Legal CV examples

From organising your key qualifications to showcasing your expertise in legal research or client advocacy, this guide will ensure your CV is as polished as the contracts you draft. You’ll learn all there is to writing an application that lands you interviews for top legal roles.

A Legal CV needs a structure as clear and logical as a well-drafted contract. Recruiters need to quickly see your qualifications, skills, and experience, so a polished layout is essential.

Here’s how to structure your Legal CV:

• Name and contact details – Place personal details at the top so potential employers can reach you easily. Including a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Open with a summary your legal expertise, notable achievements, and career goals.
• Core skills – Let the recruiter know your strengths, such as contract drafting, legal research, and client relations, with a few brief bullet points.
• Work experience – Walk through your past roles in reverse chronological order, focusing on your contributions and accomplishments.
• Education – Mention your academic history, outlining the qualifications, legal training, and certifications which underpin your expertise.
• Additional info – Optionally, mention hobbies and interests, professional memberships, or community involvement that supports your legal ambitions.

Your CV should reflect the professionalism and precision you bring to legal work. Even a top lawyer would have trouble defending poor formatting – make sure your CV is easy to read and free of rookie mistakes that detract from your expertise.

Here’s how to format your Legal CV:

• Bullet points – Make your experience and skills easy for the reader to skim.
• Divide sections – Use clear headings to guide recruiters through your CV.
• Use a clean font – Choose a simple, professional font with consistent formatting.
• Keep it the right length – Keep your CV under 2 pages – concise, while covering every key detail.

Your CV profile is your opening argument – it needs to be clear, compelling, and leave no room for objections. For a legal role, this is your chance to highlight your specialisations and legal expertise.

Here are some tips to make your profile as persuasive as a courtroom argument:

• Where you’ve worked – Mention law firms, in-house legal departments, or other organisations where you’ve gained experience.
• Your top qualifications – Highlight legal degrees, professional memberships, or certifications such as the LPC or SQE.
• Essential skills – Include key strengths like legal research, case preparation, or client advocacy.
• Areas of law you’ve specialised in – Mention expertise in fields like corporate law, family law, or intellectual property.
• Notable cases or clients – If appropriate, reference your involvement in high-profile cases or key client relationships.

Your core skills section is a summary of your legal expertise, giving recruiters a quick overview of your capabilities.

For legal professionals, this might include drafting skills, negotiation abilities, or proficiency with case management software.

Tailor these to the role, just as you’d tailor your argument to a specific case. After all, a corporate lawyer’s skills will look very different from a criminal defence attorney’s.

Think of the work experience section as the evidence that supports your case. The recruiter wants to see what you’ve done, how you’ve done it, and the results you’ve delivered.

List your roles in reverse chronological order, focusing on accomplishments that showcase your skills and specialisations. 

If you’re just starting out, highlight internships, moot court victories, or even that time you helped your roommate get their deposit back.

• Outline – Provide an overview of the organisation, your role, and the type of legal work you managed.
• Responsibilities – Highlight key tasks like drafting contracts, managing cases, or conducting legal research. Use action verbs like “advised,” “represented,” or “drafted.”
• Achievements – Showcase measurable results, such as successful litigation outcomes, cost savings, or client satisfaction. Include numbers and figures where possible to make your impact clear.

Your education section is where you list the ‘legal precedents’ of your career – that all-important academic training and qualifications that paved the way for your achievements. Include your law degree, postgraduate legal training, and any certifications relevant to the role.

This section is typically brief but impactful. List your qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.