How to write a superb Legal CV
Follow our 7 simple rules to land your dream job and reach your full potential.
A poorly written CV can be a dealbreaker for any job application, but the rules will always vary depending on the industry. In the world of Legal, where attributes such as attention to detail, precision, and excellent writing are always essential, it is crucial that your CV embodies these exact features.
Perfecting your CV can be challenging, but we are here to help. Part of our bespoke service is formatting, rewriting, and editing CVs for our candidates, to always enunciate the best aspects of their career history, education, and personality until it’s crystal clear that they are the perfect candidate for the job.
At William James Recruitment, we review dozens of CVs every day. Here is your opportunity to take advantage of some of our knowledge gained over nearly 15 years of experience in Legal Recruitment.
1. Keep it simple.
In today’s competitive job market, we all want to stand out. There has never been as many CV templates available online, with a variety of colour schemes, graphics and imagery. While a colourful, original CV layout can be a winner in the more creative industries, in Legal, prospective employers will concentrate on one thing only – the content.
Keep the layout simple and text-oriented.
When choosing the font, lean towards the standard ones available on most systems.
Stick to one font family and colour and use bold for emphasis.
Use bullet points to list your past responsibilities.
Avoid long paragraphs and keep your bullet points to single lines, if possible.
Write in the passive tense, when possible, and avoid speaking in the first person.
Use concise language and keep all information precise and relevant.
2. Be specific, but selective.
While it is crucial that you describe your past responsibilities and competencies in detail, make sure not to be too overzealous. If you’re a Solicitor with several years of PQE, focus on your relevant experience - mentioning all your part-time jobs while you were at university is not necessary.
Describe all your relevant work experience in detail.
Match the wording of your past responsibilities with that from the job description, if possible.
While we appreciate that in Law your duties will often be very similar in multiple jobs, you should still avoid repeating the same sentences for each position.
Stick to 2, maximum 3 pages, if possible.
3. Demonstrate your expertise.
More than anything else, your CV is your opportunity to sell yourself. We realise selling might not come the most naturally to many lawyers, so think of it as simply making a case for why you should get the job – stick to the facts and use them cleverly to make a compelling argument.
Give specific examples of work you have undertaken, paint an accurate picture of what you’ve actually done.
Mention any notable, complex, or high-value cases you’ve worked on and if there was a positive outcome.
If you have exceeded billing targets, dealt with more matters than average, or excelled without admin support – mention it!
Do not be afraid to use specific legal jargon. Remember that whoever will read your CV will be a Legal professional themselves and they will be glad to see you know what you are talking about.
4. Explain any gaps.
Did you take a career break? Went travelling around the world? Took time off work to give back to the community and volunteer? Mention it!
The chances are that if a Hiring Manager sees a long gap in between jobs, they will ask you the question anyway, so it might best to get ahead of it and briefly explain any long gaps in between your past jobs.
5. Interests? Only if they’re relevant.
In the Legal industry, a certain level of formality is always expected, but mentioning your interests and hobbies could give your future employer some insight into who you are as a person and how you might fit in with the rest of the team.
Ideally, only mention your out-of-work activities if they somehow correspond to your career and notably enhance your personal profile, or if they are genuinely something special (like climbing Mount Everest special).
6. Spellcheck!
There is nothing worse than a spelling mistake in a lawyer’s CV. This is your opportunity to show off your excellent writing skills, so make sure not to waste it.
If you are writing your CV in Microsoft Word, go to Review -> Spelling & Grammar.
For a double check, use another app like e.g., Grammarly – you can use it in your web browser or install it as an extension in Word.
And for a final check, get an extra pair of eyes! A friend or a family member might be able to notice things you wouldn’t yourself after staring at the same document for hours.
7. Final touches.
When you finally got your CV to look and read perfectly, it would be a shame to ruin your first impression with the wrong format or file name.
It is often the best practice is to export your CV as a .pdf file so that it is not easily editable. However, many UK law firms can still be quite traditional in the IT systems they use, so leaving it as a simple .doc might still be the best choice.
Keep the file name professional. A simple ‘FullNameFirstName_CV’ (e.g., JohnSmith_CV) will do the job.
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