Attorney Resume Examples for 2026 (11 One-Page Samples)

Attorney resume examples

This page has 11 one-page attorney resume examples: a legal intern, associate, staff, litigation and senior attorneys in private practice and legal aid, and in-house lawyers from corporate counsel and senior counsel to assistant, associate and general counsel. Each one is built against 17,266 US postings from 3,687 employers, and the note under each sample explains which matters, numbers and admissions it puts first.

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Legal Intern Resume Example

Legal intern postings ask most for legal research, writing and attention to detail next to Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and this resume shows each one in research memos, citation checks, exhibit lists and hearing slides. A J.D. in progress, a passed MPRE and a year as a legal assistant fit the roughly one year of experience employers ask for.

Why this resume works:

• Draft 14 research memos on Westlaw for 3 litigation partners, each returned within 48 hours.
• Review citations in 9 briefs and motions of up to 40 pages, correcting 120+ Bluebook errors before filing.
• Summarize 2,000+ pages of deposition transcripts into digests the trial team uses for witness outlines.

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Associate Attorney Resume Example

Associate attorney postings ask for litigation experience, legal research, drafting and negotiation, so the bullets show a 45-case docket, summary judgment results, 60+ depositions and settlements reached at mediation. The J.D. and active Arizona bar admission sit up front, and 4 years of practice matches the 3 years employers ask for most.

Why this resume works:

• Manage a docket of 45 bodily injury and premises cases from answer to mediation for 6 carrier clients.
• Lead drafting of dispositive motions, winning or narrowing claims in 7 of 10 summary judgment motions.
• Take and defend 60+ depositions of plaintiffs, treating physicians and accident reconstruction experts.

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Attorney Resume Example

Attorney postings ask most for a J.D., bar membership, legal research and writing, and the drafting and negotiation of contracts, and each of those shows up in the education, the Ohio admission and the bullets. Five years across a litigation-heavy firm and a business practice give the mix of advice and disputes employers describe, with numbers on clients, contracts and resolved charges.

Why this resume works:

• Advise 40+ business clients on hiring, discipline, leave and contract questions, most within one business day.
• Lead drafting and negotiation of vendor, services and employment agreements, closing 180 contracts last year.
• Defend wage-and-hour and discrimination charges before the EEOC and Ohio Civil Rights Commission, resolving 14 without a lawsuit.

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Staff Attorney Resume Example

Staff attorney postings, many from legal aid and public agencies, ask for someone who can work independently with strong legal research, litigation and Word, Excel and Outlook skills, and the bullets show a 70-case docket, weekly intake and funder reporting. The J.D., Texas bar admission and 4 years of practice match the 3 years of experience employers ask for most.

Why this resume works:

• Represent tenants in 70+ open eviction defense and repair cases in Bexar County justice and county courts.
• Conduct client interviewing and intake for 12 new households a week, logging deadlines in Outlook.
• Secure dismissal or a negotiated move-out date in 82% of eviction cases closed in 2025.

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Litigation Attorney Resume Example

Litigation attorney postings name litigation experience, legal research and writing, depositions and oral advocacy skills most, and the bullets give a number for each: 40 depositions, 18 argued motions, 80 research memos and 3 jury trials prepared. State and federal court admissions are listed as certificates, and 5 years of practice clears the 3 years employers ask for.

Why this resume works:

• Manage 25 commercial cases with claims of $250K to $8M, reporting strategy and budget to in-house clients.
• Take and defend 40 depositions of executives, forensic accountants and damages experts.
• Present oral advocacy on 18 motions in Fulton County Superior Court and the Northern District of Georgia.

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Corporate Counsel Resume Example

Corporate counsel postings ask for drafting and negotiation of commercial agreements, managing outside counsel and sound business judgment, preferably with both law firm and in-house experience, and this resume has exactly that path. Contract volume, a self-serve template playbook and a legal budget beaten by 22% give hiring managers the numbers behind the 6 years of practice.

Why this resume works:

• Negotiate 300+ SaaS agreements, MSAs and DPAs a year with enterprise buyers, keeping median close time at 9 days.
• Built contract templates and a fallback playbook that let sales close 60% of deals without legal review.
• Advise product and security teams on data privacy under GDPR and CCPA, running 4 vendor assessments a quarter.

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Senior Counsel Resume Example

Senior counsel postings ask for drafting and negotiation skills, business judgment and the ability to work independently on a broad contract load, and this resume shows a lawyer who owns $120M in supply deals and runs her own intake queue. Nine years split between a law firm and two in-house roles fits the 6.5-year median and the law-firm-plus-in-house background employers prefer.

Why this resume works:

• Lead negotiation of supply, distribution and GPO agreements worth $120M a year in combined revenue.
• Review promotional materials and HCP contracts for regulatory compliance across 14 product launches since 2022.
• Supervise 2 contract managers and an intake queue of 70 requests a month, holding turnaround under 5 days.

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Senior Attorney Resume Example

Senior attorney postings ask for litigation experience, legal research and writing, drafting and negotiation skills, and the bullets cover each with case counts, depositions, trials and mediated settlements. Seven years of practice, first-chair trial work and mentoring associates show the step up from associate that a senior title implies.

