Law Student CV examples

This guide walks you through every step, from structuring and writing a CV correctly to crafting compelling content that highlights your academic achievements, legal experience, and research skills, even if this is your first CV. By the end, you’ll have a CV that presents your qualifications as clearly as a well-drafted contract.

A law graduate’s CV needs to be as precise and well-structured as a legal argument. If it lacks clarity or buries the important details in fine print, a hiring manager might dismiss your application faster than an inadmissible piece of evidence. A logical CV structure will ensure that they can find exactly what they need.

Here’s the structure to follow:

• Name and personal details – Keep your contact details at the top so employers can easily reach you; you’ve also got the option to have a picture of yourself – but it’s up to you.
• Profile – Open with a strong summary that highlights your legal knowledge, research skills, and aspirations.
• Core skills – Provide a concise list of your most relevant legal abilities, such as case research, legal drafting, and contract analysis.
• Work experience – Present your professional history in reverse chronological order, covering any legal placements, internships, or relevant experience.
• Education – List your degrees and legal qualifications in reverse order, starting with your most recent.
• Additional info – If applicable, include legal memberships, awards, relevant voluntary work, or relevant hobbies.

Legal professionals deal with documents that must be well-structured and easy to read, and your CV format should reflect that same level of organisation. Legal professionals don’t have time to sift through a bad layout full of unnecessary details, and neither do recruiters. If your CV looks like a 200-page case file, they won’t bother digging for the good stuff.

Keep these formatting tips in mind:

• Bullet points – Make your responsibilities and achievements quick to scan.
• Divide sections – Keep everything well-organised so that your CV flows logically.
• Use a clear and readable font – Professionalism is key, so choose a simple, legible font.
• No more than 2 pages – Be concise in length while ensuring your key skills and experience are covered.

Your CV profile is like an opening statement – it should be clear, persuasive, and set up the case for why you’re the best candidate. 

Unlike a real opening statement, though, you only get a few sentences, so make them count. It should give recruiters a clear snapshot of your legal expertise and career aspirations.

As a junior candidate, you would benefit more from a longer personal statement, along with a cover letter to back up your application.

A strong profile should consider the following:

• Where you’ve studied or worked – Highlight any legal internships, placements, or relevant work experience.
• Your top qualifications – If you’re studying for an LLB, LPC, or SQE, make sure this is clearly stated.
• Key legal skills – Emphasise abilities such as legal research, contract drafting, or case analysis.
• Relevant areas of law – Mention your areas of interest, whether it’s commercial law, human rights, or corporate litigation.
• Professional development – If you’ve attended legal workshops, networking events, or additional training, include them in your CV profile.

A core CV skills section is an effective way to showcase your strongest legal abilities at a glance. Think of it as a case summary – highlighting key strengths before getting into the details.

Customise this section to the specific role, ensuring that the listed skills align with the employer’s requirements.

Your education section should clearly list your legal qualifications, from degrees to diplomas. Since law is an academic-heavy profession, this section will hold more weight than in other industries.

If you’re early in your career, highlight relevant coursework, dissertation topics, or research projects that demonstrate your legal knowledge.

List your qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.

Example education sections

What to include in your education section

For each qualification, add the following info:

• Qualification & organisation – Tell the recruiter what you studied and where.
• Dates studied – State when you started and finished the course.
• Extra details – Highlight specific, pertinent modules if they really back up your application. Add a sentence or two expanding upon them beneath the relevant qualification.

Your work experience is the evidence that backs up your case. Listing skills is great, but recruiters want to see how you’ve actually put them into practice – otherwise, it’s just speculation.

List your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. If you don’t have extensive legal experience, highlight internships, pro bono work, legal research roles, or even transferable skills from non-legal jobs.

• Outline – Introduce the employer and the nature of the organisation (e.g., a law firm, corporate legal department, or pro bono clinic). Mention your role and how you contributed to the legal team.
• Responsibilities – List your key duties, such as conducting case research, assisting in contract drafting, or preparing client documents. Use action words like analysed, drafted, and advised to bring your experience to life.
• Achievements – Recruiters love quantifiable impact. Did you contribute to a case that won? Improve a research process? Reduce document processing time? Use numbers where you can – because in law, evidence matters.

For a law student, the additional info section is especially value: detail anything that might convey that you’re the right fit, from relevant hobbies to past extracurricular commitments.

Good additional info for Law Students

Additional info example