Zen CV

CV Template · Lawyer

Lawyer CV template.

A lawyer CV needs to show more than a law degree and bar admission. It should make your practice area, matter experience, drafting ability, client exposure and courtroom or transactional work easy to assess at a glance.

Writing a strong Lawyer CV

Hiring partners, general counsel and legal recruiters look for a clear match between your experience and the role’s practice needs. Your CV should identify your jurisdiction, bar admission, practice areas, representative matters, court or tribunal exposure, transaction values, research platforms such as Westlaw or LexisNexis, and documents you regularly draft, such as pleadings, motions, contracts, opinions or settlement agreements. For private practice roles, include billing experience, client sectors and deal or dispute complexity. For in-house roles, emphasise regulatory advice, contract review workflows, stakeholder management and risk mitigation.

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Three things that matter most

  • Separate your legal experience by practice area if you handle mixed work, such as commercial litigation, employment law, M&A or real estate. This helps recruiters quickly see whether your matter history fits the vacancy.
  • Include representative matters without breaching confidentiality. Use neutral descriptions such as “advised a technology client on SaaS agreement negotiations” or “assisted on a multi-party construction dispute before arbitration.”
  • Make your bar admission, jurisdiction and any court rights of audience prominent near the top. If the role is cross-border, add language skills, foreign legal qualifications or experience with international regulations.

Skills hiring managers look for

Bar admission and jurisdiction Legal research using Westlaw or LexisNexis Contract drafting and negotiation Litigation pleadings and motion practice Client advisory memoranda Regulatory compliance analysis Due diligence and disclosure review Case management systems such as Clio, iManage or NetDocuments

Frequently asked

How do I write a lawyer CV with no qualified experience?

Use internships, clerkships, legal clinic work, moot court, journal work and research assistant roles to demonstrate legal judgement. Describe the documents you drafted, the issues you researched and the procedures you observed, such as discovery, hearings, client interviews or contract review. Place bar admission status, legal education and relevant coursework close to the top.

Should a lawyer CV include representative matters?

Yes, if they are relevant and written carefully. Avoid naming clients or disclosing sensitive facts unless the matter is public and appropriate to reference. Focus on your role, the legal issue, the forum or transaction type, and the outcome where it can be shared.

How long should a lawyer CV be?

Junior lawyers usually need one to two pages, while senior associates, partners and counsel may need more space for representative matters, publications, panels and admissions. Keep early non-legal work brief unless it supports a practice area, such as finance experience for banking law. The strongest CVs are organised by relevance rather than simply listing every duty.

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