Why this resume works:

• Run 35 construction defect cases for contractors and insurers, setting strategy, budgets and reserves.
• Lead trial preparation for 4 jury trials as first chair, winning defense verdicts or reduced awards in 3.
• Mentor 2 associates on legal writing and depositions, reviewing every brief before filing.

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Assistant General Counsel Resume Example

Assistant general counsel postings look for drafting and negotiation skills, sound judgment, business acumen and project management skills, and the bullets show each through contract volume, managed claims and a 90-day acquisition integration. Eight years that run from a litigation firm to two in-house roles match the law firm and in-house mix employers prefer.

Why this resume works:

• Oversee 60 cargo, employment and vehicle accident claims, directing 9 outside firms to approved budgets.
• Negotiate shipper, broker and fleet leasing agreements, closing 220 commercial contracts last year.
• Advise HR on employment law across 14 terminals, including wage-and-hour audits and 30+ separations a year.

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Associate General Counsel Resume Example

Associate general counsel postings ask for deep legal experience, drafting and negotiation, sound judgment and executive presence, and this resume shows a lawyer who runs a contract team, negotiates payer deals and briefs the board every quarter. Nine years from a health care law firm to two in-house roles matches the 7-year median employers ask for.

Why this resume works:

• Lead a team of 3 attorneys and 2 paralegals handling 1,100 contract requests a year.
• Structure physician contracts and medical director agreements under Stark and Anti-Kickback rules, approving 250+ a year.
• Direct HIPAA breach response and investigations, closing 40 incidents last year without a federal penalty.

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General Counsel Resume Example

General counsel postings ask for broad legal experience, negotiation, corporate governance, integrity and business judgment, and this resume shows a lawyer who sits with the board, closes acquisitions and keeps a 9-person team on budget. Fourteen years from a law firm through deputy general counsel to the top legal role fits the leadership level and clears the 8-year median employers ask for.

Why this resume works:

• Build and lead a 9-person legal and compliance team, holding legal spend flat as revenue grew 40%.
• Run corporate governance as board secretary, preparing materials for 6 meetings a year across 11 entities.
• Direct 3 acquisitions worth $310M, leading negotiation of purchase agreements and post-close integration.

What employers ask for in attorney job postings

Technical skills and tools employers name

Make sure your resume shows

• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills (46% of employers)
• J.D. from an accredited law school (39% of employers)
• Manages multiple priorities in a fast-paced setting (31% of employers)
• 5+ years of legal practice, ideally law firm and in-house (counsel roles) (31% of employers)
• Sound business judgment and practical, risk-based advice (16% of employers)
• Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts (12% of employers)
• Active state bar membership in good standing (11% of employers)
• Works independently and as part of a team (11% of employers)

Duties to build your bullet points around

What employers write most often under responsibilities. Show each one with a result (numbers, scale, outcome), not a copy of the duty.

• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements (10%)
• Manage outside counsel, disputes and litigation (9%)
• Draft pleadings, motions and discovery (9%)
• Represent clients in hearings, depositions, mediations and negotiations (8%)
• Do legal research and build case strategy (6%)
• Build contract templates, playbooks and legal processes (6%)

The examples on this page, in job postings

Which job title to put on your resume: the titles employers use most, so recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for them: Attorney (571 employers), Associate Attorney (342 employers), Counsel (338 employers), Senior Counsel (227 employers), Corporate Counsel (203 employers).

Source: Owlapply analysis of active US job postings, October 2026. Requirements and duties are grouped by meaning from the postings' own bullet lists and counted once per employer.

Advertised pay, experience and the skills employers ask for: Attorney pay and requirements.

Attorney resume sample (text you can copy)

This is the text of the Associate Attorney example above. Paste it into the resume builder and replace the details with your own.

How to write a attorney resume

Write a attorney resume summary

• Open with your bar admissions, years of practice and practice area, such as insurance defense, employment, commercial litigation or health care.
• Name the setting: law firm, legal aid, government agency or in-house, and for in-house roles the industry and company size.
• Give one measure of scope, such as an active docket of 45 cases, 300 agreements a year or the size of the team you lead.
• For in-house roles, say how you advise the business, since about 16% of employers ask for practical, risk-based advice.

Write attorney experience bullets

• Litigators: count dockets, depositions, argued motions and trials, and give outcomes such as summary judgment wins or settlements below the opening demand.
• Transactional and in-house lawyers: show contract volume, deal value, close time and contracts that templates moved out of legal review.
• Show cost control when you manage outside counsel, such as legal spend under budget, because managing outside counsel is a duty about 10% of employers write.
• For general counsel and deputy roles, show board work, acquisitions closed, compliance results and team size.

Pick the skills for a attorney resume

• Communication appears in about 40% of postings in this career and analytical skills in about 25%; prove them with briefs, board updates or advice turnaround.
• List the legal skills employers name more often here than anywhere else: writing (about 12%), legal research (about 11%), drafting (about 10%) and negotiation (about 9%), plus civil litigation experience and case management for litigation roles.
• Add the research and practice tools you use, such as Westlaw, eDiscovery platforms and Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.

Do's and don'ts

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