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In order to secure a coveted job as a legal advisor, you will need to write a CV that reflects the key skills and abilities you have for performing this role while also stressing your strengths.
Competition for legal advisor positions is fierce, so spend a reasonable amount of time reading through the following guidance – it’ll help you showcase your top talents in the most favourable light!
Using a free legal advisor CV sample will give you an understanding of the types of information that you need to include in your own CV as well as how the CV should be formatted. We’ve also provided some pre-made CV templates to simplify the writing process.
Ready to craft a legal advisor CV that’ll bowl over hiring managers and crush the competition? Check out our tips in the following sections:
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Sample legal advisor CV
Kiara Connell
444 Kingsway, Manchester M60 3TT
07912345678
Kiara.Connell@example-example.co.uk
Professional summary
Trustworthy individual demonstrates knowledge of crisis management, reporting and formal legislation. Objective and methodical thinker helps to maintain regulatory compliance. Confident processing complex information to provide sound and reliable advice.
Work history
February 2016 – Current
Dohnson – Manchester
Legal Advisor
- Enabled efficient service by accurately managing court orders and critical dates in department diaries.
- Guaranteed ethical, risk-based decision-making through independent challenge and questioning.
- Maintained legal and regulatory compliance, ensuring full transparency between agencies, company and clients.
September 2013 – January 2016
Trade Inc. – Manchester
Legal Advisor
- Facilitated legal process by reviewing various legal documents, including non-disclosure documents and purchase agreements.
- Provided effective customer support by establishing facts of legal issues and advising on legal options available.
- Performed risk assessments to accurately identify and evaluate exposure to legal, ethics and compliance risks.
Skills
- Business law expertise
- Caseload prioritisation
- Case management systems
- Legal risk management strategies
- Legal documentation knowledge
- Evidence collection and review
- Investigatory documentation
- Dispute Resolution
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate transactions
Education
University of Manchester Manchester – 2012
Bachelor of Arts Law and Business
Choosing the right format for your legal advisor CV
Before diving into the finer details, you must decide how to structure your legal advisor CV. While it’s tempting to skip this step, it’s essential to get it right. Information should be easy-to-read and concise to cater to busy hiring managers and formulaic CV reading software. There are two widely accepted CV formats to choose from – the reverse-chronological CV and the skills-based CV.
The reverse-chronological format highlights your employment history, starting from your current or most recent role. In contrast, the skills-based structure sells your potential if you lack job-specific skills and relevant work experience. Which is best for an aspiring legal advisor? Without a doubt, the former!
We recommend using a reverse-chronological layout because this position is highly technical. While you don’t necessarily need prior experience as a legal advisor, you must demonstrate an exhaustive knowledge of legal procedures in your chosen field (such as construction or finance). Most successful candidates are former advocates or lawyers who want to swap the courtroom for the corporate world.
Alongside observing the correct formatting rules, there are a few additional things to keep in mind when crafting your curriculum vitae. It should only be one to two pages long maximum with a professional font. Unless asked otherwise, send your application as a Word or PDF file.
How to write a CV for a legal advisor
Writing an eye-catching CV that sets you apart from the competition can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not a natural wordsmith. However, there’s no need to fret – you can break the process down into digestible chunks, starting with contact details and finishing with education.
If you’re wondering how to write a CV, scroll on as we run through:
- How to add contact details to your legal advisor CV
- How to write a personal statement for your legal advisor CV
- Tackling work experience on a CV for a legal advisor
- Skills worth having on your legal advisor CV
- How to add education to your legal advisor CV
How to add contact details to your legal advisor CV
While it might sound obvious, you should always add up-to-date contact details at the top of your CV. Otherwise, hiring managers and recruiters won’t be able to invite you to the interview stage. Include:
- Full name
- Location
- Phone number
- Email address
Another top tip is to keep your email address work-appropriate – first impressions matter!
Example of contact section for a legal advisor CV
John Simmons
48 This Road
This Town, TJ82 9SM
01234 777986
johnsimmons@thismail.com
How to write a personal statement for your legal advisor CV
If you want to win over the employer, prioritise a punchy personal statement This three- or four-sentence introduction (or 50- to 100-word paragraph) summarises your years of experience, most desirable attributes, and proudest achievements. You could also mention your career goals – hiring managers love candidates who express an interest in climbing up the company ladder!
