What does a Lawyer do?

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. Day to day that includes work like interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses and Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.

What skills should a Lawyer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Lawyer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Abacus Data Systems AbacusLaw, AbacusNext HotDocs, ADC Legal Systems Perfect Practice, ADERANT Expert Matter Center, and Adobe Acrobat. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Lawyer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Attorney, Attorney General, Counsel, and Attorney at Law. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Lawyer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 77% reported their level of education as "Doctoral Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Lawyer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Lawyer resume example

A resume for a Lawyer needs to show the work itself: represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. Day to day that means work like this: interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses; analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Attorney
Attorney General
Counsel
Attorney at Law
County Attorney
District Attorney
General Counsel
Prosecuting Attorney
Prosecutor
Admiralty Lawyer
Agency Legal Counsel
Barrister
Business Lawyer
Chief Counsel
City Attorney
City Solicitor
Civil Lawyer
Civil Rights Attorney

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
Study Constitution, statutes, decisions, regulations, and ordinances of quasi-judicial bodies to determine ramifications for cases.
Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.
Supervise legal assistants.
Negotiate contractual agreements.

22 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Represent clients in court or before government agencies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Abacus Data Systems AbacusLaw
AbacusNext HotDocs
ADC Legal Systems Perfect Practice
ADERANT Expert Matter Center
Adobe Acrobat
Advanced Technologies Class Act
AdvantageLaw WinVantage
Anacomp CaseLogistix
Argosy Legal Systems Power Closer
Best Case Solutions Best Case Bankruptcy
BQE Software BillQuick
Bridgeway eCounsel
Canyon Solutions Jcats
Captaris Alchemy

127 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Compact disk CD recorders
Computer data input scanners
Desktop computers
Digital photocopiers
Digital video disk DVD recorders
Laptop computers
Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
Optical character readers
Overhead projectors
Personal computers
Personal digital assistants PDA
Universal serial bus USB flash drives

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Speaking
02Active Listening
03Critical Thinking
04Reading Comprehension
05Writing
06Complex Problem Solving
07Judgment and Decision Making
08Negotiation
09Persuasion
10Active Learning

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Law and Government
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Administrative
Computers and Electronics
Communications and Media

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

77%Doctoral Degree
23%First Professional Degree, awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Lawyer do?: Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. Day to day that includes work like interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses and Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
What skills should a Lawyer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Lawyer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Abacus Data Systems AbacusLaw, AbacusNext HotDocs, ADC Legal Systems Perfect Practice, ADERANT Expert Matter Center, and Adobe Acrobat. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Lawyer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Attorney, Attorney General, Counsel, and Attorney at Law. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Lawyer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 77% reported their level of education as "Doctoral Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Lawyer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.