Three real paralegal resumes, one per career stage, each with the templates that actually suit it and why.
Recommended for paralegals at this stage
Accent color
Free to build and read. No card needed.
The difference between a strong paralegal resume and a weak one is usually whether it describes the actual legal work: drafting pleadings and motions, managing discovery, preparing for depositions and trial. "Provided legal support" could describe almost any role in a law office. Name what you researched, drafted and organized, and for which stage of litigation or transaction.
Westlaw or LexisNexis for research, Relativity or Everlaw for e-discovery, Clio or iManage for case and document management: hiring attorneys and legal operations managers often screen specifically for a platform they already use. Listing the actual tools, not just "legal research software," tells them whether you can start contributing on day one.
How many active matters you support, how many attorneys you work for, and the scale of document review you have handled are the details that let a hiring attorney judge whether their caseload matches your experience. "Managed a caseload of 35-40 active civil matters" says far more than "managed multiple cases."
Whether a paralegal certificate came from an ABA-approved program matters to some firms and not others, but stating it either way removes ambiguity. List your certifying body (NALA, NFPA or a state bar association program) and keep any state-specific credentials, like a notary commission, current and dated.
Not everywhere. Some firms hire based on a paralegal certificate or relevant degree alone, while others prefer or require a NALA or NFPA certification. If you are certified, list it clearly near the top of your resume. If you are not, lead with your practical experience and caseload instead, since that carries real weight on its own.
A paralegal resume should emphasize substantive legal work: drafting, research, discovery management and trial preparation. A legal assistant resume centers more on administrative support: calendaring, correspondence, billing and client intake. If your actual work is a mix, describe it honestly, but lead with whichever side is a larger part of what you do.
Focus on the practice area that matches the job you want, and mention others briefly if they show relevant range. A litigation firm wants to see litigation experience front and center, not a resume that spreads five practice areas evenly and makes it hard to tell where your real depth is.
Upload what you have. We rewrite it against the standards our writers built over 80,000 resumes, and you read the whole thing before deciding anything.