CV Lawyer: Example and Template
How to structure your CV as a lawyer in Switzerland - with Anwaltspatent, case numbers and areas of expertise instead of generic phrases.
Currently 19 open Lawyer positions in Switzerland, across 5 cantons, 7 of them from the last 7 days. Kanton Schwyz advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
Which degrees and qualifications belong in a lawyer's CV?
State your degree, university and - if applicable - your Anwaltspatent including canton and bar register entry directly in the top third, since this is what Swiss legal departments and law firms filter for first.
In Switzerland, the chain of BLaw, MLaw and then the cantonal Anwaltspatent is the standard path. So write specifically 'MLaw University of Bern, 2015' and 'Anwaltspatent, Canton of Bern, 2018, entered in the bar register' instead of just 'lawyer'. If you don't yet have the Anwaltspatent, be transparent about where you stand: completed judicial clerkship, ongoing traineeship, or registered for the bar exam. For positions in public administration or in legal departments without litigation, an MLaw without the Anwaltspatent is often sufficient, but you should address this actively in your profile.
Continuing education only works if it matches the target profile. A CAS or MAS in compliance, tax law, IP, employment law or legal tech, an LL.M. abroad, or an SAV specialist lawyer title in employment, construction, inheritance or liability and insurance law are strong signals. List these with institution and year, not as a loose list of courses. Those who did not pursue the bar exam can demonstrate clear specialization with a professional certificate, a notary's license, or a fiduciary or tax qualification.
Be sure to add languages with level and application context. 'French C1 - negotiations and contract drafting' says more than 'good French skills'; at firms with mandates in French-speaking Switzerland or in federal administration positions, the second national language is often a hard criterion. Equally important: citizenship or permit status, since entry in the bar register and certain administrative positions are tied to requirements.
How do I present legal work experience convincingly?
Describe, for each position, areas of law, mandate or case volume, amounts in dispute and results - task lists like 'drafting legal briefs' do not distinguish you from anyone.
Start each position with a context sentence: type of employer, team size, areas of law and client segment. A legal department of six people at a regulated company means something different than a boutique with three attorneys. Then follow with three to four achievement points with figures: number of proceedings handled, settlement rate, billable hours, fee volume, amounts in dispute, transaction volume or external costs saved. These key figures are common management metrics in law firms and legal departments and will be asked about in interviews anyway.
Show your legal depth through concrete statutes and courts. 'Litigation under the ZPO before district and commercial courts, co-authored three appeals to the Federal Supreme Court under the BGG' is more informative than 'litigation'. In contract law, name the contract types and the CO; in employment law, topics such as release from work, non-compete clauses or mass layoffs; in data protection, the revDSG and the notification procedure to the FDPIC; in the financial sector, the GwG, FINMA circulars or FIDLEG. Subject to attorney-client confidentiality: describe mandates anonymized by industry and volume, never by name.
Watch out for the typical career breaks in the CVs of lawyers. Judicial clerkship and traineeship may be summarized if they were short, but the duration must remain traceable. A move from a law firm to a company should be explained in your profile, for example with the desire for closer involvement in shaping the business. Time abroad, secondments and part-time periods belong seamlessly in the timeline, because Swiss HR managers scrutinize timelines carefully.
How long should the CV be, is a photo needed, and what is typically Swiss?
Two to a maximum of three pages, a professional portrait photo is still customary, and the application is expected in Switzerland as a complete dossier.
Keep the CV to two pages; with more than ten years of practice or extensive publication and speaking activity, three pages are acceptable. Do not list publications, talks and teaching assignments in full, but select a few with a reference to a separate list. Shorten older positions to function, employer and period. Law firms first read the Anwaltspatent, areas of law and languages - these three points must be visible on the first page.
A professional portrait photo in business attire is still standard in Switzerland and expected in conservative environments such as law firms, courts and banks, though not legally required. Year of birth, marital status and nationality are optional; place of residence, citizenship or permit status should, however, be stated, as they are relevant for bar registration and employment. Use a professional email address and a Swiss mobile number in the format 079 000 00 00.
The dossier should include a cover letter, CV, work references, diplomas as well as the Anwaltspatent document and, depending on the position, a current criminal record and debt collection register extract. Submit everything as a single, clearly named PDF, such as 'CV_Furrer_Legal_Counsel.pdf'. Tailor your profile to the job posting: applicants for a position in construction and planning law should highlight the PBG and administrative procedures, while those aiming for a compliance role should emphasize GwG, revDSG and internal investigations. When stating salary expectations, give a range in CHF, for example CHF 130'000 to CHF 150'000 gross per year at 100 percent.
