Your Transferable Skills

🔀 Are you switching careers and starting out in law?

Or are you interested in a law career but lack a law degree?

Your CV won’t look the same as a law graduate. But that’s not a bad thing. Your previous career or non-law degree could even give you a boost. Much depends on how you frame this in your CV.

Transferable skills are vital when your CV doesn’t follow the traditional legal path. So, when you talk about previous jobs or education, highlight how your experience is relevant for the legal role you’re applying for.

Here are 5 transferable skills for a legal CV:

1. The Art of Negotiation: Emphasise that successful deal you struck, when you secured a tricky client for your company, or when you increased revenue.
2. Working Under Pressure: Think about times you’ve made the right decision quickly and kept your cool under a deadline.
3. Analytical Skills: Find examples of understanding different viewpoints, separating facts from opinions, or finding solutions to tricky problems.
4. Attention to Detail: One missed detail can have huge consequences, so if you have an example where you spotted something others missed, put it in.
5. Time/Project Management: Lawyers often have busy schedules with many projects to juggle, so find evidence of times you’ve had to multitask and handle multiple deadlines at once.  

That part-time job in a shop when you were an undergraduate could highlight communication skills with the public. Your former teaching career could demonstrate presentation and teamwork skills.

A diverse career, confidence and multiple skills are attractive to many law firms. So, make the most of your previous experience in your CV. And get in touch with us if you’re hunting for a legal position.

What jobs did you have before starting your legal career?

Let us know your past work life in the comments below. ⬇️