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If you want to succeed in the competitive field of law, you'll need to sell your qualifications, skills and experience to potential legal employers and your CV and cover letter are key tools that showcase your value

Despite many firms now using online forms for their training contract and job applications, a CV and cover letter are important as they allow you to gather all your information in one place. They're also useful for speculative or ad hoc opportunities.

Having a strong up-to-date legal CV and cover letter means you will be ready for any opportunity which might arise.

What should I include in my legal CV?

Your legal CV should be around two pages in length, and follow this general structure:

• Personal details - At the top of the page, include details such as your name, address, email and telephone number.
• Education and qualifications - Detail any professional memberships (e.g. the Law Society) or qualifications you possess and mention the results from the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) here. List your degree (LLB, law conversion course or LLM), A-levels and GCSEs; when discussing the former, mention the areas of law that you studied while at university and state your dissertation title.
• Work experience - Profile your work history, including the organisation you worked for and its location, plus your job title and, if applicable, your practice areas. Describe your key tasks and responsibilities, paying close attention to the significant results of your actions. You could separate your work experience into different categories, such as legal, commercial and voluntary. Use your law work experience to demonstrate your passion for a career in the field, and your part-time work to exhibit your transferable skills, such as commercial awareness.

• IT and language skills - Outline your level of proficiency with relevant software packages such as Microsoft Word and Excel and mention any additional languages that you speak.
• Activities and interests - Avoid listing irrelevant hobbies such as reading or listening to music. Instead, discuss your involvement in sporting teams and other organisations, highlighting any positions of responsibility you've held or awards you've gained. Experiences - such as starting a new club or society at university - can help you stand out.
• Referees - You don't necessarily need to give references at this stage. Stating 'references available on request' will usually suffice.

Make sure your CV is in chronological order with your most recent work experience and education at the top of each section.

As a general rule, your CV should contain facts, while your cover letter provides the narrative around the facts.

For more advice on what abilities recruiters in the legal sector are looking for, see 7 skills for a successful law career.

How do I fine tune my law CV?

Law firms receive thousands of applications. Make it easy for the person reviewing your application by having clear sections with headings, including all of the relevant information so they don't have to contact you for more detail. Ensure it's consistently formatted with a simple layout. Sell yourself, don't just say 'I worked for X firm as a Y.' Tell them what you actually did, the skills you developed and what you achieved.

As well as following the above advice, you should also ensure that your CV is:

• presented using bold sub-headings and bullet points
• if necessary, printed on good-quality paper
• read by a friend, family member or careers adviser before submission
• submitted well before the deadline
• typed in size-11 Arial or a similarly clear and professional-looking font.

It doesn't matter if you're completing a bespoke application form or drafting your own legal CV, the basics stay the same. You need to:

• Pay attention to detail - Double check spelling and grammar - a lack of attention to detail will mean that you do not progress to the next stage of the recruitment process. Ask someone else (a family member, friend or careers adviser) to check your work. After all, spelling a firm's name incorrectly doesn't give the best first impression.
• Remember that relevant work experience doesn't always have to be legal - Other types of work and volunteering experience can demonstrate that you are customer-focused, well organised, a good team player and a successful problem solver. Firms like to see what you have been up to outside of your studies. Rather than thinking 'I have no experience,' try to work out how to articulate the experience you do have in a way that firms will see as relevant.

For more tips on how to write a good CV see how to write a CV.

What should I leave out of a legal CV?

When writing a law CV, you shouldn't:

• leave any unexplained gaps in your career history
• add too much detail
• include personal details such as your date of birth, nationality or a photo
• include your age, gender, marital status etc. as these are irrelevant details
• use overly outlandish formatting
• use pictures or tables
• write bland profile or objective sections
• write 'CV' or 'curriculum vitae' at the top.

It should go without saying - but also avoid lying on your CV. Be authentic. Integrity in law is everything.

How do I write a legal cover letter?

As the number of applications often far outweighs the number of jobs available, writing a strong cover letter is essential for any law career, as it helps to persuade employers that you'd be a fantastic recruit. It should be one page long, and:

• demonstrate your knowledge of the law firm and wider legal sector
• elaborate on your key skills, experiences and characteristics, without simply repeating your CV
• explain why you aspire to work for the organisation.

Bear in mind that employers look at your legal cover letter as an indication of your written communication, so make it interesting.

