn’t include on your resume, how to organize it, and, finally, how to phrase it, we’ll go over every resume aspect separately.

We’ll start with the essential aspect—the resume structure, or more specifically, the resume format. 

There are several different types of resume formats that are more applicable to different industries. But, not all of them are ideal for every position. 

Regardless of the amount of experience you have, we recommend using the reverse chronological format.

A reverse chronological format can offer you a few different benefits for attorneys, such as:

• Features career growth: Reverse chronological order highlights a Lawyer’s most recent roles and success in court.
• Highlights recent success: This format makes it easy for employers to quickly see your latest achievements in court.
• Demonstrates stability: It provides a clear timeline of a Lawyer’s career, displaying steady professional development and commitment.

There are also skills-based formats and combination formats, which put skills over experience. 

However, as a Lawyer, a law firm will generally want to see that you have the necessary experience and qualifications, such as the bar exam, on your resume. 

The best place to start is at the beginning—with your resume summary or objective.

This text is a few sentences long and comes at the beginning of your resume. It serves to introduce you to your potential employers and give a punch to your entire application.

There is a slight difference between a resume summary and an objective, though.

In general, recruiters prefer a summary. Focus on creating a concise highlight of your accomplishments, whether full-time, part-time, or during a legal internship. 

An Example of a Lawyer’s Resume Summary

In order for you to do that, let’s first take a look at a lawyer resume summary sample.

This applicant knows they’re good and they value their quality. They emphasize their particular achievements over the years, using fixed numbers to back their claims. 

A summary like this will increase your chances of securing a job interview.

The experience section of your resume will shed light on your professional achievements, abilities, knowledge, and ambitions. Moreover, it deals with the hard facts.

Here, you should clearly state:

• Where you worked before 
• How long you worked there 
• What role you had 
• Everything that you achieved during your prior employment 

In order to excel in writing your experience sections, you need to abide by the simple rule: back every fact with numbers.

Experience Section Examples

To illustrate our advice above, here is an Attorney resume experience section:

The example presents an applicant who has had significant law experience and knows how to present it in a short, striking, yet easily comprehensible way. 

Using numbers and percentages, as well as professional terminology and important keywords, they’ve made a lasting impression on potential employers.

Are you a Lawyer that’s fresh off passing the bar exam? Writing an entry-level resume can come with challenges, but it doesn’t mean you have no chance of landing a position. 

If you have no experience yet, it just means you should highlight other strengths to look attractive to hiring law firms.

Review the tips below to write a resume if you’re lacking real world legal experience.

If you’re wondering how you can lay out your experience, education, and other qualities, look no further. 

Review the example below to learn how to win over a recruiter even when you aren’t a long-time Lawyer.

resume Example

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[Jane Doe]

[Hillsborough, CA 94010| (555) 123-4567 | Janelawyer@randomemail.com]

[Attorney]

Summary

Highly motivated entry-level attorney recently admitted to the California Bar. Gained practical experience through legal internships, pro bono work, and research positions. Skilled in legal research, drafting motions, and case management in both civil and criminal law. Passionate about client advocacy and eager to contribute to a legal team with a strong focus on litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

Education

Bar Admission | 2023

Passed exam and admitted to the California Bar

Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA | 2023

Juris Doctor (JD)

• GPA: 3.85 | Honors: Dean’s List, [Honors/Awards]
• Relevant Coursework: Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Evidence, Legal Writing and Research, Alternative Dispute Resolution

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA | 2020
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

• Minor in Psychology | GPA: 3.75

Legal Experience

Legal Intern
San Mateo County Public Defender’s Office, Redwood City, CA | January 2022 – May 2022

• Researched case law and assisted in drafting defense motions for criminal cases, including suppression of evidence and dismissal motions.
• Supported attorneys in client interviews and preparation for trial, including witness examination and cross-examination strategies.
• Observed criminal proceedings such as arraignments, plea negotiations, and sentencing hearings.

Research Assistant
Professor John Hartman, Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA | September 2021 – December 2021

• Conducted legal research on constitutional law, focusing on free speech and due process rights.
• Assisted in drafting legal articles for academic publication, analyzing judicial opinions and case law developments.

