Law CV Template

This Law CV template has been provided by the Careers Centre at Coventry
University. For more information on firms you can apply to, head over to
our Law Jobs section.
Your Name
Address
Email address and phone number (s)
You dont need to add your age, date of birth, gender, marital status, etc

Profile

A profile is written in third person and can be as long as three to four

sentences. It details the personal qualities, skills and experience you have
that you feel is most relevant to the job position and outlines the type of
opportunity you are looking for.
It is normally the first part of your CV that a potential employer reads, so it is
important that it is engaging and interesting enough to encourage the
recruiter to read on! You should write a new profile section for each job you
apply for.
Example fragments:
An ambitious, enthusiastic and committed second year LLB undergraduate
who possesses a genuine interest and understanding of (type of law you
are most interested in). Keen to obtain a summer 2012 placement within a
XXX environment...
OR
...Currently seeking a challenging work placement opportunity within a
dynamic (put type of law specialism here e.g. commercial, family,
shipping etc..) firm which will offer early responsibilities, and the
opportunity to develop practical legal skills.

Education

This should be listed in reverse order, with your current or most recent
qualification first. If you have started but not yet finished a qualification, you
should still include it in this section. Make sure the format is clear and easy to
read.

Avoid large blocks of text and a conversational style. For instance Since 2010
I have been a student at Coventry University, where I have been studying
Law is too long winded; a succinct format is best:
Dates fromto
Name of institution, name of programme
Relevant module details: (Listing some, but not all, of the modules youve
studied can be another way of tailoring your CV and cutting down the length.
If you do this, choose the most relevant modules to the opportunity youre
applying for.)
e.g. 2010 Present
Coventry University, LLB Law
Relevant module details: European and International Law, Human Rights and
Family Law.
(Remember to include details of your educational history from GCSE level.
The details you provide need to be accurate and checkable.)

Legal Work Experience (Paid or

unpaid)
Again, this should be in reverse order, with the most recent first. A clear
format, which mirrors the one you use for your education section, is essential.
Employers shouldnt have to search for relevant information; it should jump
out at them. An example format might be:
Dates from to Name of employer/organisation, location, job role
Provide details of what you did; the skills you developed and the positive
contribution you made to the environment you were in.
Of course, it is not always possible to provide details of the contribution you
made to a work environment if you were present in an untrained/observer
capacity, but you can still provide specific and measurable information that
will enable your prospective employer to quantify your experience. For
example:

11-15 July & 12-16 August 2009 New Walk Chambers, Leicester Mini
Pupillages:
Attended four court hearings and one conference with clients, solicitors
and experts.
Observed two chamber meetings and gained an insight into the chambers
administrative work.

If you were in a work environment for a longer period of time or working in a

paid capacity, it is often easier and beneficial to provide a greater depth of
information on your CV to help the potential employer understand the level of
responsibility you held in that particular environment. For example:

2008 Present Alsters Kelly Solicitors, Legal Assistant

Translating legal documents into English from Chinese and Japanese.

Supporting a team of three solicitors during immigration screening

interviews by note taking and using my language skills to relay advice to clients
on complex immigration issues.

Working in this capacity has helped improve my practical understanding of

International Law and immigration issues, and developed my listening and
rapport building skills. It has also given me an invaluable insight into how a legal
establishment operates on a daily basis including such issues as case loading,
and client management.

My language skills have enabled me to make a positive impact on this

environment by facilitating the communication between in excess of 100 clients
and this practice.

Additional Work Experience

(Paid or unpaid)
Example format:
Dates from to Name of Employer/Organisation, location, Job role
When you are referring to additional work experience in your CV, provide
details of what you did, the skills you developed and the contribution you
made to the environment.
Remember to focus on the types of competencies particularly required in the
type of law environment you want to work in.
Example:

June September 2007

British Gas, Leicester - Customer Service
Representative
Responsibilities:
Assisting customers by providing up to date and accurate information on
products and services.
Providing customer feedback to my line manager on a monthly and ad
hoc basis.

Skills Acquired: The ability to work independently or as part of a team in an

organised manner; an understanding of how large businesses work and how
to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers; the ability to
assimilate new information and adapt to a commercial environment.
Achievements: Designed and implemented a new work flow spreadsheet
and reward system which was approved by the management committee and
adopted by the branch. This improved productivity by 25% over a 6 month
period, significantly increasing staff motivation and commitment levels.

Other skills

This section is optional and could include details of language competencies,

computer literacy or whether you have a full, clean UK/EU/EEA or
international driving licence.

Personal achievements
This section should include details of relevant and exceptional achievements
e.g.

Elected to the Law Society Committee for 2008-2009. My involvement

included training and mentoring five new members to improve their debating
skills. Additionally awarded the university derived '2008 Debater of the Year
accolade.

Employee of the Month in September 2008, March 2009 and August

2009. This is awarded monthly to the branch employee who has received the
highest percentage of positive customer feedback.

Interests & activities

Include details of activities to demonstrate law related competencies and also
those which show that you are a well-rounded individual who is capable,
accomplished, responsible, active and enthusiastic about getting involved in
other pursuits etc...
Examples:
Sports: Sport: Running (Cheshire Cross-Country Champion 2009 and 2010)
Member of the XXname of teamXX under 25's hockey team since
February 2008, training twice a week and participating in monthly league
matches. XXname of the teamXX were awarded the XXXname of
leagueXXX trophy in 2009.

Travel: Planned and organised my own gap year in 2007-8 which involved
back packing and travelling independently across parts of North America and
Asia including XXX, XXX, XXX and XXXX.
Languages:
English : Mother tongue
Spanish: Fluent
French : Upper intermediate level
German : Beginner
Volunteering: On a monthly basis I volunteer at one of three local schools in
my area to provide 'Aimhigher' input into their citizenship classes. To date, I
have presented seven one hour sessions to groups of up to 50 young people
aged between eight and fourteen years old.
The feedback I have received from students has been very positive and the
teachers involved with the scheme have begun to develop my input into
other subject areas such as XXX and XXX.

References
Option 1:
You can give the full names and contact details of TWO referees (one
academic, one work-related)
Option 2:
You can say Available on request
If you're currently on the hunt for a Training Contract or Vacation
Scheme to use your CV on, head over to our Law Jobs section.