As a successful attorney in 2024, you are a stellar researcher, writer, investigator, and client confidante.
But when it comes time to write your resume, how are you supposed to fit everything you do into one page? You also have to consider formatting, metrics, and whether to add any optional sections.
We’re here to help you handle your resume and attorney cover letter so you can do what you do best: practice law.
Our 13 attorney resumes have helped lawyers of different specialties land jobs at top-tier law firms, so they’re perfect for beginning your resume-writing journey. We also have tips and tricks for each resume type to help you rise above the competition and get the attorney job you’ve always dreamed about in 2024.
Why this resume works
- Of course, your attorney resume needs stellar content, but don’t underestimate the power of creativity when it comes to getting a job.
- To make your resume aesthetically pleasing (and easy to read) for hiring managers, use a resume template with two font types, separate each section with big headers, and include a splash of color.
- Hiring managers need to see your qualifications quickly, so if you have extra certifications or licenses, include them in a separate section to make them more pronounced.
Why this resume works
- Don’t worry if your entry-level attorney resume lacks work experience; as an entry-level candidate, you have more flexibility with your resume.
- You can list projects, internships, and any other work experience you have, even if it’s not related to law.
- Feel free to add relevant courses from your law school to highlight your skills even further!
- Including a resume objective can be an effective way to demonstrate your particular interest in the role you’re seeking.
- As a rule of thumb, you must customize your objective for each job to which you apply.
- If you’re going to use the same objective for each application, leave it off entirely and focus on work experience or projects.
Why this resume works
- As you get more litigation experience, you’ll have more to include on your associate attorney resume. However, we’d recommend having a maximum of four work experience entries (three being the average).
- This allows you to include at least four bullet points per entry, which is just enough to learn about your accomplishments without overwhelming the reader.
- Everyone needs an editor, and even though you’re strongly detail-oriented, don’t make the mistake of submitting your resume before you’re reviewed it.
- Always check your resume for typos, grammar errors, and other mistakes before you submit it.
Why this resume works
- Practice makes perfect, and experience begets skills. So you should include more hard skills in your resume skills section.
- Good skills to include on your senior attorney resume are “contract review,” “ethics,” and any specific areas of law you have experience researching.
- As a senior attorney, you have years of experience that you want to show your future employer. Thus, you may wonder whether you should submit a CV or a resume.
- Whatever you choose, double-check the job description to ensure you’re providing the correct information.
Why this resume works
- You’ve never seen clients willing to settle for family law attorneys who are not up to scratch, right? Us neither! That’s why showcasing your technical proficiency on your resume to prove you’re job-ready gets our ringing endorsement.
- But should you list the technical tools you’re familiar with in your family law attorney resume’s skills section? Nah—that won’t cut it. Brag about how you leveraged them to knock it out of the park in your work history.
Why this resume works
- Your qualifications make you the perfect fit for the job, and there are no two ways about it. However, if your document review attorney resume is hard on the eyes, the recruiter won’t even get the chance to discover that about you.
- What’s the best resume format to ensure recruiters read every word, you ask? It’s pretty straightforward: Go for a two-column layout and make the most of white space to ensure each section is clear. For the wider column, spell out your relevant work experiences, then nestle your education credentials, certifications, contact deets, and bar deets in the sidebar. Done that? Then, use a hue like burnt orange to accent some parts (think your job title and names of your alma mater and places of work).
Why this resume works
- The corporate law world is brimming with new attorneys each day, so cutting corners on your resume? That’s a no-go unless you want that opportunity to slip through your fingers. Our advice? Equip your corporate attorney resume with the right sections to prove you’re qualified.
- Sure, you’ve got the basics down—header, work experience, education, skills—all set. But don’t stop there; toss in the certifications and Bar admissions sections to put your eligibility in the spotlight and confirm that you’ve got what it takes to talk the corporate law talk and walk the courtroom walk.
