Professional Resume Advice and Sample ... - Career Services

2. Balance legal jargon with business language. Of course, youneed to use the keywords and terms that are appropriate toyour legal expertise. But don’t make your resume so jargonfilledthat it is incomprehensible to the average non-lawyerreader. And if your primary target is corporate law – whetherlegal counsel, M&A advisor, corporate strategy executive,or another role – it’s absolutely essential that you speak“business” as well as “legal.”3. Be distinctive. Any time you can share that you were the“first,” “best,” “largest,” or “most” of something, you establishyourself as a leader, innovator, and precedent-setter. Did youstaff the first legal department at your company? Win thelargest settlement in your law firm’s history? Negotiate thefirst, largest, or best M&A transaction at your company? Seta legal precedent in court? These notable achievements mustbe prominently featured in your resume.4. Highlight negotiation, mediation, and problem-solving skills.Lawyers like to say that they can solve any problem, given theanalytical approach and logical thinking skills they hone inlaw school and in legal practice. Your ability to solve problemsis a valuable asset! Equally valuable are the negotiation andmediation skills you probably use every day. In your resume,highlight examples of problems you solved, solutions younegotiated, situations you mediated, and all the results andbenefits your efforts produced.CHAPTER 8 : LawLadder: Resume Samples & Keywords182