As a recent law graduate, you may be wondering what your CV should look like to make it stand out in the competitive legal job market. A well-crafted CV is essential to help you secure a job that aligns with your career goals and aspirations. In this blog, I will explore the different sections that should be included in a law graduate CV and provide tips on how to make it effective. So let’s get started.
1. Personal Information
This may seem obvious but the first section of your CV should include your personal information, including your name, address, phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile link. Make sure that your contact information is up-to-date, so employers can easily reach out to you.
There are different ways to present personal information and of course you do not want it taking up too much precious space. I suggest putting it in a Header, or centralised with your name in bold and personal details directly underneath in a smaller font.
2. Objective
CV writers debate whether this section is necessary but in my view it is when you are just starting out in your career (or changing careers). It is a short statement summarising your career goals and objectives, tailored to the specific job you are applying for. If you are using your CV to apply for training contracts or vacation schemes, you could briefly include why you want to be a lawyer or why law in this section too.
3. Education
The education section is understandably a crucial part of your law graduate CV. List your law degree, including the name of the institution and the year you graduated. Also, include any relevant coursework and academic achievements, such as scholarships or awards. Whilst it may be tempting, try to avoid listing every module you have studied in your three years and percentage or mark obtained unless this was truly outstanding and received recognition.
4. Work Experience
If you have any legal work experience, I suggest separating / carving this out under ‘Legal Experience’ and any other roles put under a separate header ‘Additional Employment”. This is a good structure to use to help break things up and to clearly demonstrate your relevant experience to the reader.
List the name of the organisation, your job title, and the dates of your employment. Describe your role and responsibilities in each position and highlight any accomplishments or contributions you made.
5. Skills
This can be a tricky one as a law graduate, especially if you do not have much industry experience. If that’s the case, include skills that firms like to see in junior lawyers acquired during your degree such as Legal Research and Analysis. You can also include soft skills here such wa Customer Service, Attention to detail etc. When you start working and build up your practice you can then start to narrow these to technical legal experience.
6. Position of Responsibility OR Extracurricular Activities
This is especially important if you are applying for training contracts or vacation schemes. At this level, firms are interested in you as a whole, and not just whether you have practical legal work experience to hit the ground running. Don’t be afraid to shout about your achievements.
7. Professional Memberships
List any professional organisations you belong to or have participated in. This will show that you are active in the legal community and have a network of contacts that can be useful in your job search.
8. Additional Information including IT Skills, Professional Memberships and Interests.
List applications and systems or databases you are familiar such as Microsoft, Google Suite, Practical Law, or any case management systems you have used.
Also don’t forget to include a short sentence or two about your hobbies and interests – it gives the CV some personality.
Remember to keep your law graduate CV concise and proof check it so it is free of any errors or typos. Most recruiters or hiring managers I speak to say there is no room for mistakes when it comes to punctuation, spelling and grammar in legal applications.
If you’re interested in my legal CV writing service, then please do get in touch with me to discuss