Lawyer's resume: drafting sample and ready-made examples, how to write without work experience, how to describe professional skills and personal qualities

A lawyer is a company’s guide in the world of legislation and law, which means he is a specialist who must know everything and about everything. He is not only a consultant, but also a direct executor of the employer’s instructions related to documenting the main legal issues in the company’s activities, an expert in the contractual work of the organization. An experienced employer reads a lawyer’s resume meticulously, because this particular specialist should become an example of scrupulousness, attentiveness and strict adherence to legal norms.

Principles for writing a resume for a lawyer position

A lawyer is a specialist called upon to bring all company actions into strict compliance with the rules established by law. That is why a lawyer’s resume should, without exaggeration, be “exemplary” in terms of design. Although there are no officially established forms and recommendations for writing a resume, the unwritten rules for a successful written presentation have been developed in practice. They are based on the principles of drawing up business documents, as well as on some psychological aspects of employers’ perception of information about applicants.

A lawyer is one of the most respected employees in the team

An experienced employer will read the lion's share of information about the personal and even professional qualities of a job applicant “between the lines” of the resume.

Structure of a good CV

A classic (developed by practice of using a document in the field of personnel recruiting, popular and successful) resume consists of 5–7 sections.

Personal data of the applicant - full name, place of residence, age, marital status, contact information.
The purpose of the document is to indicate a specific name or range of desired positions (for example, “The purpose of the resume is to apply for a position as a lawyer”).
Information block “Education Information”, which includes a listing of completed institutions of basic vocational education and ways of obtaining additional education (courses, schools, trainings, seminars, master classes).
The “Work Experience” section is a description of the applicant’s professional activities in the format of listing iconic jobs, indicating job responsibilities performed and labor achievements.
Section “Professional skills” - the applicant’s description of his own knowledge and skills in the field of the specialty being sought.
Information about personal qualities - character traits that contribute to the successful and high-quality performance of duties in the desired position.
Additional information - information about skills, abilities, hobbies that are indirectly related to the functions of the position being sought.
Recommendations are characteristics of the personality and professional level of the applicant given by previous employers (as a separately attached document). Instead of recommendations, you can provide contact information of previous employers for direct contact if necessary.

The basic layout of elements in a resume was developed by the practice of using this personnel recruiting tool

Example of a 1st year student's resume

A resume without work experience has a significant difference from other cases. The most significant thing for an employer when choosing a candidate for a position is his work experience. Since there is no work experience, the main efforts when writing a resume without work experience should be directed to other sections, for example, personal qualities for a resume. For an example of a student's resume, more attention should be paid to basic and additional education. And vice versa, if there was work experience, the importance of these sections for the resume would be significantly lower. Here is an example of a student's resume or an example of a resume without work experience. You can start your work history at any age. Most often, students without work experience look for their first job. The tips given are suitable for any occasion. First of all, you need to decide for which vacancy without experience you are writing a resume. Examples of vacancies that require employees without work experience may be: trainee, assistant, sales consultant, operator, junior waiter, office manager, etc.

22 Dec 2021 marketur 1134

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Is a photo necessary?

The appropriateness of placing a photograph on a resume is a question that does not have a clear answer, even among personnel recruiting specialists:

a lot depends on the functionality of the desired position - if it involves representing the company in front of clients, contractors, government agencies, the appearance of the applicant matters, and a well-chosen photograph will certainly be an advantage;
on the contrary, the absence of a photo, provided that the content of the resume is highly attractive to the employer, will prompt him to schedule a personal meeting (interview);
a low-quality photo that does not comply with the basic rules of self-presentation is much worse than no photo at all on the resume.

For a lawyer - a specialist who will communicate with counterparties regarding the conclusion, amendment, termination of contracts, and act in court and other government agencies on behalf of the company on legal issues - a photo attachment is desirable.

The principles of the “correct” photo in a lawyer’s resume are not too different from similar rules that apply to other specialists.

The photo must be of high quality - it is better to entrust its production to a professional.
The photo must show one person.
It is not necessary to select a clearly business-like photo (as for documents); employers are more attracted to the free pose and slight smile of the applicant depicted in the photo.
Before taking photographs for your resume, you need to think through your image and surroundings to the smallest detail. It is recommended to put your hair in a neat, business-style hairstyle, apply light daytime makeup, and wear a business suit or a suit similar to that in style.

A not-so-official photo in a business setting is ideal for a lawyer’s resume.

Key rules for formatting resume text

A competent, neatly formatted resume is a mandatory requirement for a lawyer. After all, this specialist is an expert in the field of documentation.

