Tailoring guide
Paralegal resume keywords and example
Paralegal postings name the practice area (litigation, corporate, real estate, immigration) and the exact tools: Westlaw or Lexis+ for research, Relativity for e-discovery, CM/ECF and state e-filing systems for court filings. Many also ask for a paralegal certificate, often from an ABA-approved program, or a credential such as NALA's CP. Below are the keywords that recur, a sample summary, skills grouped by type, and example bullets across seniority levels.
Updated 14 November 2026. Keyword research current as of November 2026, sourced from public ATS keyword guides, not Weydr's own usage data.
Paralegal keywords that repeat in job postings
- Litigation Support
- Legal Research
- Westlaw / Lexis+
- E-Discovery
- Relativity
- Document Review
- Court Filings (CM/ECF)
- Case Management
- Paralegal Certificate
Only include the ones that are true for you. A keyword you can't back up in an interview costs more than it gains.
Sample professional summary
Litigation paralegal with 5 years at a mid-size commercial litigation firm. Manages discovery and document productions in Relativity, prepares privilege logs and deposition binders, cite-checks briefs in Westlaw, and files in federal court through CM/ECF. Holds a paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved program and NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) credential.
Illustrative example. Swap in your own years, domain, tools and results.
Skills to list on a paralegal resume
Hard skills
- Discovery requests and responses
- Document review and productions
- Privilege logs
- Legal research and cite-checking (Bluebook)
- Deposition and trial preparation
- Federal and state e-filing
- Docketing and calendaring deadlines
Soft skills
- Attention to detail
- Managing several attorneys' deadlines
- Discretion with confidential information
- Clear written communication
- Composure before trial
Tools
- Westlaw
- Lexis+
- Relativity
- Clio
- iManage or NetDocuments
- PACER / CM/ECF
A tailored bullet, before and after
Assisted attorneys with document review.
Managed discovery for 3 concurrent commercial cases, running Relativity review workflows across 60,000 documents, preparing privilege logs and producing on every court deadline.
Example resume bullets by seniority
Illustrative examples: the companies, numbers and outcomes are made up to show the structure (action, scope, tool, result). Use your own real figures.
Entry level
- Cite-checked and Bluebooked 15 briefs and motions in Westlaw, catching citation errors before filing.
- Docketed deadlines and filed pleadings through CM/ECF for 4 attorneys, with no missed filing dates in my first year.
Mid level
- Built deposition outlines and exhibit binders for 25 depositions in a multi-party contract dispute.
- Set up Relativity coding layouts and search terms with the review vendor, cutting the first-pass review set by a third.
Senior
- Led trial preparation for a 2-week federal jury trial, managing 900 exhibits, witness binders and courtroom technology.
- Supervised 4 paralegals and the firm's move to Clio, writing intake and docketing procedures for the litigation group.
Gaps candidates miss most
- Practice area and type of matters, near the top
- Research, e-discovery and filing platforms by name rather than "legal software"
- Paralegal certificate or credential (CP, PACE, RP) if you hold one
Common paralegal resume mistakes
- "Assisted attorneys" with no matter type, volume or tool.
- Naming confidential clients or cases. Describe them by type and size instead.
- Leaving out e-discovery work when the posting is for litigation.
- Listing legal research without the platform, when filters often search for Westlaw or Lexis.
- Describing work that sounds like giving legal advice, which paralegals cannot do.
Before you stuff in keywords
- Does ATS really reject 75% of résumés?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to tailor your résumé to a job description: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- What an ATS résumé checker can and can't tell you: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Tailoring a résumé to a job description: a worked example: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to explain an employment gap on your résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a cover letter for a specific job: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Résumé summary examples, and how to write your own: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How long should a résumé be?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a career change résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
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