ATS keywords for a paralegal resume
Many employers keep applications in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), where recruiters search and sort them by the skills the role needs. Use these terms where they honestly describe your experience, so your resume is easy to find and easy to read:
Key skills to highlight
- ▸Legal research and drafting support
- ▸Document review and discovery
- ▸Preparing and filing court documents
- ▸Managing files and deadlines
- ▸Client and stakeholder liaison
Credentials Australian employers screen for
- ▸Diploma or Certificate in Legal Services, or relevant study
- ▸Practice-area experience (litigation, conveyancing, commercial)
- ▸Legal software and document management proficiency
- ▸Right to work in Australia
Common mistakes to avoid
- ▸Generic 'legal support' instead of the practice area and tasks.
- ▸No mention of research, drafting or document systems.
- ▸Omitting the matter types you have worked on.
- ▸A generic resume rather than matching the firm's area.
Paralegal CV example: before and after
One experience entry, written twice. The numbers are illustrative, the structure is what matters.
Before
Paralegal, 2021 to present. Provide legal support to solicitors within the firm. Assist with research, prepare documents, manage files and communicate with clients. Undertake general administrative duties as required.
Generic legal support tells a firm nothing about the area of law, the matter types or the systems this paralegal works in, so the ATS misses the practice-area and discovery keywords in the ad and the practice manager cannot judge whether the experience transfers to their files.
After
Paralegal | Diploma of Legal Services | Litigation and commercial support | NSW Police Check XXXXXX (current)
Mid tier commercial law firm, insurance and commercial litigation team supporting four solicitors and a partner | August 2021 to present | Full time
- ▸Ran discovery and document review across a 60,000 document commercial dispute, coding for relevance and privilege in Relativity and preparing the verified list of documents for the solicitor on record.
- ▸Document drafting support on statements of claim, defences, affidavits, subpoenas and briefs to counsel, with legal research memos on liability and limitation questions delivered ahead of directions hearings.
- ▸Court filing through the NSW Online Registry and the Commonwealth Courts Portal, including service arrangements and compliance with court timetables across roughly 70 open matters.
- ▸Matter management and file management in the firm's document management system, maintaining the limitation and key date diary that the team relies on for deadline control.
- ▸Client liaison as first point of contact on file updates, evidence collection and conference scheduling, including insurer clients reporting to fixed service level requirements.
Same support work, described in the firm's own terms. The rewrite names the practice area, the matter volume, the discovery scale and the systems used, so a firm screening for litigation paralegals can see the fit without guessing.
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Frequently asked questions
What should a paralegal resume emphasise?
Emphasise your practice-area experience, research and drafting, and the document and matter management systems you use. Match these to the firm's area of law.
Do I need a qualification to be a paralegal?
A Diploma or Certificate in Legal Services helps, but demonstrated legal support experience and strong drafting and research skills often matter most to Australian firms.
How do I move from paralegal toward a legal career?
Highlight the complexity of matters you support, any study toward admission, and the responsibility you have taken on within the team.
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