The general principles for formatting a resume are:

the absence of any kind of errors or typos in the text (it must be proofread several times before sending);
uniform formatting - identical headings, indents, font style and size, line spacing;
conciseness - including only the most important information in the resume. The total volume of the document should not exceed 2 pages.

The main quality of a professional lawyer is the ability to highlight important information and “weed out” unimportant information.

Covering letter

A lawyer in his resume must demonstrate the highest level of knowledge in the field of business document flow. Therefore, it is very advisable for him to write a cover letter to accompany his resume.

Accompanying a resume with a separate letter is a Western trend that is gradually becoming part of the domestic traditions of personnel recruiting. Some semblance of it is also compiled when sending a resume via email (as an attached document).

A cover letter typically consists of the following elements:

name and address of the company - the potential employer;
Full name and return address of the applicant;
a greeting in a business style (for example, “Hello, dear Ivan Ivanovich!”);
a message about sending a resume indicating the name of a specific position;
indication of the source of your own knowledge about the availability of a vacancy;
a brief description of your strengths as a candidate for the position;
request to send information about the decision made by the employer regarding the resume.

In a cover letter, an applicant for a lawyer position can briefly list his main advantages

Features of writing a lawyer's resume + samples

A corporate lawyer (lawyer in house) is a specialist responsible for legal issues in a company of any form of ownership, any organizational and legal form. As a rule, this is a so-called business lawyer with a specialization in the area of production or services in which the company operates (construction, trade, provision of personal services).

Contrary to popular belief, a lawyer cannot know “everything about everything” - this is physically impossible. A good lawyer is a narrow specialist. That is why your resume should focus on your specialization.

Responsibilities of a lawyer

The functions of a specialist working in a company are varied.

Consulting management and employees on legal issues, if necessary, drawing up written, substantiated opinions.
Claims work - raising claims for non-fulfillment of obligations to counterparties, clients, representing the interests of the company in court.
Contractual work - checking and signing all contracts concluded by the organization, drawing up protocols of disagreements.
Representing the interests of the company in government bodies on all legal issues (registration of changes in the composition of founders, changes to the charter, obtaining licenses, acquisition or alienation of ownership rights to real estate, registration of mortgages).

Depending on the area of activity and size of the company, legal work can be carried out either by a single employee or by an entire legal department. In the latter, work between lawyers is usually distributed in accordance with the listed functional areas. There is also such a position as a legal assistant (or intern), whose functions are:

documentary and technical support for the work of the department (lawyer);
execution of instructions in all areas of activity.

A lawyer's resume should be short but informative.

Information about education in a lawyer’s CV

A lawyer is a specialist with specialized education. At the same time, the requirements for the level of this education are usually high:

a small private company may well hire a lawyer with secondary specialized education;
most medium and large organizations set requirements for higher education;
Large, serious organizations sometimes impose additional conditions, for example, that the candidate has an academic degree or that the candidate must have a state education.

Information about the educational institutions the applicant graduated from is given in the resume in chronological order, indicating each:

name of educational institution;
period of study or year of graduation;
received specialty.

High school should not be included in the list of educational institutions completed.

For a lawyer of any specialization, additional education is extremely important - specialized courses, trainings, seminars, conferences.

Information about additional narrow-profile education is an important advantage of a lawyer’s resume

All this should be mentioned in the section on education. However, you should not list absolutely all implemented methods of obtaining additional knowledge; it is better to focus on the most recent (for a period of up to 5 years) and relevant.

Work experience, achievements

Having extensive experience in a similar position in the applicant’s career is a great advantage. However, the result of reviewing a resume depends no less on the chosen method of presenting information.

Recommendations for filling out this section should be studied with special attention.

It is not recommended for a lawyer to declare a broad profile of his own knowledge and skills - it will look implausible. The emphasis should be on only one branch of law or area of activity, the one that is more closely related to the functions of the desired position.
Responsibilities for previous places of work should not be thoughtlessly copied from the job description - it is better to give more specifics, adapt the functions to those required for the position being applied for.
The listing of stages of work activity should begin with the last place of work.
There is no need to list all places of work if there are more than five. You should dwell on the most basic of them.

When compiling a resume, you should not forget about your own work achievements. Among them, it is recommended to indicate not only official incentives for former employers (certificates, awarded titles, gratitude, one-time bonuses), but also specific labor indicators, for example:

an indication of a high-profile court case won;
bringing indicators of successful work with problem debts;
an indication of the successful execution of complex legal actions (mortgage, mortgage, change of founders, increase in the authorized capital).

