Many law firms are asking about personal information (gender identity, disability status, race, veteran status) at the initial point of contact. We discuss how to deal with these disclosures and whether or not to put them on your resume (hint: you don’t)!
Read MoreOne of the questions we are regularly asked is how to deal with layoffs on a resume, and how to deal with pandemic layoffs in particular. While the panic at law firms and corporate in-house legal departments during the pandemic made sense at the time, the market has stabilized and now many attorneys who lost their jobs in 2020 are starting to re-enter the legal job market.
Read MoreLegal resumes aren’t long documents, so you have to use adjectives and other modifiers to signal to the reader the depth of your experience. You can’t list all of your litigation experience on the document (that would be a curriculum vitae). Instead, you summarize, qualify and categorize your experience so the reader can digest it. We discuss the importance of choosing the right descriptive words in your legal resume.
Read MoreWe are asked time and time again about what the key to an effective legal resume is. The answer is always the same. It’s that your resume (and certainly your cover letter) should answer the question: WHY YOU?
Read MoreResumes are not repositories for ALL of your honors and activities. They are curated collections that tell a story. We discuss what can fall off a resume when it is getting too long.
Read MoreWe discuss how to address a cover letter and avoid archaic language.
Read MoreCongratulations! You’ve just been promoted at your current employer. That’s great….but how should you reflect that on your legal resume?
Read MoreThoughts on fonts and legal resumes.
Read MoreIn what is sure to be an ongoing discussion here at LegalResumeReview, here are a few things that we see every day that you should remove from your legal resume….
Read MoreInauguration day reminds us of new beginnings….and legal resumes.
Read MoreA discussion about how attorneys should handle potentially polarizing entries on your resume.
Read MoreThe best way to deal with promotions within a company/firm on your resume.
Read MoreYou went to a law school that isn’t causing the employers to beat down your door. Or maybe you have an ominous gap in your resume. Or maybe you have some other blemish on your resume. My advice for you is to please stop beating yourself up about the “blemishes” on your resume. The truth is that you really can’t do much about it now (going back to law school for an advanced law degree from a “more prestigious” law school is rarely a good option). Work with what you have.
Read MoreToday’s topic is sort of an odd one, but it warrants some thought. We discuss how to to add (or not add) some unique information on your legal resume. High school information? Driver’s License?
A couple of easy things we can knock out on our how-can-I-improve-my-legal-resume journey. Let’s call this one ‘three no’s and a maybe.”
Read MoreA recent trend in legal resumes has been to add a “hobbies/interests” section. Historically, this section was not included in an attorney’s resume, but it is now considered acceptable. Most people think that the reason that this section is in the resume is to show the interviewer that you are a real human being with interests outside of the practice of law. Showing that you are well-rounded sounds good in theory, but remember that an employer is hiring you for your skills, not your marathon-running experience.›
Read MoreWe see a lot of resumes. The vast majority look like your typical resume: job history, education, bar admissions and maybe a section on interests and activities. Oftentimes, this is all condensed to fit on one page – the way we were taught in college. While the format is generally okay, the biggest problem with most resumes is a lack of detail. Some people intentionally hold back, thinking they will provide more detail in the interview. The problem with this strategy is you may never get to the interview without demonstrating enough pertinent experience in the resume.
Read MoreWhile Legal Resume Review has been active for over a decade, I never really thought that attorneys and law students would want to read a blog about legal resumes. When I founded the company back in 2010, I figured that the busy professionals would want a place that would help them get their resumes – the most important tool in their career toolbox – in the best shape possible.
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