Legal RESUME GUIDE

50+ Legal Resume Examples - Here's What Works In 2022

To break into the legal industry, you need a strong resume that highlights your experience in the industry. If you need inspiration, look no further — we've provided a ton of downloadable resume samples that you can use as a starting point for your own legal resume.

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Attorney resume template example tailored to the job and using metrics to illustrate accomplishments

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We've put together a number of free Legal resume templates that you can use. Choose a category depending on your field, or just scroll down to see all templates.

Attorney Lawyer Legal Assistant Policy Analyst Compliance Underwriter Regulatory Affairs Contract Specialist

Attorney Resumes

Attorneys are always in demand, so what better time than now to brush up your skills and update your resume? In this guide, you’ll find resume templates for you to use as examples, as well as industry-specific tips and a walkthrough on how to narrow down the perfect skills and keywords.

Associate Attorney

Associate attorney resume template example with a resume title and organized skills section

Associate attorneys work on a contract basis rather than a partnership. They’re often less experienced and may be supervised by a senior or more experienced employee. As an associate attorney, you’ll be called upon to prepare brief and case reports, build relationships with clients, and provide legal support. Your resume should emphasize transferable skills as well as any technical skills specific to your field.

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Experienced Attorney

Experienced attorney resume template example emphasizing career growth and transferable skills

As a senior or experienced attorney, you should be able to demonstrate a strong track record of success, including securing positive outcomes for clients and experience overseeing more junior employees. As an experienced lawyer, you’ll take on more of a management role — making leadership skills essential — as well as more responsibility providing expert legal advice, collaborating with other teams, and drafting important legal documents.

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Litigation Attorney

Litigation attorney resume template example with strong action verbs and a concise skills list

Litigation attorneys work primarily in a courtroom setting, though litigators also cover alternative dispute resolution like arbitration and mediation. As a trial lawyer, you’ll be investigating cases, providing initial assessments, researching relevant case law, gathering witness statements, and representing your clients through the trial process. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are a must, so make sure you choose accomplishments that help those soft skills stand out.

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Real Estate Attorney

Real estate attorney resume template example focusing on a specific field of law and providing additional context in bullet points

Real estate attorneys deal with the purchase and sale or property, from private home ownership to major corporate buyouts. In addition to preparing and reviewing sale documents, you may be tasked with researching appropriate state and local laws, including those that cover zoning, titles, deeds, and taxes, and with representing your client during negotiations and at closing. To succeed, you’ll need to demonstrate a good knowledge of real estate and contract law.

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Corporate Attorney

A corporate attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s specific skill set and strong experience.

Corporate attorneys concentrate on corporate law. In this position, you will be representing corporations rather than employees or other individual stakeholders. Some of your responsibilities will include drafting and reviewing contracts, working on mergers, and otherwise ensuring that a corporation follows all laws that govern it. You must be an expert in corporate law and will need to show recruiters that you have years of experience legally representing corporations.

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Compliance Attorney

A compliance attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s cartifications and quantifiable success.

As the name suggests, your job will be to make sure a company complies with all regulations and laws relevant to them. You will complete legal risk assessments, create legal risk-minimizing strategies, and work with companies to move them into compliance. You will be expected to at least have a bachelor’s degree in law, finance, or a related field. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Transactional Attorney

A transactional attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s certifications and key achievements.

In this role, you will help your client with any transaction or deal they wish to process. Your client may be an individual or may be a company, whether public or private. Tasks you may be assigned include drafting contracts, drafting other legal documents, giving your clients advice on transactions, etc. You need to have a strong background in the relevant areas of law and a history in transactional law.

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Family Law Attorney

A family law attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s skill section and strong achievements.

Family law attorneys handle most legal processes that involve family matters. You may be involved with processes like divorce, child custody cases, and adoptions. You may also be tasked with drawing up legal documents like wills and prenuptial agreements. You will deal with very emotional processes and people so you must have excellent interpersonal skills, a lot of empathy, and a strong legal background. Here is a strong resume sample.

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Patent Attorney

A patent attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s key achievements and experience.

Patent attorneys help clients apply for patents and handle any legal issues that may come up due to a patent. You need to be an expert in patent law and intellectual property law. You will need to show this expertise in your experience or your qualifications. Your resume should also show that you have a successful track record of defending clients and winning patent claims and cases. Take a look at this recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Entry-Level Attorney

An entry-level attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s legal certifications and quantifiable workload capabilities.

