General Counsel Resume Sample & Expert Tips

Get this: Even if you’re better than Harvey Specter, a general counsel resume that doesn’t convey that skill and knowledge effectively isn’t worth filing for evidence.

You may get a recruiter well-versed in legalese. Then again, you may not. And since resume writing and legal opinions are way different, you may need a little guidance.

This guide will show you: 

• A general counsel resume sample better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a general counsel resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a general counsel resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a general counsel to get any job you want. 

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Are other legal jobs more interesting to you? Read these instead:

• Law/Legal Resume Examples
• Attorney/Lawyer Resume Examples
• Paralegal Resume Examples
• Legal Assistant Resume Examples
• Criminal Justice Resume Examples
• Law Student Resume Examples
• Law School Application Resume Examples
• Correctional Officer Resume Examples

General Counsel Resume Sample

Here’s how to create your job-winning general counsel resume:

1. Prepare Your General Counsel Resume Format

The General Counsel advises companies on legal issues and oversees legal departments. Legal knowledge is the number one requirement, but a great general counsel resume will also show exceptional time management and organization skills.

Before they let you litigate, you must first win over hiring partners with a compelling resume. If you don’t take your resume structure seriously, your job prospects may face summary judgment faster than an improperly served complaint.

Here are some tips for drafting a complaint-proof resume:

• Choose the chronological resume format. It’s a safe choice that highlights your freshest experience while being easily readable by even the most unreasonable judges.
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides. Use white space between each resume section to enhance readability and avoid objections.
• Bold your section headings and increase the font to size 13 or 14. Keep the resume font for the remaining text at size 11 or 12.
• Be concise and limit your resume to one page. Two-page resumes risk irrelevant ramblings and can often just be struck from the record.

Read more: Best Modern Resume Templates That Impress Recruiters

2. Prepare a General Counsel Resume Profile

Here’s the tea—They likely won’t bother reading your entire brief. Even if you showed them a handful of trials you won by clawing it from the jaws of defeat, you simply can’t ignore the incredible demand for lawyers in the U.S. The number of applicants is insurmountable for recruiters, and it’s up to you to convince them to read your entire resume.

Through a resume profile at the top of your resume, you can grab their attention faster than a surprise witness.

• If you have prior experience as general counsel, draft a resume summary highlighting your victories, quantifying wins where possible, and show them how you’ll tackle the firm’s current challenges.
• For general counsel beginners, use a resume objective emphasizing transferable skills from previous roles. Focus on your hypothetical value to the firm, not just your ambitions.

Read more: Tips to Starting a Resume Properly

3. Add Past Work Experience to Your General Counsel Resume

You need to demonstrate you’ll be their rock of corporate integrity. Optimizing the experience section is mission-critical for that very reason.

Follow these instructions to fill the work experience section of your general counsel resume:

• List your most recent legal gig first, and go backward. While you don’t need to go so far back on your resume to reach 1L a year, two or three past positions are the sweet spot.
• Include your job title alongside the company names and dates you worked there.
• The juicy stuff is in the bullet points: aim for 5–6, highlighting your biggest wins.
• Avoid generic statements and focus on relevant experience, great achievements, and action words.
• Tailor each resume specifically to the role. Hiring managers can spot a hastily thrown-together resume versus one customized to showcase your legal expertise and fit.

Read more: Associate Attorney Resume: Guide with Key Skills & Sample

4. Debug Your General Counsel Education Section

Don’t give the other side any grounds for dismissal on a technicality. If they don’t see an education section, you’re asking for it.

Since you're applying for a senior legal position, you likely have at least 5+ years of legal experience. In this case, there's no need to include your law school GPA on your resume (unless it was exceptionally high). Similarly, law school scholarships and awards won’t matter as much now. Just list the law school name, your J.D. degree, and graduation year.

Read more:How to List Majors and Minors on a Resume

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5. List the Right Professional Skills for a General Counsel

Need inspiration for the skill section of your resume? Look at these general counsel skills:

Top Skills for a General Counsel

• Legal Research
• Contract Law
• Regulatory Compliance
• Litigation Management
• Intellectual Property
• Risk Assessment
• Crisis Management
• Corporate Governance
• Employment Law
• Compliance Programs
• Communication Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Problem-Solving
• Strategic Thinking
• Relationship Building
• Adaptability Skills
• Ethical Practice
• Time Management
• Teamwork Skills
• Technology Proficiency
• Contract Management Systems
• Legal Analytics
• Intellectual Property Management Software
• Legal Writing
• Due Diligence
• Financial Analysis

There’s a lot more a general counsel is often responsible for, but for a great resume, you should limit yourself to roughly 6 to 10 carefully picked skills.

How do you pick them? By carefully reviewing the job posting and comparing the skills and qualifications they seek to your legal credentials. Once you get your hard skills, soft skills, and technical skills down pat, pick those that match the job ad to make it past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and get your resume on a real person’s desk.

Read more: Other Great Skills Your Resume Should Have

6. Add Other Sections to Your General Counsel Resume

Want to land your dream job as general counsel? Better make sure your resume pops. Hiring managers are more likely to take notice if you show them something that makes you stand out.

Add some extra flair to your resume by including things like foreign language proficiency, specialized credentials or certifications that demonstrate your expertise. 

Any legal awards are also welcome, or maybe you write a legal blog or have an interesting hobby. Putting this extra information on your resume is a definite way to improve it!

Pro Tip: Don’t mistake this as an opportunity to freehand your way through the recruitment process. Embellish too much by lying on your resume, and they’ll definitely reject you based on perjury.

7. Finish up by Attaching a General Counsel Cover Letter

A compelling cover letter increases your chances of landing the job. That’s the opinion of nearly fifty percent of all recruiters.

Here are the key elements to include in a cover letter for a general counsel position:

• Proper cover letter format: 4 short paragraphs and about 300 words total.
• Cover letter opening: mentions how you learned of the position and why you’d be a valuable addition to the legal team.
• Body: highlight more relevant experience and back your claims up with stats and numbers where possible.
• Cover letter closing: request an interview to discuss how you can help the company achieve its legal objectives.

Read more: Killer Cover Letter Examples to Inspire You

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Which of these tips did you find the most helpful? Do you need some extra help writing your general counsel resume? Share thoughts and questions in the comments below!

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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, " Occupational Outlook Handbook: Lawyers"
• Association of Corporate Counsel, "Role of the General Counsel"