Attorney resume example

• Entry level

  Litigation associate admitted in Colorado in 2025, with a year of practice in contract and employment disputes. Drafts discovery, research memos and dispositive motions, defended two depositions and argued a motion to compel in state court. Former journal editor with a writing sample on arbitration clauses. Looking to grow first-chair experience in a commercial litigation group.

• Mid level

  Commercial litigation attorney with six years at mid-size firms, admitted in Colorado and the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Runs cases day to day for business clients in contract, partnership and trade secret disputes. Has taken 40 depositions, argued 15 contested motions and second-chaired 3 jury trials. Manages two associates and a paralegal on each matter.

• Senior

  Litigation partner with fourteen years trying commercial and construction disputes in state court, federal court and arbitration. First-chaired 9 trials and arbitrations to award or verdict, and advises executives on early case assessment and settlement strategy. Leads a team of five attorneys, manages matter budgets with clients and mentors associates on trial skills. Admitted in Colorado and New Mexico.

• Burying or blurring bar admissions

  Fix: A hiring attorney needs to know immediately where you can practice. Give admissions their own section with state, year and status, plus federal court admissions. Never list a state where you only passed the exam or applied as if you are admitted. That is a professional conduct risk, not just a resume error.

• Describing matters with no role or outcome

  Fix: "Worked on complex commercial litigation" tells a partner nothing. Say what you did and how far the matter went: drafted the summary judgment motion, took 9 depositions, second-chaired a 5-day jury trial, closed a $40M asset purchase. Add the result where you can share it, such as a dismissal or a favorable settlement.

• Listing every practice area you touched

  Fix: A first-year who rotated through five groups is not a specialist in five areas. Name your core practice, then group related work under it. If you are changing practice areas, connect transferable work honestly, such as contract disputes for a transactional role, instead of claiming expertise you have not built.

• Letting the resume read like a brief

  Fix: Long sentences, legal Latin and string-cited descriptions slow the reader down. Write short bullets that start with a verb, keep each to one matter or one skill, and save the persuasive writing for your writing sample. Plain language on the resume suggests you will also write plainly for clients.

Match these against the job posting you are applying to: the free resume checker shows which keywords your resume is missing.

• Argued a motion for summary judgment in state court that disposed of 4 of 5 claims against a regional distributor client.
• Drafted and negotiated 60 commercial supply and services agreements a year for a manufacturing client, cutting average turnaround from 3 weeks to 8 days.
• Deposed 14 fact and expert witnesses in a construction defect case, building the record that led to a settlement within the client's authority.
• Second-chaired a 6-day jury trial on a partnership dispute, handling 5 witness examinations and the jury instruction conference.
• Secured a temporary restraining order in 48 hours protecting a software client's source code after a departing employee downloaded files.
• Advised a company's leadership on early case assessment for 12 incoming disputes, resolving 7 before suit for less than projected defense costs.
• Managed discovery in a matter with 1.2 million documents, setting the ESI protocol and supervising a 10-person review team.
• Won dismissal of a putative class action at the pleading stage by briefing standing and preemption arguments.
• Negotiated a mediated settlement in a multi-party construction case at 40% of the plaintiff's opening demand.
• Mentored 6 junior associates on deposition preparation and brief writing; 4 later took their first depositions within a year.

• Lead with the practice the firm or company is hiring for

  An attorney posting usually names a practice area, a forum and a level. Reorder your bullets so matching matters come first, use their terms for the work, and keep unrelated practice areas brief. If the role is in-house, swap procedural detail for business outcomes. Never imply admission or experience you do not have. Tailor your attorney resume

• Write a cover letter that reads like good legal writing

  Partners and general counsel read cover letters as a writing sample. Keep it to three tight paragraphs: why their practice, the two matters that best match their work and what you would bring in the first year. Mention your admissions and say a full writing sample is available on request. Write an attorney cover letter

• Prepare to discuss your matters in depth

  Expect detailed questions on the cases listed on your resume: your strategy, the judge's ruling, what went wrong and what you would change. Prepare two matters you can discuss for ten minutes each, a short explanation of why you want this practice, and questions about how work is assigned and how associates get stand-up time. Practice attorney interview questions

• Keep attorney and paralegal work clearly separate

  If you worked as a paralegal or law clerk before admission, list that time accurately and do not describe it as practicing law. Compare your early experience with the paralegal example to see how support work is framed, then make sure your attorney-era bullets show the judgment and advocacy only a licensed lawyer provides. See the paralegal resume example