The legal counsel resume: specialty comes first
Positions for a *juriste* (in-house legal counsel, a legal professional who is not a practicing attorney) are sought after and demanding. The first key to a strong resume: state your specialty clearly, because an employment law counsel and a corporate law counsel have neither the same duties nor the same keywords.
Target your specialty
- Employment law: employment contracts, terminations, labor court (prud'hommes) litigation, relations with the CSE (works council), employment law watch.
- Business / corporate law: corporate work, transactions, shareholder meetings, shareholder agreements.
- Contract / commercial law: drafting and negotiating contracts, terms and conditions, commercial litigation.
- Intellectual property, real estate, data/GDPR, tax: each with its own vocabulary.
Use the exact job title from the posting ("juriste droit social," "juriste contrats") in your headline.
Education matters
For a legal counsel, the degree is a screening criterion. Highlight your Master 2 (the French fifth-year degree, with its honors and specialty), your school or university, and if applicable an LLM or a dual skill set. Legal languages (legal English) are a strong asset at international companies.
The skills to bring forward
- Legal drafting: deeds, contracts, legal opinions, memos, procedures.
- Legal watch and advice: regulatory monitoring, risk analysis, support for operational teams.
- Litigation and negotiation: dispute management, working with outside attorneys, negotiation.
- Soft skills: rigor, analytical mind, discretion, business sense (for in-house counsel).
Good example: "Drafted and negotiated commercial contracts (up to 50 contracts/month), monitored legal developments and advised sales teams on contractual risk."
Test your legal counsel resume
CVpass compares your resume to the target job posting, spots the missing keywords for your specialty and suggests rewrites.
FAQ
How should I structure a legal counsel resume?
A headline showing your specialty, your Master 2 front and center, then your experience (drafting deeds, litigation, advisory work), legal skills and languages. Your specialty should be readable in one second.
Which specialty should I highlight on a legal counsel resume?
The one in the posting: employment law, corporate law, contract law, intellectual property, GDPR, and so on. Use the exact title ("juriste droit social," "juriste contrats") in your headline, since the expected keywords depend on it.
Is a Master 2 required for a legal counsel position?
It is the industry standard and often a screening criterion. Mention the honors, the specialty and the university or school; an LLM or a dual skill set strengthens the application.
Further reading
- Resume keywords: what recruiters look for
- APEC executive resumes and ATS filters
- Resume mistakes that break ATS
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