Legal

Lawyer resume example

Legal resumes are conservative by tradition: one or two pages, serif-friendly, education and bar admissions prominent. Describe representative matters by type and value without breaching confidentiality, and show progression.

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Opens as an editable draft in your browser. Replace every detail with your own — never use a number you cannot explain in an interview.

Lawyer resume summary example

Corporate associate with 6 years advising private-equity sponsors and strategic buyers on M&A, joint ventures and financings. Led day-to-day negotiation on deals up to $900M and supervise junior associates on diligence and closing.

Notice the pattern: title and years of experience, then the strongest result with a number. See more in resume summary examples.

Experience bullet examples for a lawyer

  • Represented a private-equity sponsor in the $900M acquisition of an industrial services platform
  • Led negotiation of purchase agreements, disclosure schedules and ancillary documents on 12 closed deals
  • Advised a strategic buyer on a cross-border joint venture with a German manufacturer
  • Supervise and train 4 junior associates on diligence and closing mechanics
  • Drafted and negotiated credit agreements and security documents for $50M–$400M financings
  • Coordinated diligence on 20+ transactions across healthcare, software and manufacturing

Each bullet starts with an action verb and ends with a result. That is what separates an achievement from a job description.

Skills for a lawyer resume

Mergers & acquisitionsPrivate equityContract negotiationCorporate governanceDue diligenceFinancing transactionsJoint ventures

Keywords that appear in lawyer job postings

Applicant tracking systems match your resume against the posting. These terms recur in real lawyer listings — use the ones that are true for you, in the posting’s own wording.

legal advicecontractsnegotiationM&Adue diligencelitigationcompliancedraftingcorporate lawlegal researchclient counselingregulatory

Paste a specific job description into the ATS resume checker to see exactly what your resume is missing.

Tips for writing a lawyer resume

  1. List bar admissions clearly with jurisdiction and year.
  2. Describe representative matters by type, value and your role; never name clients without permission.
  3. Academic honours and law-review roles stay relevant for the first several years of practice.

Questions

What skills should I put on a lawyer resume?

List the specific skills the job posting asks for that you genuinely have. For lawyer roles, common ones include Mergers & acquisitions, Private equity, Contract negotiation, Corporate governance, Due diligence, Financing transactions, Joint ventures.

How long should a lawyer resume be?

Two pages is normal at this level. Keep the most recent ten to fifteen years in detail and summarise earlier roles.

Can I use this lawyer resume example for free?

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