Write about why you want to work for a particular firm. For example, if you're applying to a niche sports law firm have you had work experience with a sports company or are you part of any sports teams or clubs? If you're applying to an international firm, is it because you have language skills or have you had experience of working abroad?

Make sure to read job adverts carefully. What is the firm telling you they want in a candidate? Do they mention communication skills, attention to detail etc.? This is your chance to choose something from your experience to demonstrate those skills. As prospective lawyers, employers want to see you using evidence to support the points you make. If you're a good communicator what's the evidence?

Structuring your legal cover letter

To achieve these objectives, your legal cover letter should follow this general structure:

• Opening paragraph - Briefly mention the position you're applying for and how you found out about it.
• Second paragraph - Tell the recruiter who you are and what stage of your career you're at. Explain how your qualities can benefit the firm with practical evidence from your work experience, academic history or extra-curricular activities. Use powerful and positive language throughout without exaggerating.
• Third paragraph - Tell the organisation why you're specifically attracted to them and their work citing, if possible, any current or recent cases of interest.
• Closing paragraph - Mention that you've enclosed your CV and look forward to hearing from the firm. Explain when you'd be available for interview and cover any practical issues you've been asked to address, such as salary expectations.

Highlight what makes you stand out and make your cover letter punchy and accurate.

How do I target my application to a law firm?

It's much wiser to submit between five and ten highly targeted applications than dozens of generic, copy-and-paste ones. Every application should be treated as an individual project.

Consider why you're applying to a particular firm, because it's more than likely you'll be asked this question at interview stage. What attracts you to certain areas of law and particular firms? Do your values match the firm you’re applying to?

Thoroughly research the prospective organisation - the more you know about the firm, the more tailored your application will be. Regularly checking the news sections of firms' websites will allow you to reference current cases and projects in your application and understand which skills would come in useful. What's more, possessing such knowledge will allow you to address your application to the most relevant individual.

All of this also helps you to determine whether your skills and career preferences would be suited to the specialist work that the firm undertakes and vice versa.

This is as invaluable when choosing a law firm as it is when attending law fairs, open days and participating in vacation schemes.

How do I make my application stand out to legal employers?

You are more than the sum total of your academic studies and work experience so be brave and tell prospective employers what it is about you, over and above the academics and work experience that makes you the ideal candidate.

If your legal CV and cover letter do their job and your application is progressed to the next stage, learn more about the questions you might be asked in a law interview.

Can I use AI in my legal applications?

While law firms embrace new technologies and are committed to moving with the times, it's always best to check with organisations of interest if they welcome applications crafted using AI technology such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot.

For example some firms may allow its use as long as it's used responsibly - for research or as a starting point, rather than using it to produce fully-formed answers, CVs or cover letters. Among fears of accuracy, authenticity and originality, other firms prefer it not to be used at all.

For example, 'we embrace Generative AI in our application process,' says Nicholas Cole, regional head of resourcing at Dentons. 'As a forward-thinking firm, we recognise the increasing importance of AI in the legal sector and are committed to staying ahead of the curve.

While we are comfortable with candidates utilising AI tools in their applications, we emphasise that the human element is crucial. Authenticity and personal insight are essential components of a successful application, and any submission that relies solely on AI without a genuine human touch will not be considered.

Furthermore, as part of our enhanced recruitment process, we ask candidates to engage with AI-generated content. This involves reviewing and validating information produced by AI to ensure its accuracy and relevance.

By weaving Generative AI into our application process, we aim to identify candidates who can harness technology while maintaining the indispensable human qualities that define exceptional legal professionals.'

While at Taylor Wessing, Jas Hepple, early talent senior adviser says 'candidates should feel confident using AI tools to polish their applications for aspects such as grammar or conciseness, but must ensure the content is genuinely reflective of their own capabilities and experiences. Honesty about the use of such tools is expected. Integrity is paramount throughout the process and candidates are encouraged to present their true authentic selves in every aspect of their application. We therefore advise against the use of AI in completing online assessments.

Our assessment methods are designed to gauge an individual's authentic abilities, and using AI in this context would not provide an accurate representation of a candidate's skills. Where such tools are used elsewhere in the recruitment process, such as refining your CV, cover letter or overall application, we advocate for transparency. Openly communicate how AI was employed to assist in your preparation.’

Read more about using generative AI in job applications.

Find out more

• Get more advice on writing CVs and cover letters.
• Discover top interview tips.