Our top advice for a winning personal statement includes:
- Write in the third person for a polished edge
- Use action verbs like “orchestrated” and “championed”
- Focus on positive adjectives such as “patient” and “organised”
- Remove the fluff and keep information to the point
- Double-check for spelling and grammatical mistakes
Above all else, pepper your text with plenty of hard evidence and be as specific as possible. Ultimately, you want to show the hiring manager how amazing you are rather than asking them to believe you.
Instead of saying you “renegotiated contract terms”, explain how you “renegotiated the contract terms for our primary contractor, saving the business approximately £200,000 per year”.
Example of personal statement for a legal advisor CV
Charismatic and energetic legal advisor with eight years of career experience in business and legal environments. Business law expert skillful at creating and building on relationships and identifying and helping to establish company positioning. Able to quickly draft complicated contracts under critical conditions.
OR
Knowledgeable legal advisor who excels at critical thinking and strategy planning as well as liaising with clients and key figures from different types of industries. Able to manage multiple workloads while demonstrating impeccable attention to detail. Ensures all legal work meets the standards set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Tackling work experience on a CV for a legal advisor
Without a doubt, the most crucial part of a legal advisor CV is the employment history section. Candidates must have at least three years of experience in a law-related role – popular gateway positions include solicitor, barrister, and advocate. Hiring managers also check for loyalty and ambition by establishing how long a person typically stays at a company and whether they receive consistent promotions.
Most importantly, this is an excellent place for employers to assess your strengths. As well as discussing your day-to-day duties, highlight as many unique accomplishments, attributes, and awards as possible to win over the reader! The format is as follows:
- Job title
- Employment start and end dates
- Company name and location
- Key responsibilities
- Significant achievements
We suggest including up to six responsibilities underneath each job, being mindful not to fall into repetition. If you’ve mentioned “contract drafting” in one role, talk about “legal research” in another. Spotlighting a diverse collection of skills will show the employer the breadth of your capabilities.
The overall tone should be confident and upbeat – even if you know you’re up against more experienced applicants. As such, lead with engaging action verbs and positive adjectives that rouse excitement. Before writing this section, create a bank of words to pick from when you need extra inspiration.
Lastly, ensure all information is relevant to the job description. Legal advisors span all industries and possess many specialisms. For example, you don’t need to detail harassment suits if the job you’re applying for focuses on contract disputes.
Example of work experience for a legal advisor CV
Legal Advisor at Wells and Sons, London | February 2005 – Present Day
- Protecting company interests and maintaining a strong business position through the revision of contracts.
- Handling tax and claim disputes and representing the company in a court of law during disputes.
- Reviewing various contracts and recommending revisions when necessary.
- Researching the current legal position of the company to present it in the best light possible at all times.
Legal Advisor at Trade International, London | September 2003 – January 2005
- Reviewed vendor contracts as well as employment policies and advised changes when necessary.
- Resolved disputes between contractors and made sure that the needs of all parties were taken care of.
- Drafted different types of contracts, such as employment contracts and vendor contracts.
- Represented the company and advised on the best legal position to take on various issues.
Skills worth having on your legal advisor CV
Did you know that recruiters only spend about six seconds looking at each CV they receive? As such, you need to quickly catch their attention by presenting a medley of irresistible CV skills.
So, what are CV skills? Quite simply, they are a showreel of your most valuable competencies and qualities. The most successful applications combine hard skills with soft skills. The former covers technical knowledge like “drafting legal documents” and “negotiating contracts”, while the latter focuses on personality-based traits like “empathy” and “discipline”.
Most candidates fall into the trap of only including hard skills because they think it’ll make them a more attractive prospect. However, it risks sounding cold and robotic. Employers also want to know whether you have the right character to fit in with the wider company culture.
Our top advice is to mention 8-12 skills in total, split evenly between the above. Resist the urge to copy from the job spec and stay as authentic as possible – recruiters have an uncanny ability to tell fact from fiction!
