What should a lawyer put on their CV?

Focus on three areas: (1) Practice areas with exact terms (M&A, Commercial Contracts, IP Litigation, not 'legal matters'), (2) Quantified achievements ('closed $200M+ in M&A transactions', not 'handled deals'), and (3) Compliance expertise ('GDPR/CCPA compliance with zero regulatory fines', not 'followed regulations'). In 2026, ATS systems scan for specific keywords like Corporate Governance, E-Discovery, Contract Velocity, SEC Filings, and Data Privacy. Missing even 2-3 of these can drop your score below the threshold. Not sure which keywords you are missing? Scan your CV with our free tool to find out.

How do I write a lawyer CV as a recent law school graduate?

Use this formula for law school experience: [Action Verb] + [Legal Activity] + [Scope/Volume] + [Quantifiable Result]. Example: 'Conducted legal research on 20+ state regulatory changes, providing summarized memos that reduced partner preparation time by 20% and supported 3 successful motions.' Moot court, law review, clinical work, and summer associate experience all demonstrate legal capability when framed with volume, research depth, and case outcomes.

What are the best ATS keywords for a lawyer CV in 2026?

The most impactful keywords fall into five categories: Practice Areas (M&A, Corporate Governance, IP, Litigation, Commercial Contracts), Compliance (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOX, SEC Filings), Tools (Relativity, Logikcull, Westlaw, LexisNexis, Clio), Process (Due Diligence, E-Discovery, Contract Velocity, Antitrust, Regulatory Risk), and Credentials (JD, Bar Admission, CIPP/US). Over 97% of law firms and corporate legal departments use ATS to filter resumes. Upload your CV to see exactly which keywords you are missing.

How long should a lawyer CV be?

One page if you have under 10 years of experience. Two pages maximum for partners, general counsel, or chief legal officers with 10+ years. ATS systems parse the entire document regardless of length, but hiring partners spend an average of 6 seconds on initial screening. Front-load your strongest keywords, deal values, and case outcomes on page one. Every line must earn its space.

Should I include bar admissions on my lawyer CV?

Yes, always. Bar admission is a threshold requirement for attorney roles and is frequently used as an ATS filter. List each jurisdiction, status (Active/Inactive), and year (e.g., 'District of Columbia Bar, Active, 2017'). If you hold multiple bar admissions, list all of them. Omitting bar information can cause immediate rejection even if your experience is strong.

What is the difference between a lawyer resume and CV?

In the US, a 'resume' is a 1-2 page summary of relevant experience tailored per application. In the UK, Europe, and Australia, a 'CV' (Curriculum Vitae) serves the same purpose but may include more detail and publications. Both are parsed by ATS the same way. The keywords, formatting rules, and optimization strategies are identical. The main difference is regional terminology. Regardless of which you use, the same ATS keywords (M&A, GDPR, E-Discovery, Corporate Governance) determine whether your application passes the automated filter.

What is a professional summary for a lawyer?

Replace generic objectives with a targeted professional summary. Include your experience level, 3-4 key skills, and a quantified achievement. This format matches what ATS systems and recruiters scan for in lawyer applications.

97% of tech companies use ATS

Lawyer CV
Example (2026)

Most lawyer CVs score below 43% on ATS systems. See exactly why yours might be failing. 75% never reach a recruiter.

Free foreverFull analysisWorks with your existing CV

What ATS systems actually see

Toggle between a typical lawyer CV and an optimized version. Notice what changes.

Generic descriptions and soft skills make this resume hard to scan and easy to ignore.

✗ Generic soft skills that every applicant claims. ATS cannot match 'Good Writer' to any legal job requirement.

✗ 'Wrote and reviewed contracts' shows no volume, speed, or methodology. Recruiters need specifics.

✗ 'Did lots of legal research' has no volume, topic, or outcome. Quantify everything.

✗ 'Attended depositions' is observation, not contribution. Show what YOU managed and the measurable impact.

✗ 'Made copies' is not a resume bullet. Show document types, filing accuracy, and compliance outcomes.

✗ Hobbies waste space on a lawyer resume. Use it for bar admissions, pro bono work, or published articles instead.

Catherine Hartwell

Attorney

Washington, DC · catherine.hartwell@email.com · linkedin.com/in/catherinehartwell

Professional Summary

Experienced attorney with strong analytical skills and a passion for the law. Detail-oriented professional who works well under pressure and delivers results. Looking for a challenging position at a prestigious firm where I can use my legal expertise.

Core Skills

Legal ResearchDetail-OrientedHard WorkerMicrosoft OfficeGood WriterAnalytical Thinker

Professional Experience

Sterling & Whitfield LLP

Sep 2020 - Present

Senior Attorney

Responsible for making sure the company didn't get sued and handling legal matters.
Wrote and reviewed contracts for the company's business deals.
Helped the company follow all the rules and regulations.

