A strong legal CV does more than tell your story. It positions you for the role you're targeting next, whether that's an in-house move in Queensland, a step up to General Counsel, or your first move into a new practice area.
Quick answer: The most effective legal CVs are tailored to the specific role, not sent out as a generic document. That means choosing the right format for your situation, highlighting the skills and achievements that matter most to that particular employer, and making it genuinely easy for a hiring manager or applicant tracking system to see your fit.
We've helped a great many lawyers secure roles they were genuinely reaching for, largely by reshaping how their CV presented what mattered most: relevance, clarity and impact.
Why Tailoring Actually Matters
Your CV is often the very first impression a hiring manager or recruiter forms of you. In a competitive legal market, sending the same generic CV to every role can mean being overlooked, even when you genuinely have the right skills for the job.
A well-tailored CV should:
• Put your most relevant skills and achievements front and centre
• Frame your experience in the context of what this particular employer actually needs
• Make it easy for a reader, or an applicant tracking system, to see your fit quickly
Choosing the Right Format for Your Goal
Employment History CV
The most common format, listing roles from most recent to earliest, with responsibilities and achievements under each. It's clear and logical, but it can bury genuinely relevant experience if it sits several roles back.
For example, if you're applying for a construction law role but your construction experience was three jobs ago, it risks being missed entirely in this format.
Skills-Based CV
This format opens with a brief employment history, then immediately showcases key areas of expertise on the first page. For each area, such as construction law, commercial litigation, or leadership, you list concrete examples and achievements that demonstrate capability.
This approach tends to work particularly well if you are:
• Changing practice areas
• Moving into an in-house legal role
• Highlighting skills that aren't obvious from your current job title
Think of Your CV Like a Tailored Garment
A well-fitted suit isn't built from scratch every time, it's adjusted from a base pattern to suit the occasion. Your CV can work the same way.
Our recommendation:
- Build a Master CV containing every role, skill and achievement you have
- For each application, reorder headings and trim anything irrelevant to match the specific role
- Save each tailored version, so future updates become quick and easy rather than starting from scratch
How Long Should a Legal CV Be?
There's no single rule that fits everyone, but as a general guide:
- Early career lawyers: 3 to 4 pages
- Mid to senior level lawyers: 4 to 6 pages
- General Counsel and executives: up to 6 to 8 pages, where the content genuinely earns the length
The goal at every level is the same: as concise as possible, without losing detail that actually matters to the reader.
A Quick Checklist Before You Hit Send
• Does your CV put your most relevant skills and achievements front and centre?
• Have you removed outdated or irrelevant detail?
• Is the format ATS-friendly, a clean Word or PDF document without graphics?
• Have you quantified your achievements wherever possible?
Frequently Asked Questions About Tailoring a Legal CV
Why should I tailor my legal CV for each job?
Tailoring ensures your most relevant skills and achievements are front and centre, which improves your chances of passing ATS screening and making a strong impression with the hiring manager.
What's the difference between a skills-based CV and a chronological CV?
A skills-based CV leads with your areas of expertise rather than a strict employment timeline, which makes it particularly useful if you're changing practice areas or applying for a role where your current title doesn't reflect your full capability.
How long should a CV be for senior legal roles?
For General Counsel or senior in-house lawyers, up to 6 to 8 pages is reasonable, provided every page is genuinely relevant and concisely written.
Can I use the same CV for in-house and private practice roles?
Keeping a single master CV makes sense as your source document, but tailoring each version you actually send out helps ensure you're emphasising the skills each specific environment values most.
How can Alex Correa Executive help improve my CV?
We review and refine legal CVs regularly, offering tailored feedback and legal-specific formatting guidance to help Queensland lawyers put their best case forward for their next role.
Ready to Position Yourself for Your Next Role?
Whether you're aiming for your first in-house role, a step up into leadership, or a genuine change in practice area, a properly tailored CV is the first real step toward getting noticed.
At Alex Correa Executive, we specialise in in-house and government legal recruitment across Queensland, and understand what hiring managers are actually looking for. For advice on updating your CV or pursuing your next role, get in touch.
