A litigation paralegal resume that only says "helped with cases" gets filtered out. The attorneys hiring for this role care about one thing: can you manage cases, run discovery, prepare filings, and support trials accurately. The resumes that land interviews talk about case support, discovery, and trials — not just "helped with cases."
In one line: your resume should answer "what cases did you support, what discovery and filings did you handle, and how did you support trial."
"Helped with cases" tells an attorney nothing:
Quantify around: caseload, documents/discovery volume, filings, trials/hearings supported. See how to quantify achievements on a resume. Keep every detail accurate and within a paralegal's scope.
Group your litigation paralegal skills so a reviewer can scan them:
See how to write the skills section. For a litigation paralegal, lead with discovery and trial prep — supporting attorneys is the means, well-managed cases and trial-ready materials are the result. Sibling specializations are the corporate paralegal resume guide and the family law paralegal resume guide.
These roles work together but differ — keep your resume positioned:
One supports the case operationally; the other provides legal strategy and advocacy. Tailor to the target role — see how to tailor your resume to a job description.
Case management, discovery, filings, and trial prep. Use caseload, documents/discovery volume, filings, and trials/hearings supported to show what cases you supported and how — not just "helped with cases."
Use real numbers within scope: caseload, documents/discovery volume, filings prepared, and trials/hearings supported. "Ran discovery, prepared filings, built trial binders" beats "helped with cases." Keep every detail accurate.
A litigation paralegal provides case support — discovery, filings, trial prep, and case management (not legal advice). A litigation attorney practices law — strategy, advocacy, and judgment. One supports operationally; the other provides legal strategy. Frame your resume to match the role.
Yes. Litigation roles screen on e-discovery (Relativity, etc.) and case management tools — name the ones you use. Pair them with your discovery and filing work so it's clear you handle litigation support accurately and efficiently.
The core of a litigation paralegal resume is showing case support, discovery, and trials. Make your case management, discovery, filings, and trial prep clear, keep every detail accurate, and your resume will compete. When it's ready, run it through Prism Resume's free check: prismresume.com/check.
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