Blackwell & Associates

Jun 2017 - Aug 2020

Associate Attorney

Did lots of legal research and helped prepare cases for trial.
Reviewed vendor contracts and made sure they were legally sound.
Attended depositions and helped with discovery for litigation cases.

Harmon Legal Group

May 2016 - Aug 2016

Legal Intern

Helped organize case files and did legal research for the attorneys.
Prepared documents for court filings and made copies.
Attended meetings with clients and learned about corporate law.

Education

Georgetown University Law Center

Law degree

2014 - 2017

Certifications & Awards

Bar admission
Privacy cert
Employee of the Month (2022)

Languages

English (Native) • French (Professional Working)

Interests & Hobbies

Reading legal thrillers
Debate club alumni
Running
Wine tasting

✗ Zero matchable keywords. 'Strong analytical skills' and 'detailoriented' appear on 90% of rejected attorney resumes. ATS finds nothing to score.

✗ 'Making sure the company didn't get sued' is the #1 antipattern on lawyer resumes. Zero metrics, no practice area named.

✗ 'Follow all the rules' is vague. Which regulations? What was the compliance outcome?

✗ 'Made sure they were legally sound' is vague. Show contract volume, risk reduction, and compliance metrics.

✗ 'Helped organize case files' gives no sense of volume or impact. Quantify contributions.

✗ 'Attended meetings and learned' is not an achievement. Show what you produced and how it impacted the case.

✗ Vague duties like "Responsible for", soft skills like "Hard Worker", and buzzwords like "synergistic" — no keywords for recruiters to find. This resume gets buried.

Wondering if YOUR CV has these same problems?

Keywords ATS Systems Scan For

These are the exact terms recruiters and ATS systems filter by for lawyer roles. Missing even 2-3 can drop your score below the threshold.

M&A Due Diligence

Commercial Contract Negotiation

GDPR/CCPA/HIPAA Compliance

E-Discovery (Relativity)

Corporate Governance

SEC Filings

IP Portfolio Management

Litigation Strategy

Contract Velocity

Regulatory Risk Mitigation

Antitrust Analysis

Data Privacy

Legal Cost Optimization

How many of these are on your CV?

Examples by Experience Level

Select your level. See the exact verbs, bullets, and metrics that ATS systems reward at each stage.

Action Verbs

DraftedReviewedResearchedSupportedDocumentedManagedCoordinatedFiledAnalyzedReduced

Metrics to Include

Contract Volume (#/Month)
Liability Exposure (Reduction)
Review Cycle Time (Hrs)
Legal Research Time (Reduction)
Regulatory Compliance (%)
Cost Reduction

Example CV Bullets

Ship independently

Reviewed and revised 50+ vendor contracts monthly, reducing potential liability risks by 20% and ensuring 100% adherence to new data privacy regulations (CCPA/GDPR).

Drafted all legal documentation for a $5M debt restructuring, ensuring accurate filing with the SEC and reducing external counsel review time by 10 hours.

Managed the e-discovery process for 3 active litigation cases, utilizing Relativity to cut document review costs by 15%.

Are your bullets this specific?

Phrases That Get Lawyers Rejected

Listing languages isn't enough. Context matters. "JavaScript" is good; "Built REST APIs with Node.js" is hired.

Responsible for making sure the company didn't get sued.

Describes a fear, not an achievement. Every in-house counsel prevents lawsuits. ATS sees zero differentiating keywords.

Reduced litigation exposure by 30% through proactive contract risk assessment, saving $500K annually in outside counsel fees.

Helped the company follow all the rules.

'All the rules' is unmatchable. ATS needs specific regulations: GDPR, CCPA, SOX, HIPAA, SEC.

Advised the executive team on GDPR/CCPA compliance, structuring data handling policies that reduced regulatory risk score by 40 points.

Very detail-oriented with paperwork and laws.

Self-assessment without evidence. ATS cannot parse 'very detail-oriented.' Show filing accuracy and compliance rates.

Prepared and filed 150+ commercial contracts with 100% accuracy, reducing execution time by 30% through template standardization.

Wrote and reviewed contracts.

No volume, no type, no speed improvement. This tells a recruiter nothing about your capability.

Negotiated 150+ SaaS/licensing contracts, reducing average execution time by 15 days and ensuring 100% regulatory compliance.

Did lots of legal research.

'Lots' is unmeasurable. Show research topics, output format, and how it impacted case outcomes.

Conducted legal research on 20+ regulatory changes, delivering summarized memos that reduced partner prep time by 20% and supported 3 successful motions.

Attended depositions and court hearings.

Attendance is not an achievement. Show what you managed, produced, or won during litigation.

Managed e-discovery for 5 active cases using Relativity, cutting document review costs by 25% and saving 200+ attorney hours annually.

Recognize any of these on your CV?

Certifications That Boost Your ATS Score

Include the full name AND the acronym. ATS systems may scan for either.

Juris Doctor (JD)

State Bar Admission

CIPP/US (Certified Information Privacy Professional/US)

Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP)

Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS)

Frequently Asked Questions

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