What skills should you include on your legal CV?
Having the right legal skills can help you stand out in the job market and make you a more desirable job candidate. Here are some key skills that you should consider including on your legal CV:
Research
Being able to conduct effective research is an essential legal skill, you can analyse data to find the answers you need. You should be able to research your chosen area of law and other primary and secondary legal sources quickly and effectively.
Problem Solving
Having the ability to think critically and come up with creative solutions to difficult challenges is an invaluable asset. For example, this will show that you are able to work with evidence or take part in legal proceedings.
Adaptability
Adaptability shows that you can easily adjust to new situations or information. It’s a highly valuable skill for legal professionals, as a career in the law can be fast-paced and some situations can be stressful. Being adaptable can help in these stressful situations, by ensuring you remain calm and professional.
Analytical Skills
You need to be able to analyse legal issues quickly and identify the key legal points. In addition, you also need to be able to think on your feet and make decisions quickly. You can demonstrate your analytical skills in a variety of ways. Firstly, you may have taken courses that have required you to analyse data. Secondly, you may have gained experience in a previous role.
Drafting
Many legal roles require you to draft contracts and other legal documents. This requires you to have an understanding of legal principles and an ability to write clearly and concisely.
Time Management
You should be able to demonstrate that you have time management skills on your CV. This shows that you can multitask and work to tight deadlines whilst maintaining a healthy life balance.
Communication Skills
Being a good communicator is an important skill to include on your CV. Working within law, you will need to be able to communicate well with clients, colleagues, other businesses and legal professionals who you might be corresponding with day-to-day in your legal career.
Business Development Skills
Many law firms expect their employees take part in business development activities. For example, networking, promoting the firm on LinkedIn and at events, referral schemes and acquiring feedback. So, by showing that you are able to represent firms professionally will give you an edge to hiring employers.
Having these legal skills on your CV can make you stand out from the competition.
If you are a legal professional seeking advice on CV writing tips, please get in touch with the Eventus Recruitment Legal team here.
The CV preparation stage is very much part of our tailored and complimentary service for job-seekers. We specialise in Law, Finance, Accountancy and HR and provide support at every stage of the job search process. From CV writing, sourcing job opportunities, interview preparation, to managing and negotiating job offers.
Other resources to help you with your job search
We have a variety of other resources to support your job search, including tips for CV writing, interview tips, and handling multiple job offers, to name a few.
Written by Lucy Evans, Resourcing Consultant for all legal job roles across Yorkshire and the North East.
