Law

Paralegal CV: example and template

This example is for paralegals and legal assistants at advocates' and legal counsels' firms, in-house legal departments and debt collection companies, and for law students and graduates looking for their first job at a firm.

The firm wants to know which documents you prepare, how you keep deadlines and files, which databases and systems you know and whether clients' confidential matters can be trusted to you. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: paralegal

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.

Joanna Szczepańska

Paralegal

Warsaw +48 123 456 789 joanna.szczepanska@example.com

Professional profile

Paralegal with 4 years of experience at a law firm working in commercial law and litigation. I prepare draft pleadings and contracts, research in LEX and Legalis, keep deadlines in about 120 cases and use court portals and the company register. I am a law graduate and I am taking postgraduate studies in company law.

Work experience

Paralegal

03.2022 - present

Legal counsels' firm, commercial law, Warsaw

  • Draft statements of claim, defences and pleadings for 3 legal counsels.
  • A procedural deadline calendar in about 120 cases with no missed deadline.
  • Researching case law and literature in LEX and Legalis.
  • Company register extracts, company documents and registration applications.
  • Case files, correspondence with courts and clients, the court information portal.

Trainee, then legal assistant

07.2020 - 02.2022

Advocates' firm, Warsaw

  • Searches in legal databases.
  • Preparing documents for hearings.
  • Archiving files.

Education

Master's degree in law

2016 - 2021

University of Warsaw

Skills

  • Draft pleadings and contracts
  • Research in LEX and Legalis
  • Deadline calendar
  • Company register and company documents
  • Court portals
  • Case file management

Courses and studies

  • Postgraduate studies in company law, in progress
  • Legal English course, 2022

Languages

  • English: C1, including legal English

Additional information

  • Working with information covered by professional secrecy

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 a paralegal CV

Professional summary

Write which firm or department you work in, which areas of law you cover and which tasks you do: documents, research, deadlines, files. Add the databases and systems you know and confidentiality. If you are a law graduate or preparing for legal training, mention it in your summary.

Fourth year law student after 2 placements at law firms. I prepared searches in Legalis, drafts of simple letters and documents for hearings. I am looking for part-time work as a paralegal.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe types of documents, the number of cases, areas of law and systems. Show responsibility for deadlines, because at a law firm it is one of the most important things. Do not give client data or case details.

Weaker: Writing letters.

Better: Draft statements of claim, defences and pleadings for 3 legal counsels.

Weaker: Keeping deadlines.

Better: A procedural deadline calendar in about 120 cases with no missed deadline.

Weaker: Research.

Better: Researching case law and literature in LEX and Legalis.

Skills worth listing

List types of documents, legal databases, court systems, registers and languages. In your soft skills show accuracy, discretion and organising work on many cases at once.

Professional skills

  • Documents and contracts
  • Legal databases
  • Deadlines
  • Registers
  • Court portals
  • Case files

Personal skills

  • Accuracy
  • Discretion
  • Organisation
  • Independence
  • Clear writing

Courses and studies

List your law degree, postgraduate studies, legal English courses and system training. If you are preparing for legal training, you can mention it briefly.

Paralegal CV with no experience

Describe your studies, placements, a law clinic, moot courts and the legal databases you know. Give the types of documents you have prepared.

Write that you can work part-time during your studies. Many law firms hire law students as assistants.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A litigation firm looks for pleadings and deadlines, a corporate firm for company documents and the register, and an in-house legal department for contracts and work with other departments. Move to the top what the job ad is about.

The most common mistakes on a paralegal CV

Questions and answers

What should a paralegal put on a CV?

The firm and areas of law, types of documents, the number of cases, deadlines, legal databases, court systems, education and languages.

Does a paralegal need a law degree?

Not always, but most firms require it or welcome it, often while you are still studying.

Can a law student work as a paralegal?

Yes, it is a common first job at a law firm. On your CV show placements and the legal databases you know.

Should you list the cases you worked on?

Only in general terms, for example the type and number of cases. Do not give client data.

Create a paralegal 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.

Go to the CV builder

See also

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Career guide

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