Resumes for Lawyers: What Works, What Doesn’t
- Mahta Talani
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
If I could sum up my advice for cover letters (more to come on this in another post) and resumes in one sentence, it would be this: think about the questions a future employer will have about your profile and aim to answer all of them.
When you’re in law school going through OCIs, the resume game is different. You don’t yet have substantial legal experience, so your resume paints a picture of you as a whole. Once you’ve been practicing law for a year or two, that changes. The thing that should take up the most space on your resume is your legal experience.
Here’s what works and what doesn’t.
The Do’s
As a junior lawyer: You likely don’t have a formal deal sheet or representative matters list, so:
Add a Representative Matters section under your firm experience. Clarify your role on deals or cases, and include a short description of what you actually did (two sentences max).
If you’re a litigator and the case is public, include a short-form citation.
If your team was lean or you worked directly with a senior or well-known partner, mention it (firms care who you trained under).
Formatting matters.
Keep it clean and simple. No shapes, no colors, no graphics.
Use Times New Roman or Arial, 11.5 or 12 pt font.
Keep formatting consistent throughout.
Include relevant personal details.
If you went to an international school or think a firm might wonder about your immigration status, and you’re a citizen or green card holder, include that early in your resume. It saves employers from having to guess.
Two pages is fine.
I’m firmly in the “two-page resume is okay” camp as long as you use the space well.
If the first page details your key matters or cases, that’s valuable.
If you’re using half a page for design flourishes or a list of volunteer activities that have no bearing on your legal work, cut it.
Do quantify and specify where you can.
“Worked on commercial transactions” is fine. “Supported a $3B cross-border transaction” or "Drafted disclosure documents on Forms S-1, S-3 and S-11, including automatic shelf registration statement for a well-known seasoned issuer and S-11 registration statements for three REIT IPO’s" is better.
Do lead with relevance.
Put your current firm, practice area, and jurisdiction at the top. Education should come after your relevant experience.
Do use strong, active verbs.
Drafted. Negotiated. Advised. Led. They make every bullet more persuasive.
Do tailor your resume.
One size does not fit all. A boutique may care about different experiences than a Big Law corporate firm. Keep your audience in mind.
Do include non-legal experience if it adds value.
Client-facing work, leadership, or business exposure shows perspective and maturity.
The Don’ts
Don’t use your law school resume forever. Once you’re practicing, move Education below Experience.
Don’t list every research memo, assignment, or volunteer project. Focus on the work that demonstrates your legal skills and capabilities.
Don’t give extracurriculars too much space. Save that for experience that advances your career narrative.
Don’t list every award you got in college or law school. Include only those that are truly exceptional or relevant.
Don’t write in full sentences. Bullet points read faster and show confidence.
Recruiter Red Flags
Typos (yes, they still happen)
Fonts smaller than 10 pt
Overly long personal summaries, I would skip summaries in general unless you are in-house
Strange formatting after PDF conversion, do the conversion and check everything again
TL;DR
A legal resume isn’t about listing everything you’ve ever done. It’s about answering the right questions before a hiring partner even has to ask them.
Lead with relevance, show impact, and cut the noise. Think of your resume as an opening argument that convinces someone you’re worth calling in.
For more personalized tips, feel free to reach out to me. mahta@whistlerpartners.com
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