Legal assistant CV examples for you inspire you

A legal assistant assists registered attorneys with their cases. The job titles may be administrative assistant, paralegal legal secretary or other names. Regardless of the title, you need to prove that you have the skills and certifications necessary for the job to which you’re applying. Here’s how to craft the perfect CV.

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When writing a legal assistant CV, highlight both the routine skills and the more difficult skills that are required for the job role. Hiring managers are looking for someone who will work well in a law office, so in addition to specialised legal skills, other skills like communication and attention to detail are equally important.

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Your CV structure will depend on the CV format that you use to write your CV. You can use the chronological, functional or combination formats, all of which prioritise different elements in your CV. Regardless of which format you end up using, the headings will be the same.

Header

The first thing that recruiters will see on your CV will usually be your header. A professional CV header includes your full name, phone number, email address and job networking links, like LinkedIn.

Professional summary or career objective

The next section is your professional summary or career objective. This is a two to three-sentence paragraph full of action verbs and short, snappy sentences that highlight your experience and best skills.

Skills

This section needs to showcase what skills you’ll use to provide support to the law office if you get hired. Here are some legal assistant skills that you’re likely to use:

• Gathering depositions
• Legal research skills
• Looking through case files and court filings
• Court document management
• Organising pleadings
• Writing and signing affidavits
• Understanding legal terminology
• Filing subpoenas
• Managing spreadsheets (Microsoft Office Excel)
• Trial preparation
• Handling phone calls
• Time management
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills

Remember that in any legal assistant CV, you need to include both hard skills and soft skills. Be sure to closely reflect the skills featured in the job description as required skills.

Work History

If you have work experience in the legal industry, list it in this section. Include as much experience as possible, including relevant internship or volunteer work experience.

Education

In this section, list your education whether you have an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or a Paralegal Studies certificate. Provide information on the name and location of the institution, the years spent at the institution, the degree or certificate earned, and any special recognition or awards received.

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Do:

• Include experience that you have with specific software. If you are fluent with LexisNexis or Microsoft Excel, include that in your CV.
• Use metrics to create a clearer picture of what you can do for an organisation. It’s better to use numbers to showcase your impact. For example: “Handled administrative duties for a legal firm of 50 employees.”
• Mention specific non-identifiable cases where you played a crucial role in the legal outcome. Terms like “Managed a death penalty case” or “Handled a $1 million lawsuit” can help you discuss these cases without mentioning names.

Don’t:

• Include completely unrelated professional experience. A hiring manager won’t care about your food service job from a few years ago, for example – but if you can show skills from your food service job that apply to administrative work, then include them.
• Try to create your own CV from scratch. The CVHelp CV Builder will help you find a beautiful, professionally-designed template that you can use instead.
• Include identifying information from past clients on your CV. This may be a breach of contract or just generally seen as non-professional.

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