What to Include in Your CV If You’re a Legal Secretary

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen CVs that just list responsibilities “same as above” or “Secretarial duties”. This not only looks lazy but not every Secretarial position is the same. Some involve dictation, others don’t, did you process billing or did accounts handle that? Did you prepare court documents? Which forms were you completing etc?

This one isn’t specific to Legal Secretaries and may be obvious for some but I still often come across CVs where there are just years and not months. This can be misleading as you could have worked the whole of one year or just one month.

Include which areas of law you worked in for each of your roles. Employers often look for specific skill sets and areas of law worked in. Don’t assume that the person reading your CV knows the firm and what areas of law that they do. Make it really clear and highlight whether it was defendant or plaintiff.

Most law firms these days use case management systems and it can make you much more attractive if you have already used the system they use (aka less training they have to do and the easier you can get stuck in!)

If you have completed any typing or Microsoft Word tests (and your results are worth boasting) put them on your CV. You can also take free typing tests online so you can use this to sell your skills!

Include how many people that you supported and at what level – i.e 2 Partners, a Senior Associate and a Paralegal.

It’s always a good idea to highlight your achievements. Did you implement a new filing system or were you the super user for the firm’s case management system? Anything that can show you are proactive and driven to do things outside of just your position description are worth including.