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A CV for law students can help you secure that all-important internship while you’re studying or land your first role as a legal assistant after graduating. The question is – what makes a law student CV sample stand out to recruiters? The answer is a combination of the right structure, that can be nailed with our easy-to-download CV templates, and relevant content that ticks every box for recruiters, topped off with a professional appearance. But sometimes, it’s easier to see it in practice. Our CVs, like the law student CV example (UK) has been built to recruiter requirements, showing you exactly how things are done from the contact details and personal statement to the experience, and education – not to mention a fantastic law student CV template that nails the design. We’ve paired that step-by-step advice for your CV, law student tips, and answers to the top questions. Read on our advice on how to write your CV for:
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Sample law student CV
AIDEN LEONARD 11 Guild Street, London, N19 0NB 07912345678 a.leonard@example-example.co.uk PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Proactive Legal Intern with excellent legal documentation and research skills. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in copyright law. Excited to gain invaluable hands-on experience while helping clients achieve goals. WORK HISTORY 06/2021 – 09/2022 Law Intern, Keys & Sutherland – London
- Gained hands-on experience assisting partner with copyright, patents, and trademark cases.
- Built new relationships in the copyright law field by engaging in networking events with up to 50+ attendees.
- Assisted partners and the marketing team with preparing legal and marketing material.
10/2019 – 03/2021 Retail Assistant, Spar – London
- Performed daily store opening and closing, readying the sales floor for customers and delivering stringent security measures.
- Continually replenished stock in line with sales records, keeping well-maintained, presentable item displays.
- Resolved customer complaints and processed issues with proactive problem-solving skills.
SKILLS
- Legal project work
- Research skills
- Case management
- Debating and mooting
- Relationship building
- Confident communicator
- Persuasive writing
- Administrative legal support
EDUCATION
- 2022 LLB: Law University College London
- 2019 A-Levels: Law, Economics, Psychology, English Literature Tormead Sixth Form
- 2017 GCSEs Guildford High School
Law student CV template
By using a premade CV template, you’ll be able to get a head start on landing a new job! Customisable templates allow you to tailor your CV to your area of expertise, and then build on it to create a graduate CV.
Choosing a format for your law student CV
When you’re writing a CV, the first decision to make is which CV format you’ll use. For a law student CV (UK), the most popular option is a reverse-chronological CV format. That’s because it’s the conventional structure for all UK CVs, highlighting your experience first, which is then complemented by your competencies and qualifications. In simple terms, reverse-chronological refers to your current or most recent job being listed first, before you work backwards through previous roles – like our CV sample for law students. But what about a CV for law students with no experience? In this case, the skills-based CV format is better suited. If you don’t have much (or any) experience to highlight, there’s no point using a format that focuses on your career to date. Instead, this structure includes a more detailed review of your technical and transferable aptitudes that are relevant to the job. The skills section is included higher up, with any work experience listed below it as a supplement to your qualities and capabilities. Here are some other important things to keep in mind when it comes to the format of your CV:
- Your CV should be 1-2 pages in length
- Ensure to use a professional font like Arial or Times New Roman
- Use subheadings and bullet points to break up the text so it’s not one block of writing
- Send your CV as either a Word or PDF document
How to write a CV for a law student
Whether you’re looking to get a job on the side of your studies, or if you’re just building a CV for when you graduate, it’s important to learn how to write a CV . Here is what’s coming up:
- What contact details should I include in my law student CV?
- Start your law student CV with a personal statement
- Law student CV work experience
- Law student CV skills
- Get education right on your law student CVV
What contact details should I include in my law student CV?
