Law Clerk Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

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Example #1
Law-Clerk_Example-1.pdf

Example #1

Example #2
Law-Clerk_Example-2.pdf

Example #2

Example #3
Law-Clerk_Example-3.pdf

Example #3

Law Clerk Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • Example #1 #1
  • Example #2 #2
  • Example #3 #3

Jessica Lang
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia, PA, 12345

Profile

A Law Clerk with two years of legal experience specializing in federal law, legal research, pretrial motions, and data analysis. A proven history of delivering valuable legal support to lawyers and judges during civil suits and trial cases.

Professional Experience

Law Clerk, Judge Denise Roberts, Philadelphia, PA
May 2021 – Present

  • Perform research on areas of law across the federal, state, and local levels, review facts in evidence, and provide references on laws and decisions material for legal determinations
  • Deliver legal support for proceedings, pretrial conferences, motion sessions, and trials
  • Attend court sessions to hear oral arguments and record necessary case information

Law Clerk, Jensen and Ackles Legal Associates, Philadelphia, PA
May 2020 – May 2021

  • Drafted advisory letters and memoranda on case law and legal precedents related to corporate governance and class action litigation
  • Performed legal research for two lead attorneys and drafted pretrial motions for the dismissal of two personal injury suits

Education

Juris Doctor
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, September 2016 – May 2020

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Philosophy
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, September 2012 – May 2016

Key Skills

  • Legal Research
  • Federal Law
  • Pretrial Motions
  • Data Analysis
  • Civil Law

Cameron Malfara
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Bedford Avenue, New York, NY, 12345

Profile

A Law Clerk with two years of professional experience specializing in civil law, discovery, memorandums, and attorney-client correspondence. A strong track record of drafting pretrial motions and performing legal research for a variety of cases.

Professional Experience

Law Clerk, Law Offices of Adams and Jones, New York, NY
May 2021 – Present

  • Perform comprehensive legal research and draft opposition briefs for pending litigations, including summary judgments, motions to dismiss, and motions to discover
  • Manage and maintain case documents and confidential client files, including eyewitness accounts, financial statements, and medical documents
  • Draft and prepare subpoenas, motions, complaints, and witness lists for civil trials

Law Clerk, Corbin and Brown Legal Associates, New York, NY
May 2020 – May 2021

  • Conducted legal research for criminal and civil cases, served as the liaison between clients and attorneys, and drafted correspondence for lead counsel
  • Gathered and analyzed case documentation and sensitive client information, created witness lists, and evaluated legal precedents and history

Education

Juris Doctor
Columbia University, New York, NY, September 2016 – May 2020

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Philosophy
Columbia University, New York, NY, September 2012 – May 2016

Key Skills

  • Legal Research
  • Pretrial Motions
  • Litigation
  • Civil Cases
  • Discovery

Jasmine Brown
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 W Adams Ave, Detroit, MI 12345

Profile

A Law Clerk with two years of professional experience specializing in pretrial motions, legal research, discovery, and liability laws. A proven track record of delivering support to lead attorneys for civil suits, litigations, and trials.

Professional Experience

Law Clerk, Solomon, and Roberts Legal Firm, Detroit, MI
May 2021 – Present

  • Deliver legal support to two attorneys during pretrial motions and discovery for multi-million-dollar property, civil, and personal injury cases
  • Conduct research on legal precedents, federal laws, and state laws and draft correspondence to clients and opposing counsel
  • Analyze case files to determine applicability of liability laws, perform comprehensive reviews, and identify the need for additional information and eyewitness accounts

Law Clerk, Law Offices of Eddison and Rosenberg, Detroit, MI
May 2020 – May 2021

  • Conducted research on a wide range of legal topics and precedents to support pretrial motions, dismissals, and summary judgments for personal injury cases
  • Drafted attorney-client correspondence and liaised with judges, opposing counsel, clients, and courtroom staff during criminal trials

Education

Juris Doctor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, September 2016 – May 2020

Juris Doctor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, September 2012 – May 2016

Key Skills

  • Legal Research
  • State Law
  • Discovery
  • Pretrial Motions
  • Client Relations

Tips for Writing a Better Law Clerk Resume

Openings for law clerk positions are often highly competitive. Upon graduating from law school, many aspiring lawyers spend a number of years working in law clerk positions to gain valuable hands-on experience before taking the bar exam. To separate yourself from the applicant field, you must create a strong resume highlighting the unique aspects of your legal knowledge and capabilities. Below, you’ll find three expert tips to help you craft your law clerk resume and accelerate your job search:

