Litigation Attorney resume examples for 2024

A litigation attorney resume should focus on showcasing legal experience and skills. As Hanna Royce, Assistant Dean of Career Services at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, suggests, "The key to success is to add new and relevant legal experience to their resume." This can include experience in commercial defense, professional liability, construction, and personal injury prosecution and defense, as well as legal research and coverage analysis. Highlighting skills in civil litigation, insurance defense, family law, and intellectual property can also be beneficial.

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Litigation Attorney resume example

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How to format your litigation attorney resume:

Tailor your resume's job title to the litigation attorney role you're applying for
In your work experience section, highlight litigation achievements, such as winning cases or settling disputes
Limit your resume to one page, focusing on recent and relevant litigation experience as a litigation attorney

Choose from 10+ customizable litigation attorney resume templates

Choose from a variety of easy-to-use litigation attorney resume templates and get expert advice from Zippia’s AI resume writer along the way. Using pre-approved templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your litigation attorney resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Litigation Attorney resume format and sections

1. Add contact information to your litigation attorney resume

Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document. Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine. Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching). Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

Litigation Attorney Resume Contact Information Example # 1 Hank Rutherford Hill St. Arlen, Texas | 333-111-2222 | hank.hill@gmail.com Do you want to know more? How To Write The Perfect Resume Header

2. Add relevant education to your litigation attorney resume

The name of your school
The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
The name of your degree

If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

Optional subsections for your education section include:

Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
Extra certifications
Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc. )

Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

Litigation Attorney Resume Relevant Education Example # 1

Doctoral Degree In Law 2009 - 2012

New York Law School New York, NY

Litigation Attorney Resume Relevant Education Example # 2

Doctoral Degree In Law 2004 - 2007

Hofstra University Hempstead, NY

3. Next, create a litigation attorney skills section on your resume

Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job

Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

Example of skills to include on an litigation attorney resume

Civil Litigation Skills.

Civil litigation is a legal process that is followed when a non-criminal legal dispute occurs between two parties. Such a legal process does not involve any criminal charges or penalties. The plaintiffs in such cases only seek compensation for the damages done by the defendants.

Intellectual Property Skills.

Intellectual properties refer to individuals' intangible or non-physical wealth, which results from their imaginations and intellect.

Top Skills for a Litigation Attorney

See All Litigation Attorney Skills Not sure which skills are really important?

4. List your litigation attorney experience

The most important part of any resume for a litigation attorney is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards. Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume. It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of litigation attorneys" and "Managed a team of 6 litigation attorneys over a 9-month project. " Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

Don't have any experience? How To Show Your Experience On a Resume. Even When You Don't Have Any Work History Example # 1 Litigation Attorney LAW OFFICES OF WINN SIMS

Managed the firm's Chapter 13 bankruptcy case load.
Supervised and trained junior associates, paralegals and interns in e-discovery.
Drafted Chapter 7 & 13 bankruptcy documents.
Defended clients against assault, felony assault, menacing, battery, abuse or homicide and murder charges.
Prepared legal papers and correspondence, including briefs, pleadings, contracts, affidavits and subpoenas.

Work History Example # 2

Researched and wrote memos on various topics, chiefly Bankruptcy.
Responded to FCC inquiries, government investigations, subpoenas/CIDs and other regulatory inquiries.
Led financial analysis to support equity recapitalization, dividend repatriation, and debt funding initiatives.
Gained extensive knowledge using Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
Performed extensive legal research on insurance law using LexisNexis.

Work History Example # 3 Litigation Attorney Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker

Counseled clients regarding litigation prevention strategies and prepared personnel manuals, policies and procedures and drafted employment contracts.
Discovered evidence of fraud in bankruptcy in support of creditor client.
Drafted and reviewed numerous litigation-related documents including Complaints, Answers, pleadings, motions, orders, and subpoenas.
Counseled and trained human resources departments to effectively manage risks and avoid costly litigation.
Prepared witnesses and plaintiffs for depositions by opposing counsel and for medical and psychological examinations in preparation for trial.

Work History Example # 4 Criminal Justice Internship United States Department of Defense

Maintained a DoD Top Secret / SCI clearance (SSBI-PR 08/2011, PPR 12/2015).
Completed multiple firearms proficiency/safety training.
Instructed with the Training Manager for the Department of Prisons, First Line Supervision and Organizational Mid-Management programs.
Processed crime/death scenes including photographing and collecting evidence.
Briefed personnel on possible threats to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

6. Finally, add an litigation attorney resume summary or objective statement

A resume summary statement consists of 1-3 sentences at the top of your litigation attorney resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. The summary statement should include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it. Remember to emphasize skills and experiences that feature in the job description.

Are you a recent grad? Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement Build a Professional Resume in Minutes Our AI resume builder helps you write a compelling and relevant resume for the jobs you want. Create My Resume With AI

Common litigation attorney resume skills

Litigation
Law Firm
Legal Research
Civil Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Insurance Defense
Family Law
Legal Issues
Mediation
Insurance Coverage
Criminal Law
Intellectual Property
Court Appearances
Discovery Motions
Arbitration
Legal Advice

Appeals
Employment Law
Federal Courts
Pre-Trial Motions
Defense Counsel
Subpoenas
Litigation Process
Complex Litigation
Motion Practice
Business Litigation
Employment Litigation
Securities
Plaintiff
Premises Liability
Foreclosure
Property Damage

Interrogatories
Real Estate Litigation
Litigation Strategy
State Courts
Probate
Settlement Agreements
Oral Arguments
Medical Malpractice
Class Action
Contract Disputes
Construction Defect
District Court
Discovery Responses
Dispositive Motions
Products Liability
Settlement Conferences