There is a huge amount of information out there on what makes a good CV, but the thing is, every industry is different. What works for the banking industry, will be very different for the tech industry, and very different to the legal industry.
With corporate law academics are very important, whatever stage of your career. Knowing how to draft and format it on your CV will be helpful for job hunting and give you the best chance of securing your dream job.
There is one exception where this guide is not applicable, and that is for training contract applications. Each firm will have their own guidelines, and will often require a lot more detail, including breaking down your grades for every module. So please refer to their own websites for that, but for paralegal roles, NQ role and lawyer roles, please read on to see our top tips on how to build the education section of your legal CV.
List your most recent or highest level first
Include where you studied and the dates
Concisely put what you studied - ie use LLB. Putting “Legum Baccalaureus, qualifying law degree (hons)” is just unnecessary!
Include your grade. The format of 2.1 etc is preferred. Upper Second Class Honours will clutter your CV and is making more work for the CV reviewer.
Include your A Level subjects and list a grade for each of them. We advise against putting “3 A*-C” as this is unclear and the reader will assume your grades are CCC. If they are BBC or A*A*C, put that. Don’t try and hide grades, if a firm is going to judge you off that alone, is that a firm you want to work at?
For GCSE’s we recommend grouping them, for example 3A*, 5A, 2B
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