You need to be well-qualified to win an entry-level attorney position. All firms will need you to have gotten a law degree and some will require you to have already passed the bar to qualify. Make sure you do your research to make sure you qualify for the firms you want to apply to. In terms of what you can expect in the position, you will mostly be assisting more senior attorneys by doing a lot of research and administrative tasks. You can expect to work very long hours and have a heavy workload as you learn and prove yourself to your bosses. Take a look at this recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Immigration Attorney

An immigration attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s certifications and relevant experience.

Immigration attorneys handle cases that involve immigration. The kinds of cases you may encounter include immigration cases, refugee cases, or even citizenship cases. These cases may not necessarily involve you going to court but may involve you assisting in filing legal documents and giving legal advice. You need to be an expert on immigration law in the country you wish to practice in, and you need to be properly certified as a lawyer and have passed the bar exam. Here is a successful immigration attorney resume.

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Contract Attorney

A contract attorney resume sample that highlights the applicant’s career progression and specializations.

As the name suggests, contract attorneys specialize in all legal issues to do with contracts. You may be tasked with drafting contracts, scrutinizing contracts, dealing with contract disputes, and representing your client in court on any contract-related cases. You need to be an expert on contract law and recruiters will expect to see a long history in that area of law. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Attorney resume guide

Lawyer Resumes

Practicing law continues to be a lucrative field as individuals and corporations alike seek to navigate the increasingly complex legal system. In this guide, we’ll cover three specialties and look at templates you can base your lawyer resume on, in addition to discussing the skills and action verbs you should focus on including.

Corporate Lawyer

Corporate lawyers should reference a variety of accomplishments to show the breadth of their experience, as well as including any internal promotions they’ve received.

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.

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Immigration Lawyer

Lawyers should list their technical skills separately to indicate their organizational ability and use strong action verbs to indicate their capabilities.

While general lawyers and corporate lawyers will dabble in government law, immigration lawyers will be steeped in it as they work to understand the current legal policies established by the federal government for citizenship.

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Junior Lawyer

A junior lawyer resume sample that highlights the applicant’s certifications and range of skills.

Otherwise called a junior associate, a junior lawyer is a new lawyer who most likely just graduated from law school. In this position, you will assist more senior lawyers by doing research, drafting legal documents, and performing administrative tasks where needed. This position has a huge workload and you will most likely be expected to work outside of normal business hours. Your resume should indicate what tasks and functions you can perform, and should list your qualifications. Take a look at this strong resume sample.

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Employment Lawyer

An employment lawyer resume sample that highlights the applicant’s employment law specialization.

As the name suggests, employment lawyers deal with all legal matters pertaining to employment. Some tasks you can expect include drafting contracts, negotiating on behalf of a client, and representing clients in court in employment cases. You need to be an expert in employment law, especially in the state or country that you want to practice in. Ensure you include any qualification that proves your expertise in your resume. Recruiters will also want to see a long history in employment law so focus your resume on that area of the law. Take a look at this recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Real Estate Lawyer

A real estate lawyer resume sample that highlights the applicant’s focused skill set and experience.

Real estate lawyers assist their clients with the legal aspect of real estate transactions or anything else related to real estate law. Tasks you can expect include preparing real estate legal documents like leases, scrutinizing real estate legal documents, negotiating terms of a real estate transaction, assisting in the transfer of real estate titles where necessary, etc. You must be an expert in real estate and property law in the state or country you are practicing in. You also need to show that you are a qualified lawyer who has gone to law school and passed the bar. Use your resume to show your long history in this field of law and your achievements thus far. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Lawyer resume guide

Legal Assistant Resumes

Wherever there are lawyers, you’ll find legal assistants — hard-working support staff working behind the scenes. The position is ideal for people seeking an administrative career or on their way to a law or paralegal qualification. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to land a legal assistant job, including resume templates and tips on essential skills and keywords.

Entry Level Legal Assistant

Entry level legal assistant resume template example using a resume title and summary and framing accomplishments with strong action verbs

You can apply for entry level legal assistant positions even without any legal qualifications or office administration experience, or transition to the field from other administrative roles. Employers will be looking for evidence of transferable skills as well as technical skills like data entry software and Microsoft Access. If you have experience as an intern or volunteer in a legal or related field, that can also strengthen your candidacy.

