Law

Advocate CV: example and template

This example is for advocates (adwokaci, members of the Polish bar) at law firms, in-house legal departments and their own practices who are looking for a new job or cooperation, and for final-year trainee advocates.

A law firm wants to know what you specialise in, which cases you handle, before which courts, for which clients and since when you have been admitted to the bar. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: advocate

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Magdalena Sikorska

Advocate

Poznan +48 123 456 789 magdalena.sikorska@example.com

Professional profile

Advocate admitted to the Poznan Bar since 2020, with 9 years of experience at law firms. I specialise in commercial disputes and employment law. I handle about 40 court cases a year on my own before the common courts of both instances and prepare opinions and contracts for 15 regular business clients. In the last 3 years I obtained a favourable judgment or a settlement in about 80% of concluded cases.

Work experience

Advocate, senior associate

03.2020 - present

Commercial law firm, Poznan

  • About 40 court cases a year in commercial disputes and employment cases.
  • Representation before district, regional and appeal courts.
  • Legal opinions, contracts and negotiations for 15 regular business clients.
  • A favourable judgment or settlement in about 80% of concluded cases.
  • Supervising 2 trainees and employment law training for clients.

Trainee advocate

01.2017 - 02.2020

Advocate's law office, Poznan

  • Drafting procedural documents.
  • Attending hearings as a substitute for the advocate.
  • Case law research.

Education

Advocate's training, bar exam

2017 - 2019

Poznan Bar Council

Master's degree, law

2011 - 2016

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan

Skills

  • Commercial disputes
  • Employment law
  • Handling court cases
  • Legal opinions and contracts
  • Negotiation and settlements
  • Case law research

Qualifications and publications

  • Admission to the bar, 2020
  • Commercial mediation training, 2022
  • Publications in a law journal, 3 articles

Languages

  • English: C1, including legal English
  • German: B1

Additional information

  • Driving licence category B

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write an advocate CV

Professional summary

Write since when you have been admitted to the bar, what you specialise in, how many cases you handle and for which clients. Add a result, for example success in cases or regular clients. A law firm is looking for someone who will run a case on their own and look after the client.

Third-year trainee advocate who has passed the bar exam, with 3 years of experience at a law office. I draft procedural documents, attend hearings as a substitute and research case law. I am looking for work as an advocate at a commercial law firm.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe specialisations, the number of cases, courts, clients, opinions, contracts and results. Show results in numbers, without client data. Add supervising trainees and training. Also say whether you work only in Polish or also in a foreign language.

Weaker: Handling cases.

Better: About 40 court cases a year in commercial disputes and employment cases.

Weaker: Clients.

Better: Legal opinions, contracts and negotiations for 15 regular business clients.

Weaker: Results.

Better: A favourable judgment or settlement in about 80% of concluded cases.

Skills worth listing

List specialisations, case handling, opinions, contracts, negotiation and case law research. In your soft skills show advocacy in court, discretion and resilience under pressure.

Professional skills

  • Commercial disputes
  • Employment law
  • Court cases
  • Legal opinions
  • Contracts
  • Case law

Personal skills

  • Advocacy in court
  • Discretion
  • Resilience under pressure
  • Negotiation
  • Client communication

Qualifications and publications

List the year of bar admission and the bar, training, mediation and publications. Give academic work briefly, without a full list.

From training to working as an advocate

After the bar exam describe the cases you work on as a trainee and your specialisation. Give the date of admission or the planned date.

Add foreign languages and knowledge of your clients' industries. Commercial firms value lawyers who understand the client's business.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A commercial firm looks for disputes and business clients, a criminal law firm for defence and pre-trial proceedings, and an in-house legal department for contracts and day-to-day advice. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on an advocate CV

Questions and answers

What should an advocate put on a CV?

Bar admission, specialisations, cases, courts, clients without names, opinions, results, languages and publications.

Should I give client names?

No, unless the client has agreed. The industry and type of cases are enough.

How does an advocate differ from a legal adviser in Poland?

Both professions give similar rights, but advocates traditionally handle criminal cases more often. Say what you specialise in.

Which results are worth giving?

The number of cases, success rate, regular clients and the value of disputes, without confidential details.

Create an advocate CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

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See also

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