Legal resume example

Attorney resume example

An attorney resume should establish practice area, matter complexity, writing, judgement, and client responsibility without disclosing privileged information. This example uses representative scope and defensible outcomes to show commercial litigation experience clearly.

Applying in the UK? Use the same evidence and structure as a attorney CV example; adapt spelling and local terminology naturally.

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This is a sample resume.

Marcus Reed

Commercial Litigation Attorney

Atlanta, GA · marcus@email.com · linkedin.com/in/marcusreed

Professional summary

Commercial litigation attorney with 6 years of experience handling contract, business tort, and employment disputes in state and federal courts. Drafts dispositive motions, manages discovery, advises clients on risk, and negotiates practical resolutions.

Experience

Associate Attorney

Hawthorne & Bell LLP · Atlanta, GA

2021 – Present

Manage day-to-day strategy, deadlines, discovery, and client communication across a portfolio of 18 active commercial disputes.
Drafted summary-judgment and dismissal briefs that narrowed or resolved claims in seven matters during the past two years.
Negotiated discovery scope and electronically stored information protocols that reduced review volume by more than 400,000 documents in a multi-party case.

Litigation Associate

Parker Sloan Legal · Savannah, GA

2019 – 2021

Researched and drafted pleadings, motions, deposition outlines, and settlement analyses for contract and employment matters.
Prepared corporate witnesses for depositions by building issue chronologies, exhibit sets, and concise risk summaries.
Maintained a court-deadline control process for the litigation group with no missed filing deadlines across two calendar years.

Skills

Commercial litigation · Legal research · Brief writing · Discovery · Depositions · Motion practice · Contract disputes · Employment litigation · Case strategy · Settlement negotiation · Client counselling · E-discovery

Education & credentials

Juris DoctorEmory University School of Law

State Bar AdmissionGeorgia

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How to adapt this attorney example

Keep the structure. Replace the substance with your own scope, decisions, and results.

Lead with the target practice

Reorder matters and skills so the relevant practice area appears first, but do not recast unrelated exposure as deep expertise.

Protect privilege and confidentiality

Describe matter type, scale, posture, and your contribution without naming clients or revealing protected strategy.

Separate team and individual work

State whether you led, drafted, supported, or appeared. Precision is more credible than claiming an entire case result personally.

Keyword starting points

Terms commonly relevant to attorney roles

Use a keyword only when it reflects your experience and the job description. Exact wording helps discovery; evidence in a bullet makes it believable.

Check keyword coverage

attorney
commercial litigation
legal research
legal writing
discovery
depositions
motion practice
contract disputes
case management
settlement negotiation
client counselling
e-discovery

Questions

Attorney resume FAQ

Should an attorney resume list representative matters?

A short representative-matters section can help when it adds practice depth, but preserve privilege and confidentiality. Describe the legal issue, scale, posture, and your role without identifying protected clients.

How long should an attorney resume be?

One page can work for junior lawyers. Two pages are common when practice history, admissions, publications, clerkships, speaking, or leadership would otherwise be omitted.

Where should bar admissions appear?

Place active admissions in a clear credentials section and include courts or jurisdictions relevant to the vacancy. Do not list inactive status as though it were current.

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