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Experienced Legal Assistant

An experienced legal assistant resume sample that highlights the applicant’s qualifications and varied experience.

An experienced legal assistant supports attorneys in a variety of ways. Tasks you can expect include doing research, preparing legal documents, scheduling meetings, organizing documents, etc. To qualify for this job you need to have a degree in law or paralegal studies or a paralegal certificate. This position is for an experienced legal assistant so you will be expected to have years of experience as a legal assistant. It would also benefit you to have experience as an administrator, especially in a law firm. Take a look at this recruiter-approved resume sample.

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Legal Assistant resume guide

Policy Analyst Resumes

Policy analysts are problem identifiers and solution builders. They research and interrogate policy, look at the effects of policies, and create/recommend more effective and mutually beneficial policies. As such, they must be strong researchers and creative problem solvers. This guide will help you craft a resume that highlights your most attractive skills and qualifications to get your desired job.

Insurance Policy Analyst

Insurance Policy Analyst resume sample that highlights the applicant's quantitaitive value addition and their specialized experience

An insurance policy analyst evaluates insurance policies to identify the relevant risks to both the insurance company and the policyholders. They may also calculate associated risk to determine which insurance policy is best suited for a client, and interrogate insurance claims to ensure they are legitimate and can be processed successfully. This resume effectively shows a professional with extensive experience in the insurance industry, which would be highly preferred. Furthermore, the resume demonstrates promotions with each position change, highlighting employer confidence in the professional’s capabilities.

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Junior Policy Analyst

Junior policy analyst resume sample that highlights the applicant's specialized skills and includes their university experience

A junior policy analyst works as a support for their superiors and departments. They may be tasked with organizing and conducting research, collecting interviews or appointments, providing summaries of collected data, presenting research-based solutions, and whatever other task they are assigned. As this position can be multifaceted, this resume succeeds in highlighting the variety of tasks this applicant had successfully completed. It also highlights the policy successes that the applicant has been, at least, partially responsible for, which is impressive for someone in a junior position, and would be attractive to a recruiter.

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Policy Analyst resume guide

Compliance Resumes

Although compliance officers may go unnoticed, they are a solid foundation for ensuring transparent processes in any business. The current demand for these professionals is great for the coming years. Therefore, if you choose this work field, we want to help you write the best resume to apply for these jobs. Take a look at the top 10 compliance resume examples below.

Compliance Officer

Compliance officer resume example

Compliance officers are usually a company's permanent employees, unlike other related positions, which often work independently. These experts keep all regulations and legal requirements up to date to keep the business running smoothly. In addition, the compliance officers also supervise the internal activities of the working staff, ensuring that no employee commits crimes or acts outside the company's policies. In most cases, compliance officers work with the Human Resources (HR) department to monitor workers’ behavior and legal records. In addition, these experts constantly analyze new trends in regulatory systems to ensure the company remains up-to-date with regulatory compliance.

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IT Compliance Analyst

IT compliance analyst resume example

The IT compliance analyst is the role with the most technical demands in this field. These professionals develop and manage a company's networks and digital tools under all legal requirements. You must apply problem-solving skills to troubleshoot hardware and software issues in this occupation. In addition, IT compliance analysts also create cyber security strategies to support all business information. IT compliance analysts monitor workers’ online activities while they use the company’s devices. This way, if anyone commits a crime, they can share it with the authorities and government agents.

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Corporate Compliance Manager

Corporate compliance manager resume example

The Corporate Compliance Manager is among the highest positions in this field. These professionals organize all legal standards in large companies. They usually have permanent, full-time contracts. Some of their responsibilities include developing ethical-legal plans and programs in a company. Each program is subject to federal and local laws that regulate business operations. These positions have a strong relationship with other administrative functions in business. All workplace policies, values, and rules depend on these managers. In addition, as a specialist in this occupation, you must identify work problems and offer quick solutions to avoid interrupting the company's normal operation.