The goal of any CV is for recruiters to get in touch. A CV for law students is no exception, so be sure to include your name, address, phone number and email address. To make things easy for recruiters, put all of that information at the top of your CV. Law student applicants should also consider which email address they’re including. As a student, you might still be using an address you set up as a teenager, which isn’t suitable for job applications. If that’s the case, set up a new account with a simple, professional address. Most importantly, make sure the phone number and email address are regularly used and monitored. Recruiters won’t take kindly to long waits between emails – and they might not call back if their first attempt is missed. Like on this example:
Example of contact section for law student CV
Start your law student CV with a personal statement
Look at any good CV sample for law students and you’ll see a strong personal statement front and centre. Also known as a professional summary, this short paragraph is arguably the most important part of your CV. Why? It’s the first thing recruiters read – and could be the only thing they read if it’s not on point. Start by picking out your most valuable selling points from a recruiter’s perspective, such as, “Proactive Legal Intern with excellent legal documentation and research ability”. You’ll notice that this sentence from our law student CV example also uses third person, which is a good way to shift the focus from you to your qualities. If you’re still studying, it’s worth acknowledging this from the get-go, rather than leaving it ambiguous. In our law student CV sample, this achieved concisely with “Currently pursuing master’s degree in copyright law”. Crucially, this also highlights the candidate’s specialism, which is vital in a field as diverse as law. Finally, you can cover what you’re looking for in a role. That doesn’t mean “Looking for a well-paid position with a great work-life balance”. Instead, continue to focus on the employer while showcasing your motivation and ambition, such as “Excited to gain invaluable hands-on experience while helping clients achieve goals”. Here are some additional tips for writing the perfect personal statement:
- Write in the third person as this is more professional
- Keep it under 100 words
- Strike a balance between friendly and professional in terms of tone
- Write your personal statement with reference to the job description
To get your law student CV profile looking right, you’ll want to see some examples. This will ensure that you include everything you need to, the best way to word it, and how brevity is your friend.
Example of personal statement for law student CV
OR
Law student CV work experience
By definition, law students don’t have as much experience as qualified lawyers. But that doesn’t mean your work experience is any less valuable on a CV for a law student. That said, there are a few rules to make sure you get it right. To give you a better idea, here’s our CV writing tips on what to include and how to include it!
Different types of experience
When it comes to your CV, law student example jobs can include internships, part-time roles while studying, and summer jobs in between academic years. Even if they’re not directly relevant to the law industry, they’re a good way to demonstrate transferable competencies like communication, teamwork, and a client-focused approach. Our CV sample for law students includes a role as a Retail Assistant, for example, detailing how they resolved customer complaints with problem solving expertise.
Stay concise and relevant
When listing previous roles, you don’t have to include every last thing you did. Like our law student CV example, three to six responsibilities per role is enough to give a good overview of your duties and the capabilities developed. On a CV for law students with no experience, it might be tempting to list university projects as “roles”. Unfortunately, this can make your CV confusing and a bit unprofessional. Rather than trying to make the reverse-chronological format work when it’s unsuitable, it’s better to opt for a skills-based CV.
How to list your work experience
There are a few pieces of information recruiters need about previous jobs on your law student CV:
- Start and end dates of employment
- What the job was and where you worked
- Concise responsibilities
Example of work experience for a law student CV
Legal Assistant 08/2022 – 07/2023
WMC Law – Birmingham
- Reviewed evidence and prepared advice to maximise case success.
- Created reports to track billable hours and deliverables.
- Delivered legal research and analysis to effectively resolve cases.
Law student CV skills
Whether it’s for an internship or entry-level paralegal role, capabilities are integral to any CV for a law student. Fortunately, lots of those present on any law CV are established during your student days. Research and critical thinking are both vital during law degrees. You’ll also have a solid understanding of the legal system. That may include a specialist area, depending on your course. Crucially, you’ll be up to date with all the latest developments or regulations given that you’re currently studying them. The way your CV skills are presented will depend on which format you’ve chosen. For a conventional law student CV (UK), you should include a bullet-point list of 6-10. On the other hand, a skills-based CV will have around 6 main groups with specific capabilities to back them up. For instance, the heading “Copyright law specialism” could be broken down into “Knowledge of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988”, “Currently studying a Master’s in Copyright law”, and “Familiar with copyright protection and the complaints process”. Take a look at the technical expertise and transferable qualities below to get you started.
