Legal CV Structure/Content

[Olivia Graham]

Does anybody have any advice as to structuring a legal CV and what content should be included?

This is particularly aimed at securing paralegal/legal assistant jobs!

Thank you

 

[Jessica Booker]

If you are coming in with limited experience:

NAME
email/mobile number/LinkedIn link
Academics (back dated)
Work experience (back dated - can be split into the following categories though: legal work experience, other work experience, volunteer work)
Extra curriculars
Skill set (languages, knowledge of software, certificates, accreditation)

You can then choose to include any of the following sections:
Events & Conferences
Interests

Make sure it is no more than 2 pages

 

[Jaysen]

Does anybody have any advice as to structuring a legal CV and what content should be included?

This is particularly aimed at securing paralegal/legal assistant jobs!

Thank you

You definitely don't need to structure it this way, but for reference - here is roughly what my CV looked like.

 

[Olivia Graham]

Thank you so much both of you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

You definitely don't need to structure it this way, but for reference - here is roughly what my CV looked like.

This is pretty much an ideal version of a CV. Very easy to digest and quickly.

I am the most pedantic person out there and I could find fault with pretty much any CV (including my own) - with this one my point would be to make the dashes between dates consistent. But if that's all I can pick fault with it, it's a good CV

 

[Olivia Graham]

@Jessica Booker Would you advise applicants to list out their university modules and the percentage grades they achieved within their legal CV?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Would you advise applicants to list out their university modules and the percentage grades they achieved within their legal CV?

Yes - important to do so for most firms/opportunities.

 

[Olivia Graham]

Yes - important to do so for most firms/opportunities.

Thank you!

 

[Lauren]

Yes - important to do so for most firms/opportunities.

Hi, sorry to add to this old thread. I was wondering if a personal profile is advisable within a legal CV for paralegal roles? I've heard conflicting advice from different sources.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, sorry to add to this old thread. I was wondering if a personal profile is advisable within a legal CV for paralegal roles? I've heard conflicting advice from different sources.

depends what you are applying with. If you are applying with a cover letter or have to submit a short introduction that covers your interest in the role, then absolutely not.

If you are just applying with a CV, then a personal profile can be suitable but it should focus on what you are looking for, rather than just repeating lots of detail in your CV.

For instance (this isn’t a great example, but to give you the gist)....

“LPC graduate currently seeking a permanent paralegal role in London or the South East. Looking to develop further experience in Litigation, in a role that will provide good exposure to international clients and a range of sectors”

This is why you will need two versions of your CV - one with a profile, one without.

For every role you apply to that has a personal profile, the wording will have to be tailored to that opportunity with that firm.

 

[Lauren]

depends what you are applying with. If you are applying with a cover letter or have to submit a short introduction that covers your interest in the role, then absolutely not.

If you are just applying with a CV, then a personal profile can be suitable but it should focus on what you are looking for, rather than just repeating lots of detail in your CV.

For instance (this isn’t a great example, but to give you the gist)....

“LPC graduate currently seeking a permanent paralegal role in London or the South East. Looking to develop further experience in Litigation, in a role that will provide good exposure to international clients and a range of sectors”

This is why you will need two versions of your CV - one with a profile, one without.

For every role you apply to that has a personal profile, the wording will have to be tailored to that opportunity with that firm.

Thank you!

 

[Guilherme Carvalho]

@Jessica Booker I have a question as to what you said above about listing all individual modules. I find that if I list them all then it ends up taking a substantial part of my CV (I've done around 20 courses in university now) which leaves me with very little space to talk about other things without breaking the magic 2 page maximum rule.
Should I opt for listing them horizontally rather than vertically? I find this looks slightly odd when including percentages too but it's the only way for it not to take up over half a page.

Thank you in advance for any insight

 

[Jessica Booker]

Something like the following is apporpriate to use on a CV

Year 3: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)
Year 2: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)
Year 1: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)

 

[Guilherme Carvalho]

That's great I'll give that format a go thank you!

 

[JayB]

Something like the following is apporpriate to use on a CV

Year 3: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)
Year 2: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)
Year 1: Module title (60%); Module title (50%); Module title (70%); Module title (60%)

Just came across this, on my CV I have written it in this order - Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. Is it more better to write my Year 3 first like you have done above? As of course that’s more recent 😂

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just came across this, on my CV I have written it in this order - Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. Is it more better to write my Year 3 first like you have done above? As of course that’s more recent 😂

The rest of your academics are backdated, so why not backdate your year results.

 

[Dwight]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I've just come across this thread and I have a question regarding CVs (for paralegal roles). I'm content with my structure, but very curious as to how I should write about my experiences. Should it be fact-based or also go into detail about the skills gained/used? For example (not very well written, but I hope you understand my gist!):

(a) "During my vacation scheme, I completed a corporate exercise whereby I drafted [document] by utilising my attention to detail".

(b) "During my vacation scheme, I completed a corporate exercise whereby I drafted [document]".

Also, are open days/one day insight schemes worth putting on a CV when applying for paralegal roles? What would you suggest are the most important/relevant experiences to put on a CV for one to have the best chances of securing a good paralegal role?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I've just come across this thread and I have a question regarding CVs (for paralegal roles). I'm content with my structure, but very curious as to how I should write about my experiences. Should it be fact-based or also go into detail about the skills gained/used? For example (not very well written, but I hope you understand my gist!):

(a) "During my vacation scheme, I completed a corporate exercise whereby I drafted [document] by utilising my attention to detail".

(b) "During my vacation scheme, I completed a corporate exercise whereby I drafted [document]".

Also, are open days/one day insight schemes worth putting on a CV when applying for paralegal roles? What would you suggest are the most important/relevant experiences to put on a CV for one to have the best chances of securing a good paralegal role?

You don’t need the “during my vacation scheme” part in either option. The vacation scheme will be in the heading, and so such phrasing is just superfluous.

You should also avoid using I / my etc

So to me B is sufficient but it can be written as:

• Completed a corporate exercise and drafted….

 

[Dwight]

You don’t need the “during my vacation scheme” part in either option. The vacation scheme will be in the heading, and so such phrasing is just superfluous.

You should also avoid using I / my etc

So to me B is sufficient but it can be written as:

• Completed a corporate exercise and drafted….

Should I always avoid I - sometimes it is difficult to do so mid-sentence when I start the sentence in a different manner. For example:

Awarded [x/x] marks for [something] whereby I ...

Also, I believe you missed my second question in my first post.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Should I always avoid I - sometimes it is difficult to do so mid-sentence when I start the sentence in a different manner. For example:

Awarded [x/x] marks for [something] whereby I ...

Also, I believe you missed my second question in my first post.

The “whereby I” is more than likely superfluous too. It could just be:

Awarded marks for something by doing something else.

And yes, you can still include open days on a paralegal CV if you would like to.

With paralegal roles, it’s much more about aligning to the specific job advert for that role. Therefore what the most important evidence is on a CV can change with each role you apply to. The same is also true for training contracts - the base/foundations of your CV should be the same, but it should always be tailored to each opportunity you apply to to maximise your chances. For instance, if the firm specialises in Real Estate, then you might want to put that Real Estate careers event on your CV.