Lawyer resume keywords
Most lawyer applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in lawyer job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- M&A
- Venture financing
- Commercial contracts
- Due diligence
- Negotiation
- Corporate governance
- Data privacy (GDPR)
- Client management
- Litigation
- Legal research
- Contract drafting
- Negotiation
- Due diligence
- Regulatory compliance
- Motion practice
- Client counseling
- Bar admission
- Case strategy
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Judgment
- Persuasion
- Integrity
- Client focus
- Composure
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Led legal work on 25 financings and acquisitions worth $900M in total." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Represented
- Negotiated
- Drafted
- Secured
- Advised
- Won
- Resolved
- Litigated
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "Litigation", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the lawyer resume example and generate one free from rough notes.