You’re pretty busy conducting research, preparing legal documentation, and forming well-educated strategies for mediation or client representation! But you probably also find the time to mentor entry-level attorneys and answer questions.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have questions about how to write a resume or how to create a cover letter, though! Which of your many skills do you emphasize? Where should everything go?
Not to worry: We’ve helped countless people with their job hunt in the legal field, and these time-tested resume templates can help you get things rolling, too.
Copy this text for your senior attorney resume!
Theron Kelly, ESQ
Senior Attorney
[email protected]
(123) 456-7890
Boston, MA
WORK EXPERIENCE
Senior Attorney
Grimaldi and Yeung LLP
2018 – current
Boston, MA
– Represented individuals as a non-biased 3rd party to resolve conflicting claims, reducing the amount of money spent per case by $405K and saving the firm 90+ hours per month
– Managed client expectations and goals, resolving 72% of cases before they went to court
– Maintained active caseloads of 4-5 clients at a time
– Supervised 7 legal assistants, clerks, and paralegals by reviewing document drafts and providing legal advice
Associate Attorney
Rent the Runway
2008 – 2018
Boston, MA
– Provided legal guidance for 270+ employees
– Conducted 30+ weekly hours of legal research for 6 cases
– Collaborated with 5 paralegals to create an organized filing system for complaints that were not brought to trial
– Directly advised 6 shareholders on actions to reduce the rate of company lawsuits, reducing lawsuits by 23%
Law Clerk
Liberty Mutual
2006 – 2008
Boston, MA
– Assisted 8 lawyers by researching case law and local, state, and federal laws and regulations
– Prepared for client meetings, trials, and hearings by creating legal documentation and conducting research
– Maintained knowledge of 6+ types of legal software while ensuring 100% privacy of client information
– Established list of office laws and regulations, reducing the likelihood of accidental improper conduct by 46%
SKILLS
– Litigation
– Contract Review
– Conflict Resolution
– Written Communication
– Interpersonal Communication
– Massachusetts Law
– Tax Law
– Ethics
– Negotation
– Business Bankruptcy Law
EDUCATION
Juris Doctorate
Boston College
2003 – 2005
Boston, MA
Bachelor of Arts
English Literature
Tufts University
1998 – 2002
Medford, MA
CERTIFICATIONS
– Board Certification Specialty – Business Bankruptcy Law
– Tax Preparation Certified
– Certified Notary
BAR ADMISSIONS
-Massachusetts
Related resume examples
What Matters Most: Your Skills & Work History
Maybe you’ve browsed a few sample resumes and you know you’ve got a lot to work with for your senior attorney resume: You have the soft skills necessary to navigate complicated situations, but you also have a lot of technical knowledge and leadership capabilities.
Recruiters want to see it all in your resume! You’ll need to demonstrate mentorship abilities and specialized expertise within your practice through your skills list by ensuring that everything you include is highly relevant.
Be as technical as you can with your skills section! List software and programs by name, and get specific about any soft skills: Instead of saying something generic like “communication,” say “conflict resolution” instead.
9 best senior attorney skills
- Complex Negotiation
- Conflict Resolution
- TrialDirector
- Contract Review
- Legal Research
- Appellate Advocacy
- Tax Law
- Expert Witness Prep
- Relativity
Sample senior attorney work experience bullet points
Your experience is a huge factor, especially on a senior-level resume. Your work history isn’t just a place to show how you’ve used your skills: It’s a place to demonstrate how you’ve developed them over time.
You’ll need to show that you’ve already accomplished things relevant to your career goals so that recruiters can see what a good fit you are. Maximize relevant points from previous attorney roles, such as expertly negotiating mergers or serving the community with pro bono civil litigation.
And make sure you back up all your accomplishments with metrics of their impact. Use numbers when possible to show that your success is tangible and helpful.
Here are a few examples:
- Established list of office laws and regulations, reducing the likelihood of accidental improper conduct by 46%
- Maintained current knowledge of legal software, including Filevine, while preserving client information privacy
- Managed client expectations and goals, resolving 72% of cases before they went to court
- Represented individuals as a non-biased third party to resolve conflicting claims, reducing the amount of money spent per case by $405K and saving the firm 89+ hours of labor monthly
- Directly advised shareholders on actions to reduce the rate of company lawsuits, reducing lawsuit occurrences by 23%
Top 5 Tips for Your Senior Attorney Resume
- Showcase your advancement
- This really is an important one! If you’ve achieved seniority level within your field, recruiters will want to see that you’ve made the most of your time. So, mention increasingly complex work, such as setting legal precedents or even publishing reputable legal and scholarly articles.
- Spotlight your certifications
- Including your education is a must, since a degree automatically boosts your credibility. But it’s also best to include essentials like your state Bar Admission, alongside any other credentials like a Notary certification or a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).
- Vary your metrics
- A senior attorney should have a wide range of experiences, so showcase yours by switching up your metrics. Vary between examples featuring error rates, success percentages, dollar savings, and manual hour reductions.
- Use a professional template
- Try out our professional resume templates and see which fits the “impressiveness hierarchy” of your resume the best, putting your most recent attorney work and highest achievements front and center. Then, make sure your resume looks sleek: Neither sparse nor crowded, and highly legible.
- Keep to just one page
- We know it’s difficult to limit your experience to just one page, but you’ll be much better off if you do! If you discuss resolving te majority of cases before they went to court on the second page, recruiters may never see it!
Recruiters love signs that you’ve taken at least as much time to read the job description as they’re taking to read your resume! Circle back to the job ad and look for unique specializations, like code enforcement or mediation to mention in your resume.
Think “legibility” for the recruiter’s sake! Avoid overly bright colors that interfere with readability, and keep fonts modern and clean so recruiters aren’t distracted from your tax law knowledge or witness preparation work.
Save them for your cover letter! You won’t want to send in your resume and application without one, so you might as well save some great points, such as pro bono work to tap into the company’s values, to build a compelling letter.
Stephen is the co-founder and CEO of BeamJobs. He started his career in data fulfilling the dream of little kids everywhere: working for an insurance company. He then moved on to work in edtech for a company called Chegg before venturing out to start BeamJobs. Things have come a long way after countless “learnings” (fancy word for mistakes), and BeamJobs has now helped 2.5M+ people create their perfect resume. Stephen and BeamJobs have been featured on awesome sites like Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Dallas News, Baltimore Sun, the Daily Press, Zendesk, HubSpot, and loads more.
