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Immigration Lawyer resume examples & templates

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Phoebe Moore
Immigration Lawyer
pm67_xoore@gmail.com | (212) 363-8493 | New York , United States
Profile

Dedicated and experienced Immigration Lawyer with over ten years of experience providing legal counsel and services to persons seeking citizenship or trying to avoid deportation. Adept in successfully representing clients before immigration courts and working tirelessly to ensure the smoothest experience possible.

Work Experience

05/2011 - 09/2019, Immigration Lawyer, Franck and Tweed Associates, New York

  • Helped clients to navigate the complex immigration processes.
  • Assisted clients in completing all necessary paperwork required by the Citizenship and Immigration Service.
  • Conducted extensive legal research and drafted pleadings, motions, and appeals for deportation.
  • Prepared and filed immigrant visa applications.
  • Helped to reunite families separated due to immigration issues.
  • Appeared with clients at deportation and naturalization hearings.

06/2008 - 04/2011, Immigration Attorney, Miller, Jones, and Goodman, New York

  • Assisted businesses in dealing with complex immigration matters.
  • Successfully advised corporate clients on compliance with Department of Labor and U.S.C.I.S. regulations.
  • Prepared immigration packets and delivered to USCIS. 
  • Prepared immigrant and non-immigrant visas and naturalization applications.
Education

08/2009 - 05/2012, Juris Doctor, Fordham Law School, New York

08/2005 - 05/2009, Bachelor of Economics, Molloy College, Bronx

Skills
  • Advanced Knowledge of Immigration Law
  • Knowledge of Substantive Law and Legal Procedure
  • Logical Reasoning
  • Written and Oral Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Time Management

Immigration law is a highly specialized field and you are prepared. Your education and experience have prepared you for your next challenge, so congratulations!

Immigration Lawyer resume examples by experience level

Entry-level
Mid-career
Senior-level

Immigration issues can be emotional ones for individuals and their families. You must be sensitive to your clients’ state of mind as well as knowledgeable in the changing rules and regulations governing this field. As such, your resume must reflect both your interpersonal abilities, also known as soft skills, and your professional qualifications, or hard skills. Your resume should differ from those of other types of attorneys because your skills differ.

With this guide and Resume.io's field-tested layout templates, you can create a stronger and more impressive Immigration Lawyer resume.

In under ten minutes, you will learn how to:

  • Catch the attention of hiring managers
  • Focus on the skills law firms seek
  • Create the most effective description for each of your jobs
  • Choose the best layout to show off your professionalism.

Get started today, and you will soon be on your way to your dream job as an immigration attorney! For more samples of inspiring legal resumes, see more of our related examples here below:

Use your Profile Section (also known as the Summary or Personal Statement) to inject some creativity into your resume. All your other sections will be composed of bullet items, but here you have a short paragraph to showcase your law career and professional personality. Your profile should serve as an influential summary conveying the value you bring as an Immigration Lawyer. Lawyers must have excellent written communication skills, so use those to express who you are and to show law firms what makes you an outstanding candidate.

Ask yourself the following questions before you begin this section:

  • What is my greatest career achievement?
  • What three adjectives would I use to describe my professional personality?
  • Why did I choose to be an immigration lawyer?

Incorporate your answers into three or four sentences using strong action and descriptive words. If you have a great record in immigration court, highlight that here! Be sure to include any information you do not want a law firm recruiter to miss. Don’t make the mistake of relying on your cover letter to add information. You must first get past the Applicant Tracking Systems that scan your attorney’s resume for relevant keywords and phrases before your candidacy reaches a person.

See example content below.

Example

Dedicated and experienced Immigration Lawyer with over ten years of experience providing legal counsel and services to persons seeking citizenship or persons trying to avoid deportation. Adept in successfully representing clients before immigration courts, and working tirelessly to ensure the smoothest experience possible.

Copied!

Employment History Section

View your Employment History section as the story of your career progress. Starting with your current job, work your way in reverse chronological order to your first job or internship, showing your increased knowledge and successes along the way. If you had a career before attending law school, especially if you worked in a law-related field like paralegal or legal assistant, think about the skills you used that apply to your career as an immigration lawyer.

