A lawyer application needs a clear account of your work as well as a readable layout. This fictional example focuses on how to make your practice area concrete. Employment, education and project records are kept separate so a reviewer can identify your contribution and scope. Compare the example with your own background; do not add tasks, tools or qualifications you cannot support.
Example CV (fictional)
This example is fictional; the names of people and organisations are not real.
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How to write this CV
Make your practice area concrete
Describe the types of matters and tasks you handled rather than claiming expertise in every area of law. Explain your responsibilities without client names, case identifiers or confidential commercial details. State professional registration and qualifications according to your actual status and jurisdiction.
Prioritise relevant experience
Read the responsibilities in the vacancy and match them to your experience. Connect skills such as Legal research, Contract review, Case tracking to work you actually performed. Put relevant contributions first instead of giving every past task the same amount of space.
Separate contribution from outcome
When describing teamwork, do not imply that the entire result was yours. Explain your responsibility, who you worked with and what you delivered. Without a measurable result, a verifiable deliverable, checklist or report can still provide concrete evidence of your contribution.
Check portfolio and project links
If sharing a project such as anonymised contract review checklist, identify what kind of work it was. Distinguish learning exercises from commercial projects. Check that links open, that you have permission to share the work and that no private information is exposed. A concise scope description can replace a link.
Order sections for your experience
Relevant employment and project contributions can appear before education. Start with the most recent role and shorten older records. Use consistent date formatting throughout, then check that headings, lines and links remain readable in the exported PDF.
Example sentences to describe your work
Adapt them to your own real work; never write something you did not do.
- Presented comparative notes on contract draft changes
- Organised case documents by topic and date
- Shared research findings with supporting sources
- Compiled evidence and event summaries for draft preparation
- Reviewed case calendars with responsible team members
- Recorded meeting notes in organised case files
Skill ideas
Choose only what is true for you.
- Legal research
- Contract review
- Case tracking
- Draft preparation
- Document management
- Calendar management
- Written communication
- Regulatory research
- Team coordination
- Confidentiality
Common mistakes
- Replacing evidence of your work with general personality claims
- Presenting personal projects, internships and employment as the same kind of experience
- Copying fictional dates, duties or skills without checking them against your background
Frequently asked questions
Should I list case outcomes?
Avoid confidential details and results that cannot be attributed to you individually. Concrete descriptions of your research, review and document preparation responsibilities are often more informative.
How should I adapt this example?
Replace the name, contact details, education and dates with your information. Rewrite every experience bullet around work you actually did, remove unrelated skills and leave out projects that do not belong to you.
Which layout should I choose?
The layout on this page is a starting point, not a mandatory design for the profession. Choose readable headings and enough space for your content. Open the final PDF to review page breaks and make sure contact details are easy to find.
Related guides
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