10 resume tips to help you secure your next legal role in queensland

Your resume is more than a career history. It is often the first conversation you have with a potential employer, and it needs to say something true about the lawyer you are and the value you bring, before you ever get the chance to say it yourself.

At Alex Correa Executive, we read resumes from lawyers at every stage of their career, from those a year or two into practice through to General Counsel. What we see again and again is talented, capable lawyers who find it hard to translate their experience onto the page in a way that is clear, compelling and easy to read quickly.

The good news is that a strong legal resume is not about clever design or dense detail. It is about structure, clarity and relevance. Below are ten tips we come back to time and again when we are advising candidates on how to present their experience well, drawn from years of recruiting for Queensland law firms, government legal teams and in-house legal departments.

1. Make it easy to scan

Most hiring managers will give your resume six to ten seconds on a first pass. If it is hard to navigate in that time, your opportunity may be lost before it has really begun.

• Use clear headings, sub-sections and dot points rather than dense paragraphs.
• Stick with professional, easily readable fonts such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman.
• Keep formatting consistent from your first page to your last.
• Only include a photo if it has been specifically requested.
  
  

2. Open with a professional summary

A short, well written summary at the top of your resume gives the reader an immediate sense of who you are professionally, before they read a single role in detail.

• Your area of legal expertise and specialisation.
• The kind of problems you solve and the value you bring.
• Relevant language from the job description you are applying against.
  
  

If you are changing practice areas, use this summary to explain the shift and the transferable skills you are bringing with you. Employers respond well to a candidate who can articulate their own story clearly.

3. Keep it succinct

As a general guide, aim for three to four pages and focus on the matters most relevant to the role you are targeting. For each matter or project you include:

• Give the date, your position and a short description.
• Note the size and complexity of the matter, and your specific contribution to it.
• Maintain client confidentiality by describing the type of client rather than naming them.
  
  

For example: 2023, Senior Associate, Litigation Team, a mid-tier law firm. Acted for co-owners of a multi-million dollar commercial property in a dispute involving structural defects and delays.

4. Maintain consistency

Don't mix tenses. Choose either past tense (acted, advised, negotiated) or present continuous tense (advising, representing, preparing) and use it consistently throughout your resume.

5. Quantify your achievements

Hiring managers want to see results, not just responsibilities. Where you can, include:

• Dollar values, such as a settlement secured or a matter value managed.
• Percentages, such as a reduction in contract turnaround time.
• Notable clients or publications, where you are able to reference them.
• Courts or tribunals where you have appeared.
  
  

6. Show your career progression

Employers like to see a logical, considered career path. Include:

• Dates of employment.
• The size of the firm or organisation.
• Your areas of specialisation.
• Leadership responsibilities, such as leading a team of solicitors.
  
  

7. Highlight your people skills

Technical expertise is essential, but it is rarely the whole picture. Include at least four relevant soft skills, matched where possible to the language used in the job advertisement, such as stakeholder management, complex problem solving, team leadership or business development.

8. List your qualifications and memberships

Demonstrate your ongoing commitment to the profession by listing post-admission study, practising certificates with date and jurisdiction, and memberships such as Law Society involvement or professional committees.

9. Include volunteer and community experience

Pro bono work and community involvement show alignment with employer values, and can carry real weight for government and in-house roles where corporate social responsibility matters.

10. Make contact easy

Include your mobile number, a personal email address and an up to date LinkedIn profile link. Check these regularly so a genuine opportunity never passes you by.

The bottom line

A well structured, tailored resume significantly increases your chances of making the shortlist. Avoid overly designed formats that Applicant Tracking Systems cannot read properly. This matters particularly for government and large corporate legal roles in Queensland, where ATS screening is common. A clean, professional Word or PDF document is still the gold standard. Think twice before using design tools such as Canva or PowerPoint for your resume. Your skills and experience may not be read correctly by many ATS systems, and it is entirely possible that strong talent gets missed at the longlisting stage simply because of formatting. It is not worth the risk.

If you would like access to our legal specific resume templates, or a confidential conversation about your career, we would love to hear from you. We have helped lawyers across Queensland, from those early in their practising career through to General Counsel, secure roles in law firms, government legal teams and leading in-house departments. Your next career move starts with a resume that works as hard as you do.