If you had a straightforward professional path (which applies to the vast majority of candidates), check out the chronological resume format.

If your career was not as directly related, a functional resume may be a good option for you because that format allows you to highlight skills instead of directly-related experience. While some attorneys work for themselves, many work at law firms of varying sizes. Make sure you tailor your resume to the type and size of firm you are targeting.

It is important to use legal terminology and other language that clearly exhibits your understanding and efficiency in handling legal immigration processes. Your attorney resume should also showcase your ability to conduct legal research, properly analyze legal issues, and advise clients regarding their legal rights. Call attention to your ability to effectively argue and negotiate on behalf of your clients whether you are applying for their employment-based visas, appealing denials for citizenship, or defending them in deportation hearings. 

Expert tip

You can show these skills using the CAR method: challenge, action, results. Each item listed should tell the story of a challenge you faced, the action you took, and the results of your actions. This can be a single case that presented unique issues, a process you improved, or a statement of your winning record in immigration cases overall. Use data when appropriate to strengthen your candidacy.

Be sure to mention any experience and expertise you have in communicating effectively with the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the courts in your immigration attorney resume. Remember to use powerful action verbs that showcase your skills and abilities. 

See example content below.

Example
  • Helped clients to navigate the complex immigration processes.
  • Assisted clients in completing all necessary paperwork required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
  • Conducted extensive legal research and drafted legal documents of all kinds including pleadings, motions, and appeals for deportation.
  • Prepared and filed immigrant visa applications.
  • Helped to reunite families separated due to immigration issues.
  • Appeared with clients at deportation and naturalization hearings.
Copied!

Education Section Example

As an attorney, you must have a Juris Doctor(JD) law degree and have passed the bar exam in the state in which you practice. In addition, immigration attorneys need specialized classes that include the topics of citizenship, advising, interviewing, and statutory analysis. Be sure to list your specialization in your Education Section along with any other degrees you have, including your bachelor’s degree. 

If you have just graduated from law school, congratulations! Consider moving this section up as these credentials are more important before you gain valuable experience in the workforce. Where you graduated law school may make a difference in where you get hired. You are more likely to get a job in the region in which you attended school unless you went to a top ten law school.

If you were on law review, or have any other honors or distinctions, note them here as well. Consider adding your GPA if you are a new graduate or have an outstanding record. 

You can list certifications here, or create a separate section highlighting them. 

See example content below.

Example
  • 2009-2012 Fordham Law School, Juris Doctor NY, NY
  • 2005-2009 Molloy College, Bachelor of Economics Queens, NY
Copied!

Skills Section Example

Don’t underplay the importance of this section! This is your chance to highlight your highest level skills and abilities; it is also an easy way to personalize your resume for each position. Make a list of all the skills and attributes you use as an immigration lawyer. Then, analyze the job listing you are targeting and choose five to ten of the ones that appear in that listing. Try to use the exact language from the listing to rank higher with the Applicant Tracking Software.

This section should showcase your ability to communicate and work with clients in a relatable and productive way. In other words, it should show your soft skills. Add a mix of specific technical knowledge such as expertise in immigration policies and state and federal laws. If you are multilingual, add the language or languages you speak here including your level of fluency.

See example content below. 

Example
  • Advanced Knowledge of Immigration Law
  • Knowledge of Substantive Law and Legal Procedure
  • Logical Reasoning Skills
  • Written and Oral Communication Skills
  • Conflict Resolution Skills
  • Time Management Skills
  • Proficient in Spanish
Copied!

Layout and Formatting

While your experience and education are the driving force behind your resume, you must also pay attention to the design and formatting. The layout you choose gives recruiters their first visual impression of you. Errors in formatting, typographical mistakes, or a too-fussy design are all reasons to eliminate your resume from the stack.

Resume.io’s field-tested resume templates will ensure you avoid those costly problems, but more than that, they will help you create an eye-catching, easy-to-read resume. Check out our resume samples and choose from among our Professional templates to elevate your resume.

You’ve taken the first step, now you are on your way to the job of your dreams!

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