Lawyer resume: an attorney sample and prompt
Legal hiring is conservative: partners and recruiters expect a clean, traditional attorney resume with bar admissions, education, practice focus and representative matters. This prompt has your agent write one in that format, for a lateral move, an in-house role or your first job after law school.
The prompt
- Write my lawyer resume for [FIRM, COMPANY OR JOB POSTING LINK]. I'm [YOUR NAME], admitted in [BAR ADMISSIONS AND YEARS]. Education: [LAW SCHOOL, YEAR, HONORS, LAW REVIEW, UNDERGRAD]. Experience: [FIRMS OR EMPLOYERS, DATES, TITLES, PRACTICE AREAS, KEY DUTIES]. Representative matters: [3–6 MATTERS DESCRIBED WITHOUT CONFIDENTIAL DETAILS]. Use a traditional legal resume format, education near the top if I'm under 5 years out, results described accurately and confidentially, 1–2 pages, ATS-friendly, and give me a Word file and a PDF.
What to change
- [FIRM, COMPANY OR JOB POSTING LINK]: The firm, in-house role, government agency or the posting link.
- [YOUR NAME]: Your full name.
- [BAR ADMISSIONS AND YEARS]: e.g. "New York (2019), New Jersey (2020), S.D.N.Y."
- [LAW SCHOOL, YEAR, HONORS, LAW REVIEW, UNDERGRAD]: J.D., graduation year, cum laude, journal, moot court, clinics, and your undergraduate degree.
- [FIRMS OR EMPLOYERS, DATES, TITLES, PRACTICE AREAS, KEY DUTIES]: e.g. "Whitfield & Crane LLP, 2019–now, Associate, commercial litigation". Clerkships go here too.
- [3–6 MATTERS DESCRIBED WITHOUT CONFIDENTIAL DETAILS]: e.g. "Defended a regional bank in a $25M breach of contract case, won summary judgment". Only public or anonymized facts.
Example result
- Michael Okafor
- New York, NY · michael.okafor@email.com · (212) 555-0147
- Bar admissions
- New York (2019) · New Jersey (2020) · U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y. and E.D.N.Y.
- Experience
- Associate, Commercial Litigation, Whitfield & Crane LLP · New York, NY · 2019 – today
- • Manage day-to-day litigation of commercial contract, business tort and partnership disputes in state and federal court
- • Draft dispositive motions, briefs and discovery motions; argued 6 motions in New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division
- • Took or defended 30+ depositions, including expert witnesses
- • Supervise 2 junior associates and 3 paralegals on document review and privilege logs
- • Second chair on a 2-week jury trial and a 4-day arbitration
- Law Clerk to the Hon. A. Ramirez, U.S. District Court, D.N.J. · 2018 – 2019
- • Drafted opinions and bench memos on civil motions and sentencing
- Representative matters
- • Defended a regional bank in a $25M breach of contract action; obtained summary judgment, affirmed on appeal
- • Represented a family-owned manufacturer in a partnership dissolution dispute; negotiated a favorable buyout
- • Won dismissal of fraud claims against a software company at the pleading stage
- • Pro bono: secured asylum for a client from West Africa in immigration court
- Education
- J.D., cum laude, Fordham University School of Law · 2018
- Articles Editor, Fordham Law Review · Moot Court Board
- B.A. Economics, Rutgers University · 2015
- Skills
- Commercial litigation · Motion practice · Depositions · E-discovery (Relativity) · Westlaw and Lexis · Trial and arbitration support
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and replace the [brackets]. Keep matters public or anonymized.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent by email or Telegram. You can attach your current resume.
- Your agent writes a traditional attorney resume and gives you Word and PDF files.
- Ask for a separate deal sheet or matter list if a recruiter requests one.
Tips for a better result
- Use a classic legal format: bar admissions, experience, education. Skip graphics and colors.
- Recent grads put education first with honors, journals, moot court and clinics; laterals move it to the end.
- Representative matters should be accurate and confidential. Describe the client by type and the result in plain words.
- Going in-house? Ask for a version that leads with business outcomes and advising, not motion counts.
- Keep a deal sheet or matter list separate from the resume for transactional roles.
lawyer resume: FAQ
- How long should a lawyer resume be? One page for junior associates and recent graduates. Senior attorneys can use two, with a separate matter list or deal sheet if needed.
- Should I list my GPA and class rank? List them if strong and you're within about 5 years of law school. Many firms still ask for them during on-campus or lateral hiring.
- How do I describe cases without breaking confidentiality? Describe the client by industry, the claim type and the result, and use only public facts. When in doubt, check your firm's policy.
- Can my agent write my lateral cover letter too? Yes. Add "also write a short cover letter to the hiring partner" and you get both files.
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