Trainee Solicitor CV example

Think of writing a CV as giving your opening statement – it should be clear and confident, and remain persuasive without overcomplicating the facts. Whether you’re applying to a city firm or a regional practice, clarity and relevance always win the case.

This guide will help you highlight your legal training, transferable skills, and work experience so that your application stands out – before it’s even read in full.

In law, structure is everything – and your CV should follow suit. Recruiters will be scanning quickly for key qualifications, legal exposure, and written communication skills, so your layout should be logical and easy to read. If a  recruiter has to cross-examine your CV just to find your qualifications, you’ve already lost the argument.

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – Display your personal details clearly at the top so employers can get in touch easily. Including a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Begin with a concise summary that highlights your expertise and what you bring to the role.
• Core skills – Highlight relevant legal skills such as legal research, client communication, or document drafting.
• Work experience – Detail your legal placements, paralegal roles, internships, and any relevant non-legal work.
• Education & certifications – Mention your law degree, LPC/SQE status, and other qualifications.
• Additional info – Optionally list hobbies, societies, volunteering, or awards relevant to law.

If your CV reads like a statute book, the hiring team might object – keep it sharp: aim for one or two pages of length. Stick with clearly defined sections, consistent formatting, a clear font, and bullet points to help recruiters spot key information quickly. Making use of these tips will give you a format free of avoidable mistakes, which will impress any recruiter, even if you’ve got no experience.

A CV profile should show recruiters that you’re more than just a graduate with a law degree – you’re a future solicitor in the making. It’s your opportunity to highlight your academic background, practical exposure, and dedication to qualifying as a solicitor, with the overall aim of convincing hiring managers that you would bring genuine value to their firm.

As a candidate with less experience in the field, you should opt for a personal statement, which is longer and allows for more discussion of your aspirations, while your applications would be sent alongside a tailored cover letter.

Include the following:

• Legal education – Note your law degree or conversion, and current status with the LPC or SQE.
• Legal experience – Briefly mention placements, internships, or paralegal roles.
• Key strengths – Include attributes like research, drafting, commercial awareness, or communication.
• Career goals – Show that you’re committed to a legal career and state the kind of firm or practice area you’re interested in.

Even early in your career, you’ve already built up skills firms care about – research, analysis, clarity under pressure. Your CV skills section is where you prove you’re already developing the core competencies of a solicitor.

Think about the transferable skills gained from study, placements, or extra-curriculars. Tailor your list to the role and firm, making use of the job description to identify the keywords recruiters are likely to be looking out for.

Legal roles are qualification-driven, so your education section should be clear and well-structured. Your legal education forms the foundation of your application – make it easy to follow and impressive to scan. 

Mention your status with the LPC or SQE clearly – whether completed, ongoing, or planned. If you’ve done a law conversion course, highlight that too. As a junior candidate, you should clearly include relevant modules or coursework that show your interests align with the firm’s focus.

Example education sections

What to include in your education section

For each qualification, add the following info:

• Qualification & organisation – State your qualification and the awarding body.
• Dates studied – Say when you started the course and when the course ended, or if it’s ongoing.
• Extra details – Expand upon the particularly relevant modules, telling recruiters about the specific experience and skills which will be useful for your target jobs.

Law firms want to see more than legal theory – they want to see how you’ve applied it. Whether you’ve completed vacation schemes, legal internships, pro bono placements or worked as a paralegal, make it clear what you learned and contributed.

Even non-legal roles can count – just highlight what they say about your reliability or client-facing abilities: start with the most recent experience and work backwards, making sure to relate them back to legal practice. If you worked in retail, that’s client interaction. If you worked in a café, that’s time management. Frame it right.

• Outline – Briefly describe the firm or organisation and your position.
• Responsibilities – Mention key tasks like research, drafting, shadowing solicitors, or client liaison. Use action words like “researched,” “drafted,” and “supported.”
• Achievements – Include tangible outcomes – such as contributing to a successful case, preparing a key document, or receiving positive feedback.

For aspiring trainee solicitors, the Additional Information section offers a chance to showcase relevant qualities beyond academic achievements. It allows you to highlight interests, achievements, and personal initiatives that reflect critical thinking, communication, and a genuine passion for law – especially valuable when you’re early in your legal career.

Good additional info for Trainee Solicitor

Additional info example