Essential skills for a law student
- Research
- Specialist area knowledge
- Critical thinking
- Case management
- Familiar with legal proceedings
- Understanding of legal terminology
Desirable aptitudes to set you apart
- Strong speaker
- Good listener
- Rapport building
- Client-focused
- Calm under pressure
- Problem solving
Get education right on your law student CV
Education is essential for most jobs in the legal sector. As a law student, you’re well on your way to securing that bachelor’s or master’s degree. But you might not have graduated just yet. Or maybe you’re just unsure how to list your qualifications. Here’s how to navigate the education on a CV for law students.
What to include
You should include any relevant qualifications from college onwards in the education section of your law student CV. List your A levels and subjects (ideally including law) or a BTEC in Applied Law, unless you’re a mature student whose qualifications are from over a decade ago. You can also include the degree you’re working towards. Even if you haven’t graduated, it’s important to give recruiters an idea of your legal knowledge and understanding. Whether or not you include GCSEs is down to personal preference. Given how recent they are for most law students, it can seem odd to leave them out.
How to list your qualifications
As with our law student CV example, UK recruiters expect qualifications to be listed in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most recent degree or the one you’re studying for, then work backwards as far as GCSE, depending on your preference. Here’s the information you’ll need to include with an example:
- Date (or expected date) of qualification
- Level and subject
- Institution
Example of education for a law student’s CV
Dos and don’ts for your law student CV
Do
DO tailor your CV for each job
As a law student, the jobs you’re applying for are likely to vary quite a bit. Using the same CV for all of them simply won’t cut it. Instead, you should follow the letter of the law when it comes to the job description. Read through, pick out the key requirements that you meet, then make sure you include them in your law student CV skills, work history, and professional summary.
DO mention your specialisms
If you specialise in a particular area of law, make sure the jury isn’t out when recruiters are reading your law student CV. Mention your specialism in your personal statement and back it up wherever possible throughout the rest of your CV.
Don't
DON’T forget to add a cover letter
Cover letters give you a chance to discuss why you’re a great fit for the role and highlight your motivation. They can be hugely important, especially alongside a CV for law students with no experience. Start by introducing the role you’re applying for, including where you found it, and why it appeals to you. Here, it’s good to mention some aspects of the company that you like – not least because it shows you’ve done your research. After this, you can go into more detail about your work experience, education, and anything else that sets you apart as a candidate.
DON’T forget to check for errors
With so many details sneaked into the small print of contracts, lawyers need to have impeccable attention to detail. You won’t be able to show this if your CV has typos, inaccuracies, or missing information. To root out any errors, get out your magnifying glass and give your law student CV the small print treatment.
Your law student CV questions answered
How do I build my CV as a law student?
If you want to build out the various sections on your law student CV, a good trick is to read through the job description for your chosen role. Note down any criteria that matches your own abilities and experience. You can then use that to fill the rest of your CV with relevant information.
How should a law CV look?
Above all else, your law student CV should look professional and tidy. Recruiters may want to skim-read, so use clear sections that are properly spaced apart with subheadings. Stick to a simple font in standard sizes (10-12 for paragraph text) and use colour sparingly. Take a look at a law student CV template to see how it’s done.
How do you write a personal profile for a legal CV?
Also known as a personal statement or professional summary, your personal profile should comprise 2-4 sentences, highlighting your specialist area of law and some key capabilities like “research” and “documentation”. You can also include your level of experience, which means mentioning that you’ve just graduated or you’re working towards an LLB, for most law students.
What are the most important things to add into a CV for a law student?
The easiest way to make a CV for law students is by splitting it into sections:
- Contact details –Start with your name, address, email address, and phone number.
- Personal statement – Summarise your CV in 3-4 sentences, highlighting your most valuable qualities to potential employers.
- Work history – List your previous roles starting with the most recent, along with 3-6 responsibilities for each job. This can be omitted or placed further down on a CV for law students with no experience.
- Skills – List 6-10 key competencies for a reverse-chronological CV or expand on them for a skills-based CV.
- Education –Include any relevant qualifications including those you’re studying toward.
Law student CV writing made easy
Writing a great law student CV doesn’t have to be as difficult as building a legal case. With myPerfectCV, you can find everything you need in one place – including our top-rate CV examples, law student CV templates, and an easy-to-use online builder. Simply enter the job you’re applying for then choose from pre-written content to showcase your expertise and experience. Get started today!
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