Resume & Cover Letter Guide

Resume & Cover Letter Guide

How to present legal, academic, work, and leadership experiences clearly for recruit applications.

7 min readUpdated 2026-05-30

Overview

Recruiting materials should make it easy for firms to understand your experiences, judgment, writing ability, work ethic, and reasons for applying.

Key Takeaways

Clarity matters more than trying to sound impressive.

  • Use action-oriented bullets with concrete responsibilities or results.
  • Tailor cover letters to office, practice, and student program fit.
  • Avoid repeating the firm website back to the reader.

Main Content

Main Content

A strong resume highlights responsibility, communication, analysis, service, and leadership. A strong cover letter adds context: why the firm, why the office, and why your background connects to the role. Keep both documents concise and easy to scan.

Related Firms

Fasken

National full-service law firm

Calgary, Vancouver, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto

Blakes

National full-service law firm

Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto

McCarthy Tétrault

National full-service law firm

Calgary, Vancouver, Montréal, Toronto

McMillan

National full-service law firm

Calgary, Vancouver, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto

Related Practice Areas

Corporate / Commercial

Broad business law work supporting companies through contracts, governance, transactions, and day-to-day legal needs.

Litigation

Disputes work involving advocacy, strategy, evidence, negotiation, and court or tribunal processes.