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Paralegal resume template

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Review score
91
Evidence
89%
Words
265

Scored by the same rules the Studio uses. How scoring works

Why it works

  • One page in all six layouts265 words, so switching designs never pushes it to a second page.
  • 2 of 9 bullets name a resultThe rest show the scale of the work, which a recruiter reads as proof too. Counted by the same Review the Studio runs.
  • Headings an ATS already knowsSummary, Experience, Education, Certifications, Skills, in that order.
  • Credentials have their own sectionCertified Paralegal (CP), Relativity Certified User, each with issuer and year.
  • Reads back as plain textOne column with no tables or icons. The ATS text tab shows what a parser gets.
What a recruiter sees
Hannah Brooks
Litigation Paralegal
hannah.brooks@example.com · +1 (404) 555-0139 · Atlanta, GA · linkedin.com/in/hannahbrooks
SUMMARY

NALA Certified Paralegal with seven years in civil litigation and employment law across state and federal courts. Runs discovery in Relativity, research in Westlaw and e-filing in CM/ECF across about 45 active matters.

EXPERIENCE
Senior Litigation Paralegal
2021 – Present
Peachtree Harlan LLP · Atlanta, GA
  • Support 3 partners and 4 associates on about 45 active employment and commercial litigation matters in state and federal court.
  • Manage discovery in Relativity for cases up to 380,000 documents, building privilege logs and productions that met every court deadline.
  • Draft first versions of pleadings, motions, subpoenas and discovery responses with Bluebook citations for attorney review.
  • Prepared exhibits and trial binders for 4 jury trials, including a 9-day trial that ended in a defense verdict.
Paralegal
2018 – 2021
Morrow & Pike Law Group · Decatur, GA
  • Docketed and calendared about 600 court deadlines a year in Clio, with none missed in three years.
  • Ran legal research in Westlaw and LexisNexis for 12 motions, summarising case law for the supervising attorney.
  • Scheduled 70 depositions and prepared the binders and witness outlines.
Legal Assistant
2016 – 2018
Northside Tenant Legal Aid · Atlanta, GA
  • Handled client intake for about 25 tenants a week facing eviction, running conflict checks and opening case files.
  • Filed answers and motions through the state e-filing system, cutting rejected filings from about 10 a month to 1.
EDUCATION
B.A. Political Science; ABA-approved Paralegal Certificate
2012 – 2016
Georgia State University · Atlanta, GA
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Paralegal (CP), NALA
2019
Relativity Certified User, Relativity
2022
SKILLS
Litigation: litigation, discovery, pleadings, trial preparation, depositions, exhibits
Research: legal research, Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bluebook, case law
Systems: Relativity, document review, e-filing, PACER, CM/ECF, Clio, docketing
Layout

A colour bar across the top and a big, bold name. Still one column. Switching layouts never changes the words.

Use this exampleSee all templates

Opens in the Studio on this device, in the Signal layout. Replace the sample details with your own before you export.

Try it with your name

A preview only. Nothing is saved.

Paralegal resumes fail when they list duties any law office could claim: drafted documents, did research, assisted attorneys. A hiring attorney screens for the practice area, the caseload, the court systems and review platforms you know, and whether deadlines were met. The template above makes those facts parseable, and the score on this page is real proof-engine output.

Paralegal resume summary example

Target roleLitigation Paralegal
SummaryNALA Certified Paralegal with seven years in civil litigation and employment law across state and federal courts. Runs discovery in Relativity, research in Westlaw and e-filing in CM/ECF across about 45 active matters.
8 of this role's keywords are in the summary
  • NALA
  • Certified Paralegal
  • litigation
  • discovery
  • Relativity
  • Westlaw
  • e-filing
  • CM/ECF

The candidate is fictional, so swap in your own numbers. Stuck? The resume summary generator drafts one from your title and results.

Why most paralegals don't get the call

Skills and keywords for a paralegal resume

Applicant tracking systems match on literal strings. Spell each term the way the job posting spells it, and group related skills so people and parsers can both follow it.

Litigation support

  • litigation
  • discovery
  • pleadings
  • trial preparation
  • depositions
  • subpoenas
  • exhibits

Research & drafting

  • legal research
  • Westlaw
  • LexisNexis
  • Bluebook
  • motions
  • discovery responses
  • contracts

E-discovery & case systems

  • Relativity
  • document review
  • e-filing
  • PACER
  • CM/ECF
  • privilege log
  • Clio
  • iManage

Practice & credentials

  • docketing
  • calendaring
  • client intake
  • Certified Paralegal
  • NALA
  • ABA-approved certificate
  • CILEx

Have the real job posting? Paste it into the keyword scanner to see the skills it asks for most, and which ones your resume is missing.

Why each choice was made

  1. Why the practice area sits in the summary

    A litigation firm and a corporate firm filter for different words. Putting the area and the court experience in the first line routes the resume to the right attorney.

  2. Why caseload and volume are counted

    Active matters, documents reviewed and filings made each month show capacity in numbers an attorney understands, and make the experience comparable.

  3. Why deadlines are a result

    In legal work, nothing missed is the result. Saying how many deadlines were docketed with none missed turns an invisible job into proof.

Paralegal resume questions

See all ATS-friendly resume templates, check your file with the free ATS resume checker, or read how each ATS reads resumes.

What skills should I put on a paralegal resume?

The skills the job posting names, spelled the way it spells them. For a paralegal that often includes litigation, discovery, legal research, Westlaw, Relativity and document review. Show each one in a bullet with a result, then list the core ones again in a short skills section.

How do I write a paralegal resume summary?

Keep it to two or three sentences: your years of experience and where, the scale of your work, and one result with a number. Leave out words a recruiter cannot check, like hardworking or passionate. The example summary on this page shows the pattern.

Is this paralegal resume template free?

Yes. Open it in the Studio, replace the example with your own work and download it as a PDF in a free design (Clean, Signal, Editorial and Minimal). Word files and the other designs come with ATSPrep Pro. There is no watermark; downloading needs a free account.

Is this paralegal resume template ATS friendly?

Yes. It is one column of real text with standard section headings, and no tables, text boxes or text inside images, so parsers read it in order. Run your finished file through the free ATS resume checker to see the text it gives back.

Keep the pattern. Tell your story.

The Studio opens with this paralegal example loaded. Edit any bullet and the Review score updates as you type. Editing needs no account; downloading needs a free one.

  1. Keep the hierarchy. Same section order, plain-text contact details.
  2. Replace every claim. Your scope, your numbers, your tools. Never borrowed achievements.
  3. Run the Review again. Watch the score respond to the evidence in your version.
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What each system will do to this file.

What each applicant tracking system accepts, read from the vendor's own documentation.