Attorney Resume Examples & Template (New Lawyer to Senior Counsel)

Quick answer: A strong attorney resume lists your bar admissions and JD prominently, followed by a short summary naming your practice area and experience level, then legal experience with concrete results: cases handled, motions won, deal values, settlements, compliance outcomes, or cost savings. Include legal skills (research, drafting, litigation, negotiation), tools like Westlaw, Lexis, and e-discovery platforms, and law school honors such as law review or moot court for newer lawyers. Use a conservative, single-column format, keep it to one page early in your career and two for senior attorneys, and never disclose confidential client information.

Lawyers make arguments for a living. A resume is just another brief, except the client is you, the judge is a hiring partner, and the page limit is strict. The best attorney resumes do what good briefs do: lead with the strongest facts, cite evidence, and leave out anything that weakens the case.

This guide shows you how to write an attorney resume, the sections and skills to include, how to describe legal work with results, and examples for new lawyers, litigation associates, and in-house counsel.

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How to Format an Attorney Resume

• Format: reverse-chronological
• Length: one page for law students, new lawyers, and junior associates; two pages for senior associates, partners, and in-house counsel
• Design: conservative and clean: black text, serif or simple sans-serif font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia, Calibri), standard margins
• File: PDF unless asked for Word
• Section order (new lawyers): contact → education → bar admission → experience → skills/activities
• Section order (experienced lawyers): contact → summary → bar admissions → experience → education → skills, publications, affiliations

Many firms and legal departments use applicant tracking systems, so avoid graphics and tables. See ATS-friendly resume templates.

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What to Include on an Attorney Resume

1. Contact information

Name, phone, professional email, city and state, and LinkedIn. You don't need your full home address. See should you put your address on your resume.

2. Professional summary (experienced attorneys)

Two to three sentences: practice area, years of experience, types of clients or matters, and a key result.

New lawyers and law students can skip the summary or use a short objective. See resume objective examples.

3. Bar admissions

List each jurisdiction and year, plus federal court admissions:

If you've passed the bar but are awaiting admission, write "Admission pending, [State], [Month Year]."

4. Education

JD, law school, graduation year, and honors (cum laude, Order of the Coif), plus law review, journal, moot court, mock trial, and clinics. Include your undergraduate degree below. See how to list a degree on a resume.

5. Legal experience

Reverse-chronological, with three to five bullets per role that show the type of work, scope, and outcomes.

6. Skills

Legal skills, technology, and languages (see below).

7. Optional sections

Publications, speaking engagements, pro bono work, bar association leadership, and awards.

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Attorney Skills for Your Resume

Legal skills

• Legal research and writing
• Brief and motion drafting
• Contract drafting and negotiation
• Discovery and depositions
• Trial and courtroom advocacy
• Case strategy and risk assessment
• Regulatory compliance
• Due diligence (transactional work)
• Client counseling

Technology

• Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg Law
• E-discovery platforms (Relativity, Everlaw)
• Case management software (Clio, PracticePanther)
• Contract management and redlining tools
• Microsoft Word (advanced formatting, track changes) and Excel

Soft skills

• Persuasive communication
• Attention to detail
• Negotiation
• Time management under deadlines
• Integrity and discretion

See hard skills examples and soft skills for a resume.

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How to Write Attorney Resume Bullet Points

Use the formula action + type of matter + your role + outcome.

Weak: "Handled litigation matters for clients."

Strong: "Managed a docket of 40+ commercial litigation matters, drafting dispositive motions that resulted in dismissal or summary judgment in 12 cases."

Metrics for lawyers

• Caseload or number of matters handled
• Trials first- or second-chaired
• Motions won or favorable rulings
• Settlement or verdict amounts
• Deal values (M&A, financing, real estate)
• Contracts drafted or negotiated
• Cost savings or reduced outside counsel spend
• Compliance results (audits passed, policies implemented)
• Pro bono hours

Attorney bullet point examples

• First-chaired 4 jury trials, securing favorable verdicts in 3
• Negotiated settlements totaling $12M for clients in contract and employment disputes
• Drafted and argued 25+ motions in state and federal court
• Advised on M&A transactions with a combined deal value of $450M
• Reviewed and negotiated 300+ commercial contracts annually as in-house counsel
• Reduced outside counsel spend by 30% by bringing routine contract work in-house
• Contributed 200+ pro bono hours to immigration and housing cases

See our guide to resume bullet points.

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Representative Matters and Deal Sheets

None of the top guides cover this well, but experienced attorneys often attach a representative matters list or deal sheet separately from the resume:

• Litigation: case type, your role, court, and outcome (without confidential details)
• Transactional: deal type, size, industry, and your role
• Keep the resume to two pages and put the extended list on a separate page

Only include matters that are public or that you have permission to describe, and follow your firm's rules on client confidentiality.

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Protect Client Confidentiality

Lawyers are held to strict professional conduct rules. On your resume:

• Don't name clients unless the representation is public (e.g., published case names) and naming them is permitted
• Describe matters generally: "represented a Fortune 500 manufacturer in a product liability class action"
• Use aggregate numbers rather than specific confidential figures
• Check firm policy before listing deal sizes or client industries

Showing discretion on your resume reinforces the judgment employers expect from counsel.

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Attorney Resume Examples

New lawyer / recent law graduate

Litigation associate

In-house corporate counsel

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Tailor Your Resume: Firm vs. In-House vs. Government

• Law firms: practice area depth, billable work, matters handled, client development, and academic credentials
• In-house: business partnership, breadth across legal areas, contract volume, cost savings, and risk management
• Government and public interest: caseload, public service mission, trial experience, and policy work
• Practice areas: a patent attorney needs a technical degree and USPTO registration; a family lawyer emphasizes client counseling and courtroom work; a real estate attorney highlights closings and title issues

See resume keywords optimization.

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Common Attorney Resume Mistakes

• Burying bar admissions
• Listing duties without outcomes
• Revealing confidential client information
• Overly long resumes for junior lawyers
• Typos. In a profession built on precise language, one typo can end your candidacy
• Generic summaries that don't name a practice area

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Attorney Cover Letter Tips

Many firms still expect a cover letter. Keep it to one page: why this firm and practice group, your most relevant experience or credentials, and a confident close. Proofread it as carefully as a filing. See how to write a cover letter.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should an attorney resume be?

One page for law students, new lawyers, and junior associates; two pages for senior associates, partners, and in-house counsel.

What should I put on a lawyer resume with no experience after passing the bar?

Lead with your JD, honors, law review or moot court, bar status, and legal internships, clerkships, or clinics. Describe research, drafting, and courtroom experience with specifics.

Should a lawyer resume include every case and client?

No. Highlight representative matters and outcomes, describe them generally, and protect client confidentiality. Use a separate representative matters list if needed.

How do I list bar admission on my resume?

Create a "Bar Admissions" section listing each state and year, plus federal court admissions. If pending, write "Admission pending" with the state and exam date.

What skills should an attorney list on a resume?

Legal research and writing, drafting, litigation or transactional skills, negotiation, legal technology like Westlaw and Relativity, and soft skills like persuasive communication and attention to detail.

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Build Your Attorney Resume

Our Resume Builder gives you a clean, conservative layout and helps you turn your matters and results into sharp, ATS-friendly bullet points, without crossing confidentiality lines.