Lawyers’ CVs – what firms look for

From a legal recruiter’s standpoint, I review and discuss lawyers’ CVs with Partners and HR teams at offshore law firms on a daily basis. There is trend for certain information that firms look for, and it is definitely worth including these in your CV to make sure it stands out:

Academics

An obvious one to some, but it is worth a mention that I often receive CVs which do not include final grades for university, college and high school courses. Make sure to include the final classification of your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, your A-levels and GCSEs (or equivalent) subjects and grades – offshore firms almost always want to see these.

Any awards or relevant extra-curricular activity is worth mentioning, i.e. mooting competitions.

Transaction/Case history

Under each employer since your admission as a lawyer, it is worth setting out the major transactions and cases which you have worked on. Where the matter is public, make sure to list transaction or case names. If not public, a brief description is helpful, i.e. acted for a real estate fund in the acquisition of XXX….

It is also helpful to mention your involvement in each matter.

Employment gaps

It is helpful to list any major gaps so that the prospective employer has an explanation at hand. Spent a year travelling after your LPC? Include it!

Non-legal experience

Keep your experience prior to your training contract brief, unless it is relevant to the role you are applying for. Part-time general jobs etc. while studying do not need large descriptions once you are an established legal professional. Simply listing the employer, title and employment dates is sufficient.

Personal interests

If you are looking to relocate overseas, a list of interests is beneficial as it allows the prospective employer to have confidence as to whether you would enjoy living in that specific location.

Payam Montazeri is a specialist legal recruiter who works closely with offshore law firms in the Cayman Islands. If you are interested in current opportunities, would like advice on your writing your CV or general hiring and relocation processes then please contact payam@theagency.ky.