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Regulatory Compliance Specialist

A regulatory compliance specialist resume template that highlights relevant work experience in compliance and working with regulators

Regulatory compliance specialists are workers appointed to assess the legal status of organizations, institutions, and companies. Most of these employees work as consultants and not as permanent members of an organization. Additionally, counseling services may include scheduled visits to monitor updated in-laws and the current reputation of companies or organizations. Many regulatory compliance specialists work for local government offices, verifying each client's reputation under the law. Other functions in this position include supporting the HR department during job interviews for managers and senior occupations.

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Quality Compliance Coordinator

Quality compliance coordinator resumen example

Quality compliance coordinators’ role is to evaluate the products' quality and the minimum requirements to enter the market. Quality compliance coordinators are involved in many industries. However, the main field is food factories. When it comes to food, legal quality standards can be more rigorous than in other sectors. As a quality compliance coordinator, you must work with specialists in chemistry, engineering, and raw material suppliers to evaluate the entire manufacturing process. This occupation often requires full-time hours and direct association with health organization agents. These coordinators and the quality team determine which items can be on the market.

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Compliance Engineer

Compliance engineer resume example

Compliance engineers are proficient in risk management. They also apply engineering skills to assess infrastructure in work environments. Building a company requires specific legal conditions in terms of engineering, and this is where compliance engineers’ roles start. Compliance engineers’ role is to assess building structures, light/heavy machinery, security systems, and other items that may be a risk to employees, visitors, or customers. All resources must follow legal parameters to pass all government audits.

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Compliance Auditor

Compliance auditor resume example

Compliance auditors evaluate 100 percent of the legal statutes in a company or organization. The compliance auditors go through even the smallest details related to labor laws and requirements to work in the market. Typically, these experts may work for federal departments to inspect public and private companies. Companies request an inspection from these auditors to assess whether they follow the regulatory laws for operability. This entire evaluation process can take weeks to complete. You must demonstrate your responsibility and transparency for this role since your results can affect a company's legal stability.

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Legal Compliance Officer

Legal compliance officer resume example

Legal compliance officers’ role is to create preventive measures to protect the company from legal problems or violations of internal policies. Unlike the other roles, these officers can simultaneously act as police officers and judges since they must monitor, identify, and report employees who do not follow instructions. Legal compliance officers may be full-time employees of their companies. In addition, they may have an important role in the HR department and the job interview processes. Many legal compliance officers also work as legal advisors for institutions, brands, or financial groups.

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Compliance Attorney

Compliance attorney resume example

Compliance attorneys are lawyers specialized in the rules and requirements of operation within companies, institutes, and organizations. To work in this field, you must attend law school and complete a compliance specialty. Usually, lawyers in this field gain experience through law firms with specific cases related to business compliance. Companies hire these specialists because of their advanced knowledge of legal issues, government regulations, and requirements.

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Compliance resume guide

Underwriter Resumes

Being a financial expert isn’t the only thing that magically lands you a job in the underwriting world. A resume showcasing you in the best light will help you get far in your career! If you’re wondering what a successful underwriter resume can look like, all you need is to go through our guide for underwriter resume examples where we provide downloadable resume templates as well as tips to make the best out of your resume!

Loan Underwriter

A loan underwriter's reusme template example shows all elements that are needed in a good underwriting resume.

Loan underwriters, also known as loan officers, are specialized batch of underwriters. They evaluate loan applications and are responsible for accepting or rejecting these applications. Because loan underwriters have to evaluate these applications themselves, they will meet applicants and discuss personal and financial information that will help them make informed decisions. Loan underwriters must have exceptional interpersonal skills to assist them to get all necessary information from applicants due to the nature of the position. They must also have the capacity to pay attention to even the smallest facts or statistics. Here’s a loan underwriter resume template to help you get a head start!

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Commercial Underwriter

This is a resume template example of a commercial underwriter and displays important aspects of a resume that make successful applications.

Commercial underwriters conduct risk analyses on mortgage and insurance application forms to decide whether to approve or reject the insurance benefits. In addition to structuring payment contracts, commercial underwriters also check the accuracy of all the data on the application. What will make you successful as a commercial underwriter is having a hawk's eye. To pursue a career in commercial underwriting, you must hold a bachelor's degree in addition to a strong set of hard and soft talents that will make you the greatest in your field. Check out this commercial underwriter resume template we offer if you want a resume that demonstrates these skills!

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Credit Underwriter

A credit underwriter's resume template is shown as an example of how to write an impressive resume.

