Paralegal CV template (UK, 2026)
UK law firms filter paralegal CVs primarily on practice area fit and procedural competence — a litigation firm wants to see disclosure, bundling and trial preparation experience, while a corporate team wants drafting and due diligence, so a generic 'legal support' CV reads as unfocused. Clearly stating your qualification route (LLB, GDL, or CILEX membership) and SQE plans also matters, since firms use it to gauge where you sit on the path to qualification.
Paralegals: pay and who’s hiring
Paralegals in the UK typically earn between £24,000–£38,000 depending on experience, location, and shift patterns. Employers actively recruiting for this role include Clifford Chance, Linklaters, DLA Piper, Slater & Gordon, Eversheds Sutherland. Tailoring your CV to each of these employers’ job descriptions — mirroring their exact wording — is what gets you past the ATS and in front of a hiring manager.
Keywords this template targets
- case management
- bundling
- disclosure
- drafting
- client care
- AML checks
- trial preparation
- research
- redaction
Certifications to highlight
- LLB / GDL
- CILEX
- SQE prep (optional)
Personal statement example
Paralegal with experience supporting litigation and commercial matters, including case management, disclosure and bundling for trial preparation. LLB graduate currently preparing for the SQE, with strong legal research and drafting skills developed across client-facing file work. Comfortable managing AML checks and client care obligations under partner supervision.
Example experience bullet points
Adapt these to your own roles — keep the verb-first structure and swap in your real figures.
- Managed disclosure and e-disclosure review across 40+ active litigation files, using case management software to track deadlines and document status
- Prepared trial bundles and hearing bundles for counsel, ensuring accurate pagination, indexing and redaction of privileged material
- Drafted witness statements, letters of claim and correspondence for fee earner review, working to tight court and client deadlines
- Conducted legal research on case law and statute to support fee earner advice on commercial disputes
- Carried out AML and client due diligence checks on new matters, escalating discrepancies in line with firm compliance procedures
Section-by-section structure
- Personal summary — three sentences, lead with role + years + a measurable result.
- Key skills — 8–10 bullets, mixing the keywords above with one transferable soft skill.
- Certifications — bullet each credential with the awarding body and year.
- Experience — reverse chronological. Each role gets 3–5 bullets, each bullet starts with a verb and ends with a number where possible.
- Education — institution, qualification, year. Skip A-Level / GCSE detail if you have 5+ years of experience.
Common paralegal CV mistakes
- Writing a generic 'legal experience' CV with no stated practice area, leaving the reader to guess whether the candidate fits a litigation, corporate or family law team
- Not stating CILEX membership, LLB/GDL status or SQE progress clearly, which recruiters use to quickly assess qualification route and seniority
- Describing bundling and disclosure as clerical tasks rather than showing the scale and responsibility involved, e.g. the number of files or the deadline pressure managed
Frequently asked
Do I need to mention CILEX or SQE status on a paralegal CV even if I am not currently studying?
Yes, UK firms expect clarity on your qualification route even if you have no immediate plans to pursue it, because it signals career intent and helps them slot you into the right level of file responsibility. State plainly whether you are CILEX qualified, hold an LLB/GDL, or are preparing for the SQE, and if you have no current study plans, simply state your degree and leave it at that rather than omitting the section entirely.
How specific should I be about practice area experience on a paralegal CV?
Very specific — name the practice area (commercial litigation, conveyancing, family, corporate/M&A) for every role or placement listed, since UK firms rarely hire paralegals as generalists. If your experience spans multiple areas, lead with whichever matches the practice area of the job you are applying to, and briefly summarise the others further down.
What ATS keywords matter most for a paralegal CV?
The strongest signals are: case management, bundling, disclosure, drafting, client care, AML checks, trial preparation, research, redaction. Include them in your skills section AND in the body of role descriptions — ATS systems weight contextual mentions higher than skill-list entries.
Should I add LLB / GDL to my CV even if it's just in progress?
Yes — list it clearly with "(in progress, expected [date])". Employers screen-out CVs missing the credential entirely; partial credit is normal when the path is visible.
How long should a paralegal CV be in the UK?
Two pages, ideally. For roles with under five years of experience, a single tight page outperforms a padded two-pager. Recruiters spend 6–8 seconds on the first scan.
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