Why this resume works
- Got the right soft and hard skills? Check. Remarkable career accomplishments? Check! Passed the bar? Indeed. Then, the only thing standing between you and that job you want could be a complex resume design that the applicant tracking system can’t read.
- It’s time to ditch the flashy design quirks (think images, tables, text boxes, and gimmick fonts like Comic Sans) and embrace the beauty of simplicity. Employ bullet lists for easy readability, accentuate key wins with bold and italics, and play with colors to highlight different section headings. It’s about keeping things clean and ensuring the ATS (and eventually, human eyes) can navigate your transactional attorney resume with ease.
Why this resume works
- When you’re applying for a more specialized role like a trademark attorney position, you’ll need to showcase the work you’ve done in that practice area.
- If you’ve never worked as a trademark attorney before, highlight your transferable skills. For example, have you advised clients on how to navigate prospective new legislation? Trademark law is always changing, so knowing how to research recent litigation is a highly useful skill.
- Whether your experience is in trademark law or not, always compare your trademark attorney resume against the attorney job description.
- Use similar keywords and responsibilities to reassure your future employer that you’re fit for the job.
Why this resume works
- Many top attorneys start out as paralegals. A professional background in legal support equips you to dive right in to the firm once you’ve earned your J.D.
- Don’t downplay your paralegal experience on your litigation attorney resume. It adds a degree of proficiency to your practice.
Why this resume works
- As an attorney, you know that you can only practice in the state you were admitted to the Bar. But if you’re a certified member of a specialized Bar Association—like real estate—in that same state, you can take your real estate attorney resume up a notch.
- Devote valuable resume space to both your Bar admissions and certifications to demonstrate excellence in your field.
Why this resume works
- The best way to make your contract attorney resume shine is by matching your experience and skills with the attorney job description.
- Tailor your resume skills section and work experience by including keywords mentioned in the job ad. Include just enough to show your expertise without copying everything word-for-word. Most of all, be honest about the skills you possess.
- Make sure that you list the specific types of contracts you have negotiated and managed, too!
- No matter what content you include, always check your resume for errors, including typos, grammatical faux pas, punctuation mistakes, and inconsistencies. Don’t let a few minor issues cost you the job!
Why this resume works
- Quantifiable results always grab an employer’s attention, and since civil litigation almost always involves dollars, you need to show hiring managers the money!
- All jokes aside, you can also include metrics related to things other than money. How many cases did you handle? How many clients did you meet? How many contracts or drafts did you review? Odds are, most of your responsibilities involve numbers!
- In general, lawyers tend to use a lot of words, but you must curb this behavior on your civil litigation resume. Using a resume template can help, but the real key is to be brief but brilliant!
- Use bullet points and action verbs to cut filler, and avoid using adjectives or adverbs that take up space.
- Symbols can also help: a $ instead of “dollars” and + instead of “more than” is both simple and effective!
Related resume guides
Attorney Resume FAQs
1. Should you list certifications on an attorney resume?
As an attorney, employers expect you’ll have passed the bar, and depending on the specific type of legal work you’re interested in, you may need more specialized certifications, such as the Certified International Trade Law Specialist or Board Certification in Criminal Law. While hiring personnel will likely request photocopies of your licenses and certifications, you should still list these on your attorney resume since it’s a quick assurance that you’re qualified for the specific role.
2. How should attorneys list education on a resume?
List your highest education first. Start with law school and work your way down to your undergraduate degree (exclude high school). In the education section of your resume, you should list the name of the school along with the location, degree, and when you completed the degree. If you’re recently out of school, consider adding short bullet points that point to academic accomplishments, especially as it relates to legal work.
3. How long should a resume be for an attorney?
No doubt, you’re used to pages of legalese and it’s no sweat for you to make sense of it; however, for your attorney resume, keep it to one page. This is your opportunity to quickly advertise your best law qualifications and accomplishments. Going into detail is best reserved for writing a great cover letter.
