The short answer: a strong solicitor CV in Scotland should include your contact details, a short personal statement, your practising certificate status and PQE, your legal work experience in reverse chronological order with quantified examples of your caseload, your education (LLB, Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and traineeship), any accreditation or notary status, and your key skills. Keep it to two pages, tailor it to each role and make your practice area obvious within the first few lines.
We read hundreds of legal CVs every year. Here is what Scottish law firms look for, and the mistakes that cost good solicitors interviews.
What should a solicitor CV include?
Every legal CV should cover these sections, in roughly this order:
- Name and contact details. Phone number, a professional email address, your town or city and a link to your LinkedIn profile. There is no need for your full address, date of birth or a photograph.
- Personal statement. Three or four lines summarising who you are, your practice area, your PQE and what you are looking for next.
- Qualification and status. The date you were admitted, whether you hold a current Law Society of Scotland practising certificate, your PQE, and any accreditation as a specialist or notary public.
- Legal work experience. Your roles in reverse chronological order, with the firm, dates, job title and the work you did.
- Education. Your LLB, Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and any postgraduate study, with results where they help you.
- Key skills. Technical and practice management skills relevant to the role, such as case management systems, business development or supervising trainees.
- Additional information. Professional memberships, committees, pro bono work, languages and a brief line on interests if space allows.
How long should a solicitor CV be?
Two pages is the standard for most solicitors in Scotland. Trainees and newly qualified solicitors can often fit everything on one page, while partners and heads of department may need a short third page or an appendix listing notable transactions or reported cases. If a partner has to scroll past five pages to find your current role, you have lost their attention.
How do you describe your legal work experience?
This is the most important part of your CV and where most solicitors undersell themselves. List your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with your current position. For each role, focus on outcomes and the level of responsibility you hold, not a generic job description. Quantify wherever you can:
- Weak: "Responsible for a caseload of residential conveyancing files."
- Strong: "Run a caseload of around 60 live residential sales and purchases from offer to settlement, supervising one paralegal and one trainee."
- Weak: "Assisted with litigation matters."
- Strong: "Manage a personal injury caseload of 90 files in the Sheriff Court and Court of Session, valued up to £250,000, with a 95% settlement rate."
Billing figures, file numbers, deal values, court experience, client types and supervisory responsibility all help a hiring partner picture you in their team. Keep anything client confidential anonymised.
What should a newly qualified solicitor put on a CV?
An NQ solicitor CV should lead with your traineeship. Name the firm, the seats you completed and what you actually did in each seat: the files you ran, court appearances, completions, client meetings and any matters where you took real responsibility. Highlight the seat that matches the role you are applying for, and say clearly where you hope to qualify. Your degree classification, Diploma results and any legal work experience before your traineeship, such as paralegal roles or summer placements, also carry more weight at this stage. You can see examples of the NQ roles we are recruiting for to understand what firms are asking for.
What should an experienced solicitor emphasise?
From around three years PQE, hiring partners want to see that you can run matters independently, win and keep clients, and contribute to the wider firm. Emphasise:
- the size and complexity of your caseload;
- your client following or client relationships, where relevant;
- business development, such as seminars, articles or referral networks;
- supervision and training of junior colleagues; and
- any management responsibility, such as leading a team or a practice area.
For senior associate and partner level roles, such as our senior associate and partner vacancies, a short summary of your fee income and the strategic contribution you have made to your current firm is often expected.
Should you tailor your CV for each legal job?
Yes. A family law firm wants to read about your family caseload first, not your general litigation experience. Before you send your CV, reread the job description and adjust your personal statement, the order of your bullet points and your key skills so the most relevant experience appears on page one. Use the same language the firm uses, especially for practice areas and systems, which also helps if the firm uses software to screen applications.
A simple solicitor CV template
If you are starting from scratch, this simple CV template works for most solicitors in Scotland, from newly qualified solicitors to senior associates:
- Header: name, phone, email, location and LinkedIn.
- Personal statement: for example, "Commercial property solicitor with 4 years PQE at a top ten Scottish firm, acting for investors and developers on acquisitions, disposals and leasing. Looking for an associate role in Glasgow with a clear route to senior associate."
- Admission and practising certificate: date admitted, PQE, practising certificate status, accreditation.
- Legal work experience: each role with three to six bullet points that quantify your caseload, deal values and responsibilities.
- Traineeship: firm, dates and seats. If you trained in England, list your training contract here and note any requalification in Scotland.
- Education: Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, LLB and any further study.
- Key skills and additional information: systems, languages, memberships, pro bono and interests.
Use clear headings, consistent dates and plenty of white space. Save it as a PDF unless the firm or recruiter asks for a Word document.
Which key skills should a lawyer list?
Your key skills section should support your work experience, not repeat it. Include the technical skills a firm needs for that practice area, such as Registers of Scotland applications for conveyancing, Sheriff Court and Court of Session procedure for litigation, or executry and power of attorney work for private client. Add practice skills such as file management, client care, supervising trainees and business development. Avoid vague claims such as "hard working" or "good communicator" unless you can show the evidence elsewhere on your CV.
Do you need a cover letter?
If you are applying directly to a firm, a short cover letter or email of three to four paragraphs is still worthwhile. Explain why you want that firm, why you suit the role and when you are available. If you are working with a legal recruiter, they will usually present you to the firm with their own summary, so a cover letter is often unnecessary, but tell your recruiter your motivations so they can make your case well.
What are the most common solicitor CV mistakes?
- Burying your practice area. A reader should know what kind of lawyer you are within ten seconds.
- Listing duties instead of achievements. Show results and responsibility, not job descriptions.
- Unexplained gaps. A one line explanation for a career break or travel is all that is needed.
- Typos and inconsistent formatting. Attention to detail is a core legal skill. Proofread carefully, then ask someone else to proofread it again.
- Using a heavily designed template. Clean, simple formatting in a standard font works best and reads correctly on any system.
- Breaching confidentiality. Never name clients or include sensitive matter details without permission.
Frequently asked questions
What should a solicitor CV include?
Contact details, a personal statement, your practising certificate status and PQE, legal work experience in reverse chronological order with quantified examples, education including your LLB and Diploma, accreditation, and key skills.
How long should a legal CV be in Scotland?
Two pages for most solicitors. Trainees and NQs can often use one page, while partners may add a short appendix of key matters.
Should I include my PQE on my CV?
Yes. State your date of admission and PQE clearly near the top, along with whether you hold a current practising certificate.
Should a solicitor CV have a photo?
No. A photograph, date of birth and full home address are not needed on a UK legal CV.
Want a second opinion on your CV?
We are happy to review your CV in confidence and tell you how Scottish firms are likely to read it. Email your CV to info@legalrecruitmentscotland.com, send us your details or browse our current legal jobs.