1. Highlight Your Legal Expertise

Prospective employers want to gain a better understanding of your strongest areas of legal expertise. The best way to show this on your resume is by crafting bullet points that emphasize your knowledge of legal concepts. In the example below, the candidate makes a point to highlight their understanding of pretrial motions during a variety of cases, which is essential for success in a law clerk position:

  • Perform comprehensive legal research and draft opposition briefs for pending litigations, including summary judgments, motion to dismiss, and motions to discover
  • Manage and maintain case documents and confidential client files, including eyewitness accounts, financial statements, and medical documents
  • Draft and prepare subpoenas, motions, complaints, and witness lists for civil trials

 

2. Create an Eye-catching Professional Profile

To grab the attention of prospective employers, you’ll need to create a compelling summary at the top of your document that highlights the strongest aspects of your legal experience. If your professional profile is lacking, the rest of your content may fail to garner the attention it deserves. In the example below, the candidate specifically mentions their background working with both lawyers and judges. Law clerks need advanced qualifications to provide direct support to judges, and this experience may help to differentiate the job seeker from the applicant field:

Profile

 

A Law Clerk with two years of legal experience specializing in federal law, legal research, pretrial motions, and data analysis. A proven history of delivering valuable legal support to lawyers and judges during civil suits and trial cases.

3. Feature Specific Types of Cases

Although you should never disclose confidential details regarding cases while crafting your resume, you can paint a picture of the types of cases you worked on as a law clerk. Talking about your experience is appropriate as long as you aren’t disclosing specific details related to an individual case. Notice how the job seeker mentions that they worked on multi-million-dollar cases without disclosing explicit information regarding any individual clients. This will establish a sense of scope for prospective employers without breaching NDAs:

  • Deliver legal support to two attorneys during pretrial motions and discovery for multi-million-dollar property, civil, and personal injury cases
  • Conduct research on legal precedents, federal laws, and state laws and draft correspondence to clients and opposing counsel
  • Analyze case files to determine applicability of liability laws, perform comprehensive reviews, and identify the need for additional information and eyewitness accounts

 

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Law Clerk Resumes

Most organizations screen candidates using some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS), even within the legal field. If your resume lacks a certain number of keywords, the automated system may reject your application before it reaches the hiring manager. To prevent this, you’ll need to carefully analyze the job description to identify key terms that the organization is looking for. Below, you’ll find a list of common key skills that you may encounter over the course of your job search:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Attorney-Client Correspondence Law Clerk
Civil Law Client Relations
Communication Corporate Law
Criminal Law Data Analysis
Discovery Federal Law
Legal Correspondence Legal Research
Legal Support Legal Writing
Liability Litigation
Memorandum Personal Injury Law
Pretrial Motions State Law
Trade Law  

Common Action Verbs for Law Clerk Resumes

It’s easy to find yourself running short on action verbs during the resume-building process, especially when crafting a document for the legal field. Often there are only certain verbs you can use to accurately convey your daily job responsibilities and career achievements. That said, repeating the same verb throughout your resume might cause your bullet points to appear redundant or stale. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs you can use to enhance your resume content and secure your next job interview:

Action Verbs
Analyzed Assessed
Collaborated Communication
Conducted Coordinated
Delivered Determined
Drafted Evaluated
Examined Executed
Identified Managed
Maintained Oversaw
Performed Provided
Researched Supported
Wrote  

How to Align Your Law Clerk Resume With the Job Description

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the average annual salary for legal clerks was $62,730 in 2021. Because law clerk positions are an important stepping stone on your path to becoming a lawyer, you’ll find no shortage of competition when applying for job opportunities. To differentiate yourself from the crowded field of applicants, you’ll need to align your resume with the job description by incorporating key aspects that match the organization’s needs.

For example, suppose you’re applying for a law clerk position with a law firm that specializes in personal injury or civil law. In that case, you’ll want to highlight your knowledge and background of liability as it pertains to these types of cases. If you’re applying for a position as a judicial law clerk, you may want to highlight any past experience you have interfacing with judges and opposing counsel during trials. By tailoring your resume towards individual job opportunities, you’ll significantly increase your chances of grabbing the attention of prospective employers during the job hunt.