Attorney Resume Example and Writing Guide for Lawyers

Below is a full attorney resume for Daniel Okafor, a fictional litigation Associate, Commercial and Employment Disputes in Chicago, IL. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.

3 attorney summaries, one each for new associate, mid-level (transactional) and senior or in-house counsel. Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.

Use an objective instead of a summary for new law graduate and second-career attorney situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the attorney job you want.

Bullets grouped by litigation and trial work, transactional and advisory work, research, writing and appeals and client and practice management. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.

16 skills employers list in attorney postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.

Put admissions where a recruiter can confirm them quickly: a Bar Admissions section near the top, or a line directly under your name for experienced lawyers. List each state with the year admitted, then federal courts, such as a U.S. district court or circuit court of appeals.

If you are waiting on results, say so plainly: "New York, pending (July 2026 bar exam)." Mark inactive licenses as inactive. You do not need your bar number on the resume, because employers check status with the state bar.

• Illinois, 2018 (active)
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• California, 2015 (inactive)

Partners and general counsel read for practice area, matter type and your role. "Litigation associate" says little; "took 24 depositions and drafted dispositive motions in commercial cases valued up to $40 million" tells them what you can handle on day one.

Use numbers that come from your practice: motions drafted, depositions taken, trials first- or second-chaired, deal values, contracts negotiated per year and matters managed at once. Describe clients by type and size unless the matter is public, so you stay within your confidentiality duties.

Transactional lawyers can add a short representative matters list or deal sheet, and litigators can cite reported decisions that are public. Keep both accurate to your actual role, because interviewers will ask about them.

Education goes first until you have a year or two of practice. List your JD with the expected graduation date, GPA or class rank if it helps, Latin honors, law review or journal positions, moot court and clinics. Summer associate, judicial internship and externship roles go under experience with 2 or 3 bullets each.

Give clinic work the same treatment as a job: clients represented, hearings argued under your state's student practice rule and memos written. A pre-law career belongs too, especially when it fits your target practice, such as engineering for patent work or nursing for medical malpractice.

One page is the norm for students and associates with under about 5 years of experience, and many large firms expect it. Experienced attorneys can use two pages, with admissions, current role and strongest matters on page one.

Partners making a lateral move often add a separate representative matters list and a business plan rather than stretching the resume itself. Keep the design conservative: a single column, a readable font, no photo and no graphics.

In-house roles hire for business judgment. Show the business you supported, the volume of contracts or investigations you handled, the outside counsel budgets you managed and the risks you helped leadership weigh.

Government applications often run through USAJOBS or state portals, and each announcement spells out what the resume must show, such as dates and hours per week for every job. Read those requirements closely and keep a separate federal version rather than reworking your firm resume each time.

Terms that show up in attorney job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.

• Attorney
• Lawyer
• Associate
• Juris Doctor
• JD
• bar admission
• litigation
• legal research
• legal writing
• motion practice
• depositions
• discovery
• contract drafting
• due diligence
• regulatory compliance
• client counseling
• Westlaw
• Lexis
• e-discovery
• trial

• Naming confidential clients or matters. Describe clients by type and size unless the matter is public and your firm agrees. "Regional hospital system" works.
• Burying bar admissions. A recruiter screening for a lawyer licensed in a specific state should find it in the top third of page one.
• Listing tasks without your role. "Assisted with trial" hides whether you examined witnesses or prepared binders. Say first chair, second chair or support, and what you handled.
• Keeping law school details too long. After 3 to 5 years of practice, move education below experience and drop class rank unless it still helps with the employer.
• Typos and citation slips. Lawyers are hired to write precisely, so one error weighs more than in most fields. Proofread on paper before you send it.

• Paralegal Resume Example and Writing Guide
• Paralegal Resume Keywords
• Federal Resume Example and USAJOBS Format Guide
• How to Write an Executive Resume
• Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude on a Resume

We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Lawyers (median pay, education, outlook, number of jobs, licensing and JD requirements)
2. National Conference of Bar Examiners: MPRE (MPRE format and the jurisdictions that require it)