Attorney Resume Example

An attorney resume is read by people who draft for a living, so every line is judged for precision before it is judged for substance. Partners and general counsel want your bar admissions, your practice area and the matters you personally handled, stated plainly and without adjectives.

The Sample resume below belongs to a litigation associate in her sixth year, with two years at a legal aid office before moving to a mid-size firm. Her bullets name the case type, her role (first chair, second chair, drafter of the brief) and the outcome: a dismissal, a settlement range, a ruling on a motion. That is the evidence a hiring partner uses to decide whether you can carry a docket without supervision.

Tailor the order of your experience to the practice group you are applying to. A transactional posting wants deals and documents first; a litigation group wants motions, depositions and trials. If you are coming up through support roles, compare this page with the paralegal example, and see the Legal hub for the rest of the field.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Attorney sample resume

Nadia Kessler

Litigation Associate, Commercial and Employment Disputes

Minneapolis, MNnadia.kessler@example.com(612) 555-0138

Summary

Litigation associate with six years of practice in commercial contract and employment disputes in state and federal court. Has taken 40 depositions, argued 25 dispositive and discovery motions, and second-chaired two jury trials to verdict. Known for tight briefs, early case assessments that clients can budget against, and clean handoffs to partners.

Experience

Associate Attorney, Litigation, Whitcomb Arvelo LLP

– Present

Minneapolis, MN

  • Manage a docket of 18 to 22 active commercial and employment matters, from pleadings through mediation, reporting to two partners.
  • Drafted the summary judgment brief that ended a breach-of-warranty claim seeking $4.2 million against a manufacturing client.
  • Second-chaired a five-day jury trial on a non-compete dispute; examined four witnesses and drafted the jury instructions adopted by the court.
  • Built the firm's early case assessment template, now used on every new litigation intake to give clients a cost and risk range in the first month.
Staff Attorney, Prairie Lantern Legal Aid

–

St. Paul, MN

  • Represented more than 150 tenants in eviction and habitability cases, resolving most through negotiated agreements before hearing.
  • Tried 12 bench trials in housing court and won or favorably settled nine of them.
  • Trained 30 volunteer attorneys a year on housing court procedure and intake interviewing.

Education

J.D., cum laude

Driftwood Bay School of Law, Duluth, MN

Managing Editor, Law Review; Moot Court Board

B.A. in Political Science

Monocacy State University, Frederick, MD

Skills

  • Commercial litigation
  • Employment litigation
  • Motion practice
  • Depositions
  • Legal research and writing
  • Westlaw
  • E-discovery review platforms
  • Mediation preparation
  • Jury instructions
  • Client counseling

Certifications

  • Admitted to practice, State of Minnesota, Minnesota Supreme Court,
  • Admitted, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, U.S. District Court,

Start yours from this example

Bring your own resume or start blank, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the attorney resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same attorney resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

Recently admitted attorney with a judicial clerkship and two summers in a litigation group. Writes clear research memos under deadline and is ready to take first depositions under supervision.

  • Drafted bench memos on 60 civil motions during a one-year clerkship for a state district judge.
  • Prepared a partner's outline for a deposition of the opposing party's damages expert as a summer associate.
  • Placed in the moot court semifinals and wrote a law review note on arbitration clauses in employment contracts.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Litigation associate with four years of practice who runs matters day to day and takes depositions and motion arguments independently.

  • Carry a docket of fifteen matters with partner review limited to strategy calls and final filings.
  • Won a motion to compel that produced the email set on which the case later settled.
  • Supervise two paralegals on document review and privilege logs for large productions.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

Senior litigator and income partner with eleven years of practice, first-chair trial experience and a book of business in employment disputes.

  • First-chaired three jury trials to verdict, including a defense verdict in a wage-and-hour class action.
  • Originate employment litigation work from four regular corporate clients.
  • Lead the associate training program on depositions and brief writing for the litigation department.

Skills to put on the attorney resume

Hard skills

Legal research and writing
A writing sample often follows the resume, and hiring partners expect the resume itself to read like careful drafting.
Motion practice
Naming the motions you drafted and argued shows how far you can run a case without a partner in the room.
Depositions
The number of depositions taken or defended is one of the first questions a litigation group asks a lateral candidate.
Trial experience
Even second-chair trial work is rare at mid level, so it deserves its own line and the role you played.
Your practice area in specific terms
Commercial contracts, employment or insurance defense are different jobs, and firms screen for the one they practice.
E-discovery and review platforms
Large productions are routine, and associates who can scope and manage review save the client money.
Bar and court admissions
Admissions decide which matters you can staff, so list every state and federal court where you are admitted.

Soft skills

Client communication
Clients stay with lawyers who explain risk and cost plainly and return calls quickly.
Judgment under deadline
Court deadlines do not move, and partners rely on associates who spot problems early and raise them.
Working with supervising partners
Clean handoffs and short, accurate updates are how associates earn more responsibility.
Negotiation
Most matters settle, and a record of favorable resolutions tells a firm you can close as well as fight.

Mistakes that cost attorney interviews

  1. Describing the firm instead of your work

    Lines such as assisted with a complex litigation practice tell a reader nothing. Name the case type, what you drafted or argued, and how the matter ended.

  2. Hiding bar admissions

    Put every admission, with the year, in its own section near the top or directly under education. A reviewer checking whether you can appear in their court should not have to search for it.

  3. Breaking confidentiality

    Never name a client or a sealed matter. Describe the industry, the claim and the amount at stake in ranges, which gives the same signal without the risk.

  4. A two-page list of every matter

    Keep a separate deal sheet or representative matters list for firms that ask for one. The resume itself should show your best six to ten results.

  5. Typos and inconsistent citation style

    One misspelled word can end the review in a profession built on proofreading. Read it aloud, check every date format, and have someone else read it too.

Questions about the attorney resume

Should an attorney resume be one page or two?

One page for associates with under five years of practice; two pages is normal for senior associates and partners, with representative matters on the second page.

Do I list my class rank and law review?

List law review, moot court and honors for the first several years of practice. Class rank helps only if it is strong, and most laterals drop it after a few years.

What is the difference between a lawyer resume and an attorney resume?

None in practice: the words are used interchangeably in postings. Use the one the posting uses and make sure your admissions are clear.

How do I show trial experience if I only second-chaired?

Say so and be exact about your role: which witnesses you examined, which motions in limine you drafted, what you argued. Specific second-chair work reads better than a vague claim to have tried cases.

Should I include a writing sample with my resume?

Only when asked, but have one ready. Pick a brief or memo you wrote alone, redact client details, and keep it to about ten pages.

Related resume examples

All examples

Every application goes out fitting the job.

Paste a posting, get a resume rewritten for it in two minutes.

Tailor your resume — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.