Legal CVs span a variety of jobs. How can you create a legal CV that helps you get one of these positions?
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When it’s time to get a job in the legal field, you need the right CV to get the position you want. Writing a CV that recruiters are actually interested in can seem like a daunting task, but a legal CV can do more than just show a hiring manager that you have law school credentials. Here’s what you need to know about creating a legal CV.
The legal profession covers many different positions. Here are a few of the jobs that would benefit from a legal CV:
There are many niches to practise as an attorney or law expert including arbitration, legal research and class action lawsuits. If you want a job in the legal field, here are some tips to create a legal CV.
What are hiring managers looking for in legal CVs? Although each legal role will have different job requirements, CVs will still include the following CV sections:
Your career objective or professional summary is a short 2-3 sentence paragraph at the top of your CV that summarises your best skills, key achievements and legal experience. The professional summary will either encourage the hiring manager to continue reading or move on to the next application, so you really need to shine here.
There are many skills that you need to use as a legal professional. The skills that you’ll use should be tailored to the specific job you’re interested in. It’s important that you list both soft skills and hard skills as they’re both crucial to success in the legal field. Check our example CVs to see what skills your lawyer CV might want to include.
Professional experience is a big part of getting a new job in the legal field, so filling out your experience section is crucial. If you’re just finishing your law studies, you can also use academic experience, internships and other volunteer work. Remember to list this information in reverse chronological order, with the most recent jobs you’ve held at the top where a hiring manager can easily see them.
If you have a relevant master’s or bachelor’s degree in law or another related field, then you should include this in the education section at the bottom of your CV. List your highest levels of education here, plus any relevant certifications.
This is the section of your legal CV where you can proudly highlight that you’ve passed the bar admission. You can also include industry memberships and awards.
You can find hundreds of legal CV examples at CVHelp. These CV samples can be a foundation to base your own CV on. Also, consider using the CVHelp CV builder and its step-by-step guidance to create a high-quality professional legal CV.
Here are some additional tips for creating your legal CV:
Yes, it’s always a good idea to submit a legal cover letter with your CV. A cover letter allows you to talk about what’s important to you, discuss your best experiences and request a job interview. You can use the CVHelp cover letter builder to easily create a cover letter. Additionally, CVHelp provides many resources that could help you create the perfect cover letter for your next opportunity. Check out these pages:
If this is your first time getting a job in the legal field, your job application and CV can highlight your academic, volunteer and internship experience. These are all relevant experiences, even if they’re not job experience.
Personalising your legal CV is a great way to create a law CV that matches every individual job description that you are applying to. Be on the lookout for CV keywords listed in each job description, such as specific skills and requirements the job prioritises. These keywords are what each hiring manager is looking for on each candidate’s CV to confirm job qualifications.
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