Have you ever applied for a loan to buy a car or pay student debt? Perhaps you know people who took out loans from the bank or other private companies. It is the credit underwriter who is reviewing paperwork and other documents for you to be able to access loans! It is your responsibility as a credit underwriter to examine loan applications and, on occasion, run a credit history check on a loan applicant. Additionally, you can be requested to review proof of income and debt. Here’s what a successful resume for a credit underwriter looks like, highlighting all important aspects of value to a recruiter!

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Assistant Underwriter

This resume is displaying an assistant underwriter's template that can be used as inspiration for good resumes.

As an entry-level job position, an assistant underwriter does not require a finance degree. But as with all underwriter positions, a strong analytical mind is a requirement in this profession. Your job as an assistant underwriter is to work alongside managers and underwriters to create portfolios by collecting information and doing basic data-entry tasks. To make a great assistant, you should have administrative support skills as well as a resume that highlights your experience as an assistant in relevant fields. Here’s an example of an assistant underwriter's resume template.

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Underwriter resume guide

Regulatory Affairs Resumes

Regulatory affairs professionals evaluate pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agrochemicals, and medical products before they are commercialized. They make sure that these products are ready for consumption and meet regulatory compliance. Remember that these items often play a huge role in people’s wellbeing, so regulatory affairs specialists are the guards of public health. If you have a regulatory affairs specialist and would like to create your resume, we have you covered. This guide will provide you with tips and resume examples templates that you can customize with your own experience and skills.

Regulatory Affairs Manager

A regulatory affairs manager resume example that emphasizes industry experience

A regulatory affairs manager is the head of the RA team. They will oversee the work of other regulatory affairs specialists and assign duties. RA managers meet and maintain long-term professional relationships with regulatory bodies. They also assist multiple teams in the manufacturing process to ensure they follow regulatory compliance. As a regulatory affairs manager, you will also conduct research and create reports to share with stakeholders. They will also respond to information requests from regulatory agencies. A RA manager must also evaluate how regulatory compliance will affect the company's operations and finances.

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Regulatory Affairs Associate (Entry Level)

A regulatory affairs associate resume template including a brief description, work experience, and certificates

A regulatory affairs associate is the company’s representative in legal negotiations with regulatory agencies. They assist companies in the process of getting their products approved by regulatory bodies such as the FDA and the ICH. RA associates collect documents and evaluate manufacturing processes.

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Regulatory Affairs resume guide

Contract Specialist Resumes

Our increasingly global workplace has brought along new intricacies in our development of contracts and increased the number of contracts we use. Contract specialists ensure that a company’s contracts are in the best interest of the company and are in line with all laws. Here is a guide to help you create a contract specialist resume that will grab the attention of recruiters today.

Contract Administrator

A contract administrator resume sample that highlights the applicant’s contract certifications and ATS-friendly language.

A contract administrator ensures that contracts make their way through the contract cycle in a timely fashion and are in line with all relevant laws. These professionals are generally business administrators who specialize in contracts and as such recruiters will be looking for a degree in business administration or a similar field. Recruiters will also need to see experience working with contracts. Take a look at this successful resume.

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Contract Manager

A contract manager resume sample that highlights the applicant’s career growth and strong skills section.

As the name suggests, this professional is tasked with managing a company’s contracts. They oversee the drafting and consolidating of contracts and they ensure the contracts are enforced and executed. To thrive in this position you need to have both a strong contract background as well as strong management skills. You will be required to have at least a bachelor’s degree in law, business administration, or a related field and years of experience working with contracts. Here is a recruiter-approved contract manager resume.

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Contract Specialist resume guide

Action Verbs For Legal Resumes

Supervised
Analyzed
Handled
Developed
Updated
Trained
Represented
Drafted
Negotiated
Mentored
Streamlined
Researched
Prepared
Prosecuted
Collaborated
Advised

How to use these action verbs?

You might be wondering how to structure your resume's bullet points. An easy place to start is to always use an action verb when speaking about your accomplishments. This list on the left are perfect examples of action verbs you can use when discussing your legal experience.

The legal field prioritizes professional communication, so make sure you stress your experience here by including action verbs like "Drafted" or "Presented" — verbs like these show to recruiters that you have strong communication skills, skills that are essential in the legal industry.

Legal Resume Guide

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