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Lawyer & Solicitor Resume Tips

Law firm and in-house ATS systems filter on practice areas, PQE, SRA admission, and deal/case experience. Here's how to make your legal resume pass automated screening.

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Must-Have Keywords for Lawyers & Solicitors

Practice Areas

  • • Corporate / M&A
  • • Commercial litigation
  • • Employment law
  • • Real estate / property
  • • Banking & finance
  • • Intellectual property (IP)
  • • Data protection / GDPR
  • • Dispute resolution / arbitration

Qualifications & Standing

  • • SRA admission / practising certificate
  • • PQE (post-qualification experience)
  • • LLB / LLM / LPC / SQE
  • • Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)
  • • Qualified Solicitor / KC / NQ
  • • Dual-qualified
  • • Law Society membership
  • • Pro bono / legal aid experience

Skills & Systems

  • • Contract drafting / negotiation
  • • Due diligence
  • • Legal research (Westlaw, LexisNexis)
  • • Matter management systems
  • • iManage / NetDocs
  • • Billing targets / chargeable hours
  • • Client relationship management
  • • Business development

How to Structure Your Legal Resume

1

Professional Summary

State your PQE, primary practice area, firm type (Magic Circle, Silver Circle, US firm, boutique, in-house), and a notable transaction or case outcome. "4 PQE Corporate Solicitor with M&A experience on deals up to $500M, including cross-border acquisitions across EMEA" is specific and ATS-friendly.

2

Qualifications & Admission

SRA admission date, degree institution and classification, LPC/SQE provider. For in-house roles, also include any business qualifications (MBA, CIPP). Place these near the top — they are hard ATS filters.

3

Experience — Transactions and Cases, Not Just Roles

List notable deals, matters, or cases with value, complexity, and your specific role. "Led legal workstream on $120M secondary buyout for PE client, coordinating 3 jurisdictions and 6 specialist counsel" beats "assisted with M&A transactions".

4

Business Development & Client Work

For senior roles, include BD contributions: pitches won, client relationships managed, seminars presented, or articles published. These differentiate candidates at partner level and above.

Common Legal Resume Mistakes

  • ✗Not stating PQE explicitly — it is the primary filter for most legal job boards and ATS systems
  • ✗Describing broad responsibilities without naming specific matters, deal values, or case outcomes
  • ✗Omitting practice area specialisms — "general commercial" is too vague; state the sub-specialism
  • ✗Not including legal research platforms (Westlaw, LexisNexis) — often ATS-filtered for junior roles
  • ✗Ignoring business development for senior roles — partners and senior associates are expected to show BD track record

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