To make things easier, here are some essential and nice-to-have skills to include on your legal advisor CV:
Essential skills for a legal advisor
- Strong knowledge of business and private law
- Able to understand the needs of different types of businesses
- Experienced in drafting legal documents
- Excels at conflict resolution
- Brilliant problem-solving abilities under pressure
Desirable aptitudes to set you apart
- Contract management and negotiations
- Sales and marketing
- Regulatory compliance
- Business and legal expertise
- Excellent communication skills
How to add education to your legal advisor CV
As you can imagine, becoming a legal advisor requires a comprehensive education to back up tangible work experience. The highly technical nature of the role means candidates can’t blag their way in – they must prove they possess the niche knowledge to hit the ground running!
How do you become a legal advisor? The path is long but oh-so-rewarding. Most employers require a Law degree – paired with a qualification to practise as a barrister or solicitor from the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or the Legal Practise Course (LPC). If you studied a different subject (like Sports or Engineering), you’d also need to complete a Conversion Graduate Diploma in Law.
Some companies prefer applicants who specialise in a particular field. So, it’s a good idea to mention any relevant modules that were part of your university course. For instance, it would be beneficial to say that you studied “Banking and Fintech Law” if you were applying for a legal advisor position in the finance sector.
In this section, include the following:
- Name of school, college, university, or other awarding body
- Study dates
- Subject title – no need for GCSEs
- Qualification level – e.g. GCSE or undergraduate degree
- Qualification result
Example of education for a legal advisor CV
Legal and Business University London 2000 – 2003
Bachelor of Law: First class honours
London College 1998 – 2000
A levels: Law (A), Psychology (A), English (A), Science (A), and Maths (B)
London High School 1993 – 1998
12 GCSEs at grades A* – B
Top tips for legal advisor CV writing
Create a persuasive cover letter
Most applications won't go any further unless they come with a carefully constructed cover letter. The purpose of this thoughtful introduction is multifaceted – it summarises your best bits, outlines your career expectations, and shows bucket loads of willingness.
Highlight your niche
As mentioned, there's a wealth of niches to explore within the legal advisor field. One candidate cannot know everything, so employers often ask for specific skills and knowledge. You should include your specialism in your personal statement to direct your application to the right department.
Outline your core qualifications
You'd be surprised how many unqualified people apply for legal advisor positions, wasting the hiring manager’s precious time. You can score a couple of brownie points by noting your core qualifications at the top of your CV – this confirms your suitability from the get-go.
Show off your personality
Remember, businesses don't want to hire a heartless robot who can't read people! Instead, they need a bold communicator who can build valuable relationships, resolve complicated disputes, and work with multiple teams. Don't be afraid to explain how your super qualities make you the best person for the job.
Double-check for errors
Your legal advisor CV won't impress anyone if it's riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. Before sending your application, run the text through a free spellchecker and ask friends, family, or colleagues to take a quick look.
Your legal advisor CV questions answered
What is the role of a legal advisor?
The role of a legal advisor changes depending on the specialism and industry. However, every position involves handling a company’s or client’s legal responsibilities, from providing verbal guidance to preparing evidence for court. Other duties include:
- Drafting legal opinions, memoranda, and documents
- Providing legal assistance to other departments
- Creating contracts and resolving disputes
- Ensuring legal compliance across the company
- Building profitable relationships
Is being a legal advisor stressful?
Every job has an element of stress if you’re not prepared. Luckily, it takes many years to become a legal advisor, so you’ll already possess the knowledge and experience to excel.
Is a legal advisor a lawyer?
Essentially, yes. Legal advisors are lawyers who typically work in corporate environments rather than courtrooms. They usually specialise in one area of the law and have a good understanding of corporate growth, mergers, and best practices.
How much does a legal advisor earn in the UK?
The average salary for a legal advisor in the UK is £35,000. Entry-level positions start from £26,000, while experienced advisors could earn up to £60,000 per year.
Create your legal advisor CV with our handy online tools
This inclusive legal advisor CV sample is just one of the wide range of different types of examples that can be used to provide important insights into the procedure of CV writing.
Jobseekers who are seeking further direction should be sure to take a look at the tools and CV builder that are located on this site, including a range of CV examples for various law roles, pre-made CV templates perfect for legal advisors, and professionally written content that can be filtered to match your experience.