Pro Bono Volunteer
Bay Area Legal Aid, Oakland, CA | September 2021 – March 2022

• Provided legal assistance to low-income clients in housing disputes, family law cases, and immigration matters.
• Drafted legal documents, including petitions, motions, and affidavits, and prepared clients for court appearances.
• Mediated landlord-tenant disputes, securing favorable settlements for clients facing eviction.

Practical Coursework

• Trial Advocacy: Gained hands-on experience in litigation, participating in mock trials involving case strategy development, evidence presentation, and witness examination.
• Negotiation and Mediation: Practiced alternative dispute resolution techniques, conducting mock negotiations and mediations in contract and tort cases.
• Legal Writing and Research: Mastered legal research methods and drafting of memoranda, motions, and briefs.

Skills

• Legal Research (LexisNexis, Westlaw)
• Legal Writing and Document Drafting
• Case Management and Organization
• Client Consultation and Interviewing
• Trial Preparation and Oral Advocacy
• Microsoft Office, Document Management Software
• Advanced Spanish

Entry-level lawyer resume summary example

While your resume may lack experience, a summary statement can go a long way. You can also write an objective instead, but we recommend going with a summary.

This person clearly has a drive, and they can’t wait to excel in their career as a Lawyer. This sort of motivation and dedication is of paramount importance when seeking to impress future employers in law firms.

Entry-level lawyer experience

At this point, entry-level applicants may start to worry about how to manage the experience section without much or any experience at all. 

When creating your Lawyer resume, feel free to fill your experience section with:

• Legal internships
• Pro bono work
• Research positions
• Relevant work with transferable skills
•  Relevant practical coursework.

The key is to present these experiences as valuable to the role—because to you, a passionate, ambitious lawyer—they were.

Yet another essential part of your lawyer resume is the education section.

Unlike previous sections, this is one that every applicant should easily fill out. The important issue is how.

For starters, know which information is irrelevant enough to exclude. No need to mention that you were part of the uni rumba dance team for 2 years!

Focus on the important information, and make it easily visible by outlining:

• The years that you studied 
• When you enrolled and when you graduated 
• Title you earned
• Name and location of your college
• When you passed your bar exam

This aside, you can even mention your GPA score or some other extra achievements if it was high enough.

Have you won any awards at college that would be relevant to the job? If so, and you are a less experienced candidate, add another bullet to this section.

Lawyer resume education section example

To be as clear as possible, here is an education section example you can trust:

Colleges with a good reputation, impressive qualification titles, location, and titles earned—these can all make a difference in your resume’s education section. 

Be aware that you can mention both technical and communication skills. With lawyers, the division between these two isn’t always rigid, but it can be helpful in organizing your thoughts more clearly. 

Also, hard and soft skills differ from one another, and if you have a lot of both—and you should—it’s best to first list the hard and then the soft skills you have. 

Keep the following skills in mind when writing your lawyer resume skills section:

Even if you’re not able to list every single one of these (in fact you shouldn’t, ideally you should list max. 10 skills that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for), bear them in mind as these professional skills, as well as people skills are incredibly important for your resume.

To round things out, you’ll preferably want to fill in the “Other” section of your resume as well. Usually, these come last in your resume, regardless of the format you chose. 

Here, don’t include irrelevant information, like regular visits to the gym. Instead, use this section to mention other significant aspects of your career that you couldn’t feature in any of the previous sections.

Mentioning volunteer work, publications, and more can give your resume and qualifications a bit more support. 

Take a look at the extra sections below that you can add to your resume.

“Other” sections for your Lawyer resume

Good Lawyer resume samples for the “Other” section should include:

If you are applying at various different law firms that have different requirements in terms of your resume, do your best to tailor your information each time, so all its versions fit the employer’s demands.

As you’ve read, it will be important to:

• Mention your relevant experience and accomplishments first
• Highlight your experience even if you’re entry-level
• Include relevant volunteer work and certifications
• Show you are qualified to work by, including when you passed the bar exam

If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll be able to argue your case to be hired even better than you litigate in the courtroom.