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As a corporate lawyer, you'd be dealing with complex legal matters in the business world, such as mergers and acquisitions, labor disputes, and corporate governance. With the rise in regulatory requirements and increased scrutiny on companies, many organizations are looking to expand their legal teams. Writing an effective resume for a corporate lawyer role requires showcasing your legal expertise, industry knowledge, and ability to adapt to the ever-changing legal landscape.
In recent years, there's been a push for corporate lawyers to be well-versed in technology and data privacy, as well as have some understanding of international law. When crafting your resume, it's crucial to highlight your experience in these areas, along with your ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
Corporate lawyers work specifically within the field of corporate law, and will be expected to have knowledge of its inner workings. If you can demonstrate your background working in the legal realm in tandem with showcasing your efforts supporting specific employers, you will make a solid impression.
If you’re applying for a firm or legal department, hiring managers will notice if you have received internal promotions at your previous employers. Include all of your relevant promotions, particularly if they are within the legal field and show growing responsibility to highlight your loyalty and commitment to your work.
As a corporate lawyer, you may be delving into a wide variety of situations, whether that's IP, company disputes or employer law. Therefore, it helps to reference the different fields you’ve been involved in as a lawyer, such as labor disputes, financial disputes, or mergers and acquisitions. If the job listing you’re applying for hints at specific types of work, include your background with it.
We spoke with hiring managers and recruiters at top law firms like Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, and Skadden to understand what they look for in corporate lawyer resumes. The following tips will help you create a strong resume that will catch their attention and increase your chances of getting an interview.
Hiring managers want to see that you have relevant experience in corporate law. Make sure to include:
Avoid being too general or including irrelevant experience, such as:
A resume summary for a Corporate Lawyer is optional, but it can be a valuable addition if you want to provide context or highlight details that may not be immediately apparent from the rest of your resume. It's especially useful if you're changing careers and your past experience doesn't directly align with your current goals, or if you're an executive with extensive experience. However, never use an objective statement, as it's outdated and ineffective.
When writing your summary, avoid repeating information that's already present in other sections of your resume. Instead, focus on providing a high-level overview of your skills, experience, and career objectives. Mentioning your target job title or incorporating relevant keywords can also help optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Your work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you highlight your most relevant and impressive professional achievements. For corporate lawyers, this section is especially critical. You need to showcase your legal expertise, client successes, and career progression in a way that will catch the eye of law firm partners and in-house counsel. Here are some key tips to make your work experience section stand out.
When describing your work experience, use powerful action verbs that convey your leadership, initiative, and results. For example:
Avoid passive or generic phrases like:
Your word choice matters. Pick strong verbs like advised, negotiated, drafted, defended, or resolved to show your active role and impact.
The education section of your corporate lawyer resume should be concise and highlight your most relevant academic achievements. It's important to showcase your law degree and any specialized coursework or certifications that demonstrate your expertise in corporate law. Here are some tips to help you craft a strong education section:
The skills section of your resume is where you highlight your top abilities that are relevant to the corporate lawyer position. It's an opportunity to showcase your expertise and convince the hiring manager that you have the right qualifications for the job.
When writing your skills section, consider the following tips:
Here are examples of popular skills from Corporate Lawyer job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Corporate Lawyer job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
Use our free resume checker to get expert feedback on your resume. You will:
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• Find the Corporate Lawyer skills your resume is missing.
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