Where Lawyer are hired in Switzerland
How the 19 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Zürich | 5 |
| Aargau | 1 |
| Freiburg | 1 |
| Luzern | 1 |
| St. Gallen | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 14 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 14 (14) |
| French | 4 (3) |
| English | 3 (2) |
| Italian | 1 (0) |
Who hires Lawyer in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Kanton Schwyz | 2 |
| Touring Club Suisse | 2 |
| Direktion der Justiz und des Innern Kanton Zürich | 1 |
| Federal Social Insurance Office FSIO | 1 |
| State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO | 1 |
| Union suisse des paysans | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 13 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 5 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Nadja Furrer
Senior Legal Counsel, MLaw, Attorney-at-Law (Anwaltspatent ZH)
Attorney-at-law with the Anwaltspatent of the Canton of Zurich and ten years of experience in contract, employment and insurance supervisory law, including five years in-house. Leads a legal department of six people, is responsible for a litigation portfolio of around 45 civil proceedings and the implementation of revDSG and GwG requirements. Negotiates contracts and settlements in German, French and English, and reduced external legal costs by 36 percent.
What sets me apart
Dual perspective: law firm and in-house: Four years at a business law firm with 1'450 billable hours per year, followed by five years in a legal department - knows mandate logic and cost pressure from both sides and manages the external law firm panel accordingly.
Regulatory expertise in insurance and the financial sector: Practice with VVG revision, VAG, FINMA circulars and GwG due diligence obligations; led two regulatory self-assessments without objection from the audit body.
Litigation with a measurable track record: 45 pending civil proceedings under the ZPO, settlement rate of 78 percent, co-authored three appeals to the Federal Supreme Court (BGG) - including provision management with the CFO.
Data protection under the revDSG embedded in operations: Built a processing register, 22 data processing agreements and a data breach notification process to the FDPIC (EDÖB) within nine months, and trained 180 employees.
Key achievements
Reduced external legal costs by CHF 510'000. Consolidated the law firm panel to four firms, introduced fee schedules and cost caps, and shifted 40 percent of mandates in-house - external costs down from CHF 1'400'000 to CHF 890'000 per year.
Adapted contract portfolio to the revised VVG. Revised 340 distribution, brokerage and reinsurance contracts ahead of the entry into force on 1 January 2022; shortened contract review turnaround from 12 to 5 working days.
Reduced litigation provisions by CHF 1'200'000. Introduced case assessment based on a uniform risk matrix, settled 18 legacy cases, and reduced average proceeding duration from 26 to 17 months.
Experience
Senior Legal Counsel and Head of Legal — Nordwind Assekuranz AG, Zurich, 2020 - present
Legal department with 6 employees for a property/casualty and health insurer with 620 employees and CHF 480 million in premium volume; reports to the General Counsel.
- Responsible for 45 pending civil proceedings, achieving a settlement rate of 78 percent on a dispute value of CHF 14 million.
- Led the revDSG implementation with a processing register, 22 data processing agreements and 9 training sessions for 180 employees within 9 months.
- Reduced external legal costs from CHF 1'400'000 to CHF 890'000 per year through panel consolidation and cost caps.
- Standardized 340 contracts under the revised VVG and shortened review time from 12 to 5 working days.
Attorney-at-Law, Commercial Law and Litigation — Brunner Steiger Wyss Rechtsanwälte AG, Basel, 2016 - 2020
Business law firm with 18 attorneys; focus on contract law (CO), employment law and corporate law for SMEs and group subsidiaries.
- Handled around 120 mandates per year with a personal fee volume of CHF 780'000 at 1'450 billable hours.
- Conducted 30 proceedings before labor court, district court and commercial court; 24 of these ended in a win or favorable settlement.
- Led legal due diligence on 8 transactions with volumes up to CHF 45 million and drafted the corresponding warranty catalogues.
- Built a template document set for employment contracts and termination agreements, reducing drafting time by 40 percent.
Trainee Lawyer and Judicial Clerk — Uster District Court and Meierhans Roth Rechtsanwälte, Zurich, 2014 - 2016
Two-year practical training for the Anwaltspatent: 12 months of judicial clerkship in the civil and criminal division, 12 months as a trainee lawyer at a firm with 6 attorneys.
- Drafted 210 judgment and ruling drafts under the ZPO and StPO; correction rate by the court management under 5 percent.
- Participated in 60 main hearings and recorded testimony in criminal and family proceedings.
- Helped reduce the civil division's caseload from 140 to 95 cases within 8 months.
- Passed the Zurich bar exam in 2016 on the first attempt and was entered in the bar register.
Education
Master of Law (MLaw), Focus on Commercial Law — University of Zurich · 2013
Bachelor of Law (BLaw), Law — University of Lucerne · 2011
CAS, Compliance Management — University of Zurich, Continuing Legal Education · 2021
Anwaltspatent, Canton of Zurich, 2016 - entered in the cantonal bar register · CAS Compliance Management, University of Zurich, 2021 · SAV Specialist Lawyer in Employment Law, training ongoing (completion 2026) · Training in Commercial Mediation SKWM, 2019