Personal injury lawyer Resume: Free Example (2026)

Place your name as the largest text at the top, then list your city, phone, email, and a LinkedIn URL. Use a professional email and omit personal details like birthdate or marital status, which are not relevant to hiring decisions.

Keep contact info to a single line under your name so hiring managers can scan it quickly.

Write a two to three sentence summary that frames your specialization in personal injury law and one measurable outcome. Start with your title and years of experience, then state the types of cases you handle and a quantifiable result like settlements recovered or favorable verdicts.

Avoid vague claims and focus on the skills and results most relevant to the job you want.

List six to eight skills that match the job posting and reflect your strongest capabilities, such as litigation strategy, deposition preparation, client counseling, and trial advocacy. Order skills by relevance and use the exact phrasing found in the job description when it matches your experience.

Keep this section short so a recruiter can spot core competencies at a glance.

For each role, start with job title, employer, location, and dates, then add three to six bullet-style achievement sentences that focus on outcomes and responsibilities. Use active verbs like led, negotiated, secured, and resolved, and quantify results where possible by stating settlement amounts, percentage improvements, or case counts.

Emphasize courtroom experience, motion practice, and client development activities that demonstrate both legal skill and business sense.

Use concrete phrases that employers understand, for example, "Managed a caseload of 120 personal injury matters, resolving 85% through negotiated settlement" or "Prepared and argued dispositive motions, resulting in dismissal of defendant claims in multiple cases." Tailor each bullet to show your role and the impact you had on the client or firm. Avoid listing duties without demonstrating the result or value you provided.

List your law degree, school, graduation year, and jurisdictional bar admissions with date of admission if recent or relevant. Include trial certifications, mediation credentials, and continuing legal education that align with personal injury practice.

If you are admitted in multiple states note the states and admission dates to make relocation or multi-jurisdictional work easier to evaluate.

Add a short publications, speaking engagements, or representative cases section if you have public outcomes or academic work that strengthens your candidacy. For representative cases, include a one-line description of the claim type and the outcome without revealing confidential client details.

Keep these items concise so they support rather than overwhelm the main experience section.

Keep the resume to one page if you have under 10 years of experience and two pages for more senior attorneys with substantial trial history. Use a readable serif or sans-serif font at 10 to 12 point and 0.5 to 0.75 inch margins to maximize content without crowding the page.

Maintain consistent punctuation and date formats, and save the file as a PDF to preserve layout when submitting.

Review the job description and mirror key phrases related to practice areas, litigation responsibilities, and required skills when they match your background. Reorder your experience bullets so the most relevant cases and results appear first, and remove older or less relevant roles that dilute your personal injury focus.

This targeted approach increases the chance a recruiter or screening software finds the match between your experience and the role.

Write a short cover letter that references a representative case or result and explains why you are a good fit for the firm or position. Attach a concise writing sample that demonstrates legal analysis and drafting ability, ideally a redacted brief or motion from a personal injury matter.

Make sure your writing sample reinforces the skills listed on your resume and matches the level of work expected by the role.