Professional skills and abilities

The listing of professional skills and knowledge of a lawyer should be reduced to one or more specializations. So, if a resume is submitted for a position as a lawyer involved in claims work, the following should prevail:

knowledge in the field of procedural legislation;
skills in calculating debt, the amount of fines and penalties;
ability to legally competently draw up a claim;
skills in preparing documents for filing in court;
ability to draw up a statement of claim;
ability to represent the interests of the company in court - act as a plaintiff, defendant, claimant, debtor, third party;
skills of interaction with bailiffs, preparation of requests, assistance in procedural actions (arrest, sale of debtor’s property, etc.).

If the position involves contract work, the resume should include:

knowledge in the field of civil and economic legislation;
skills in drawing up contracts, protocols of disagreements, additional agreements.

If a lawyer responsible for compliance with corporate law is required, his skills are somewhat different:

knowledge in the field of legislation on legal entities of the corresponding organizational and legal form (LLC, ALC, CJSC, LLC, partnerships, cooperatives, enterprises);
business document management skills;
skills in drawing up powers of attorney;
skills in representing the interests of the company in the notary office, tax office, bank, statistical authorities and other organizations.

A lawyer who advises staff and management in a specific area of production and services should, in his resume, emphasize deep knowledge of the legislation governing this particular area.

In a lawyer’s resume, it would be useful to mention the skills of representing the interests of the company in government bodies and private structures

Information about personal qualities

Among the personal qualities of an ideal lawyer, employers welcome:

Analytical mind;
responsibility;
organization;
obligation;
punctuality;
stress resistance;
communication skills;
determination;
attentiveness;
hard work;
creativity.

Creativity, oddly enough, is a positive and highly expected quality of a lawyer’s personality. After all, legal work is not only a dry adherence to the law, but often also a search for new solutions. Non-standard application of the law is the highest aerobatics in jurisprudence.

The ability to find a common language with different clients is an expected and very valuable quality of a lawyer for employers

Legal assistant resume sample

Initial consultations in the field of civil law (Corporate Law, Family Law, Housing Law, Inheritance Law, Labor Law, Consumer Rights Protection Law), legal\legal examination of documents, drawing up statements of claim, petitions, lawyer requests, filing statements of claim in court, cassation and appeal complaints, registration of rights by court decision, administrative work, office work You may not indicate your salary expectations, but voice them in a telephone interview or at an interview. Keep in mind that your starting salary for an assistant will be 20-30% lower than the average market salary for a lawyer. Otherwise, it is more profitable for the employer to hire a specialist... Your first goal is a good company that will allow you to have a successful start in the labor market.

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If there is no experience at all or the applicant is a yesterday’s student

When looking for a first job, a lawyer with no professional experience should focus on the following points:

the level and quality of your own education (if it is higher, received at a state capital university, this is very good);
completing an internship in an organization of a similar profile;
personal qualities - easy assimilation of information, quick learning, attentiveness, determination;
willingness to work as an intern.

As a rule, lawyers begin their careers as trainees or legal assistants - this point should also be reflected in the resume

How to write a resume without work experience

When writing your first resume without work experience, you need to remember a number of nuances. First of all, you should not be afraid to write about your strengths and professional skills that you acquired during your internship or pre-graduate practice. Don't forget about personal qualities. Before you sit down to write your first resume, you need to familiarize yourself with how to write it correctly. In addition, it is necessary to take into account that the former student should focus on the column about education and personal qualities. You can include information about courses and additional education in your first resume.

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What not to write about

A lawyer is a person who, by his own example, demonstrates an ideal relationship with the law. That is why, by default, all facts directly or indirectly indicating problems with the law are excluded from a lawyer’s resume. A lawyer should not mention disciplinary violations at previous places of work or bad habits - this indicates a low level of organization, self-demandingness, and discipline.

In addition, general recommendations regarding unwanted information in a resume should not be ignored.

The resume does not contain too detailed personal data - you do not need to write the exact address, you do not have to indicate your middle name, and you certainly should not give your own body parameters - weight, height.
It is not customary to list too many positive character traits (more than 5) in a resume - this may be perceived as unreasonably praising oneself.
You should not include information in your resume that indicates your own scandalousness - information about the difficult termination of previous employment relationships (litigation, complaints to the labor inspectorate, reinstatement at work).

A lawyer in an organization is both a standard of behavior and a “savior” in a difficult situation, and ultimately, one of the most authoritative employees. Therefore, a resume for this position must meet the highest standards.