Home Solicitor Resume template
Solicitor resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what solicitors actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most solicitors should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Solicitor with experience drafting contracts, advising clients on their rights and obligations, and managing matters from instruction through to resolution. Comfortable balancing conveyancing, dispute support and regulatory compliance work under tight court and settlement deadlines. Known for clear client communication and careful attention to documentary detail.
Key skills
- Legal research
- Drafting and contracts
- Litigation and dispute support
- Regulatory compliance
- Conveyancing and property settlements
- LawWorks practice management software
- Westlaw and LexisNexis research databases
- DocuSign / Adobe Sign
- Microsoft Word and Excel
- Stakeholder and client management
Experience: example bullet points
- Drafted and reviewed contracts and agreements for clients across commercial and property matters, reducing turnaround time on standard document sets
- Advised clients on legal rights, obligations and dispute resolution options, translating complex legislation into plain-language guidance
- Managed conveyancing files from instruction to settlement, coordinating with banks, agents and other solicitors to meet settlement dates
- Conducted legal research across case law and legislation to support advice and court submissions, using Westlaw and LexisNexis
- Liaised with courts, opposing counsel and third parties to progress litigation matters and keep clients informed of case status
Education
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD), completion of Practical Legal Training (PLT), and admission as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in the relevant state or territory, followed by an annual practising certificate issued by the state Law Society or Legal Practice Board.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Practising certificate
- Admitted to practice (Supreme Court)
- Law Society
- Legal Practice Board
- Conveyancing
- PEXA
- Litigation support
- Regulatory compliance
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
- Westlaw
- LexisNexis
- DocuSign
- Practical Legal Training (PLT)
- Case management
- Client instructions
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.