The Functional Lawyer Resume

Today's lawyer resumes generally fall into one of twocorporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation
broad categories: the chronological resume and themanagement, and complex commercial contracts.
functional resume. The chronological lawyer resumeExperience includes attorney training, budget
lists all your experience from the most to the leastmanagement, and outside counsel oversight.
recent in reverse chronological order. The functionalEXPERIENCE
lawyer resume, on the other hand, focuses on yourTransactional Experience
skills and experience, rather than on your chronological* Negotiated and drafted legal documents for
work history.thousands of manufacturing projects with commercial,
While the chronological resume is the most popularstate, local and federal customers around the world.
form of resume used by lawyers, the functional* Designed and implemented a contract review and
lawyer resume can be a good alternative in certaincontract administration system for a business featuring
circumstances. Lawyers who may want to consider amore than 5,000 active, unique contracts.
functional format include:Mergers & Acquisitions
* Experienced lawyers who want to present a unified* Completed over 50 separate acquisitions
theme in their work experience, or who want to takedomestically totaling more than $1 billion in aggregate
the focus away from their age and experience as notpurchase price.
to appear "overqualified" or too senior for a position.* Completed mergers and acquisitions internationally, in
* Lawyers who have practiced in different fields orcountries including France, Germany, China, Brazil and
practice areas from the type of position they areMexico.
seeking (e.g. from law firm to in-house, or from litigationLitigation Management
to corporate).* Managed a litigation portfolio of nearly 100 active
* Lawyers who left the practice or who have gaps onlawsuits or claims in a variety of countries and legal
their resumes (e.g. such as women who took time offjurisdictions.
to raise children, or those who have had more than a* Resolved complex claims and litigation, including
6-months gap between positions).several claims in excess of $100 million.
That said, unless you are in a situation where theLegal Department Management
functional lawyer resume makes the most sense (e.g.* Responsible for a legal department budget, internal
you are returning to the work for after a long hiatus),and external, of approximately $20 million.
you should note that most legal employers and* Hired, trained and supervised a staff of ten lawyers
recruiters generally do not favor the functional resume.plus five support staff to handle the complex legal
Most legal employers are accustomed to theaffairs of the company.
chronological resume, and many online applicationWORK HISTORY
programs do not accept functional resumes.Manufacturing Company, Brooklyn, NY
To be safe, you should try to create both aGeneral Counsel, 1999 - Present
chronological and functional lawyer resume, presentLaw Firm, New York, NY
both resumes to colleagues and recruiters in your field,Associate, 1989 - Present
and see which one they feel best reflects your skillsEDUCATION
and experience. Again, before sending any resume,Fordham School of Law, New York, NY
you need to know your audience, their expectations,J.D., 1989
and determine what type of resume format they willNew York University, New York, NY
be most receptive to.B.A., English, 1986
Here is a general template of a functional lawyerBAR ADMISSION
resume:New York (1989)
JANE B. DOEOTHER INFORMATION
555 Palmer Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 SUMMARYThis is where you can list any publications,
Chief legal officer of an industrial manufacturingpresentations, professional organizations, or activities
company with over 20 years of practice experience inrelated to your practice.