Paralegal resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A paralegal resume that shows organized discovery, accurate filings and deadlines that never slip — with the certification, legal research and e-discovery keywords law firms and legal departments search for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Paralegal resume example.
Rachel Kim
Litigation Paralegal, Certified Paralegal (CP)
Chicago, IL · rachel.kim@email.com · (312) 555-0193
Summary
Certified litigation paralegal with 6 years in insurance defense and civil litigation. I keep discovery organized, file accurately in state and federal courts and make sure the attorneys I support never miss a deadline.
Experience
Litigation Paralegal, Halsted & Monroe LLP · Apr 2022 – Present
- • Support 3 attorneys on 40+ active insurance defense and commercial cases, from pleadings through trial
- • Draft discovery requests and responses, subpoenas and deposition notices for attorney review, and summarize deposition transcripts
- • Manage document productions in Relativity, running searches, applying privilege tags and preparing privilege logs
- • E-file in state court and federal court through CM/ECF, and docket every deadline in the firm's calendaring system the day it's set
- • Built trial binders and exhibit lists for 4 trials and 2 arbitrations, and checked citations in briefs against the Bluebook
Legal Assistant, Lakeshore Claims Law Group · Jul 2019 – Mar 2022
- • Handled new-file intake and conflict checks, and set up matters in Clio for a 6-attorney practice
- • Requested and organized medical and employment records, cutting the average wait for records from 6 weeks to 4 with a 2-week follow-up routine
- • Ran legal research in Westlaw for attorneys and pulled case law and statutes into short research memos
Education & certifications
B.A. Political Science, Prairie State University, 2018 · Paralegal Certificate, Lakefront College (ABA-approved program), 2019 · Certified Paralegal (CP), NALA
Skills
Litigation support · Discovery · Document review · Relativity · E-filing · CM/ECF · Docketing · Legal research · Westlaw · Deposition summaries · Trial preparation · Bluebook · Clio · Privilege logs · Legal writing
Rachel Kim
Litigation Paralegal, Certified Paralegal (CP)
rachel.kim@email.com · Chicago, IL
(312) 555-0193
Summary
Certified litigation paralegal with 6 years in insurance defense and civil litigation. I keep discovery organized, file accurately in state and federal courts and make sure the attorneys I support never miss a deadline.
Experience
Litigation Paralegal — Halsted & Monroe LLP
Apr 2022 – Present
• Support 3 attorneys on 40+ active insurance defense and commercial cases, from pleadings through trial
• Draft discovery requests and responses, subpoenas and deposition notices for attorney review, and summarize deposition transcripts
• Manage document productions in Relativity, running searches, applying privilege tags and preparing privilege logs
• E-file in state court and federal court through CM/ECF, and docket every deadline in the firm's calendaring system the day it's set
• Built trial binders and exhibit lists for 4 trials and 2 arbitrations, and checked citations in briefs against the Bluebook
Legal Assistant — Lakeshore Claims Law Group
Jul 2019 – Mar 2022
• Handled new-file intake and conflict checks, and set up matters in Clio for a 6-attorney practice
• Requested and organized medical and employment records, cutting the average wait for records from 6 weeks to 4 with a 2-week follow-up routine
• Ran legal research in Westlaw for attorneys and pulled case law and statutes into short research memos
Education
Prairie State University
B.A. Political Science · 2018
Certifications
Paralegal Certificate, Lakefront College (ABA-approved program), 2019
Certified Paralegal (CP), NALA
Skills
Litigation support, Discovery, Document review, Relativity, E-filing, CM/ECF, Docketing, Legal research, Westlaw, Deposition summaries, Trial preparation, Bluebook, Clio, Privilege logs, Legal writing
Why it works
The certification and practice area lead, every bullet names a task attorneys rely on paralegals for, and the tools — Relativity, CM/ECF, Westlaw, Clio — are written exactly as they appear in job posts.
Use this as your starting point
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Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- Entry level
Paralegal certificate graduate from an ABA-approved program with an internship in a civil litigation firm. Trained in legal research, Westlaw, e-filing and document review.
- Experienced
Certified litigation paralegal with 6 years in insurance defense and civil litigation. I support 3 attorneys on 40+ active cases and have prepared trial binders for 4 trials.
- Senior
Senior paralegal with 14 years in complex litigation. I manage e-discovery for multi-party cases, train junior paralegals and run the trial team's exhibit and witness preparation.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Caseload
Instead of: Helped attorneys
Write: Supported 3 attorneys on 40+ active insurance defense and commercial cases from pleadings through trial
Discovery
Instead of: Worked on discovery
Write: Drafted discovery requests and responses and summarized deposition transcripts for attorney review
E-discovery
Instead of: Reviewed documents
Write: Managed document productions in Relativity with privilege tags and privilege logs
Filing
Instead of: Filed documents
Write: E-filed in state and federal court through CM/ECF and docketed every deadline the day it was set
Trial
Instead of: Helped with trials
Write: Built trial binders and exhibit lists for 4 trials and 2 arbitrations
Records
Instead of: Requested records
Write: Cut the average wait for medical records from 6 weeks to 4 with a 2-week follow-up routine
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for paralegals.
These come up often in paralegal job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- Litigation support
- Discovery
- Document review
- Relativity
- E-filing
- CM/ECF
- Docketing
- Legal research
- Westlaw
- Deposition summaries
- Trial preparation
- Privilege logs
- Bluebook
- Clio
- Conflict checks
- Legal writing
- Certified Paralegal (CP)
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for paralegals.
Name the practice area first
Litigation, corporate, real estate, immigration and family law are different jobs. Put yours in the headline.
Write certifications with their full names
NALA awards the Certified Paralegal (CP). The National Federation of Paralegal Associations awards the CRP and RP through its PCCE and PACE exams. Spell out the organization, since "NFPA" can be confused with other groups.
List the legal tech by name
Relativity, Westlaw, Lexis, CM/ECF, Clio and iManage are common screening terms. Name the ones you use.
Show deadlines and accuracy
Docketing, filing and citation checks are where a paralegal saves attorneys from costly mistakes. Put one in a bullet.
Stay within your role
Paralegals work under an attorney's supervision. Write "drafted for attorney review" rather than claiming you gave legal advice.
How does your paralegal resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Paralegal resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Rachel's cover letter, annotated
Is paralegal certification required?
Generally not. Most states don't require a paralegal certification, but many employers value one. Common national options are NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations' CRP and RP credentials.
What's the difference between NALA's CP and the RP?
The CP is awarded by NALA after its Knowledge and Skills exams. The RP is awarded by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations after its Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE), which is aimed at experienced paralegals. Both list education and experience requirements.
Should I list my paralegal program?
Yes. Name the school, the year and whether it's ABA-approved, which many firms look for.
How do I move from legal assistant to paralegal?
Highlight the substantive work you've done, such as drafting, research, discovery or e-filing, and consider a paralegal certificate or certification to back it up.
How long should a paralegal resume be?
One page for most paralegals. Two pages is fine for senior paralegals with long case lists, trials or e-discovery projects to show.