One morning, a hearing before the family judge; in the afternoon, a meeting with a tradesman disputing an unpaid invoice; the next day, a dismissal case at the employment tribunal and a criminal duty roster. This is the daily life of many lawyers in sole practices or small firms, especially outside the big cities. A varied practice is a real skill, but it is hard to showcase on a CV.
The risk is twofold: looking scattered to a partner who wants an identifiable profile, and breaching professional ethics by presenting yourself as “specialised” in areas where you hold no certificate. This article proposes a method for presenting a general practice clearly and reassuringly, and for preparing, where relevant, a move towards a more focused practice.
What professional ethics allow you to write about your practice areas
Reserved words
Article 10 of the national internal rules of the legal profession 🔗 is very clear: only a lawyer holding one or more specialisation certificates may use, “whatever the medium”, the words “specialist”, “specialised”, “speciality” or “specialisation”. A CV is a communication medium like any other: the rule applies as soon as you are admitted to the bar.
A general practitioner without a certificate therefore cannot write “specialised in family and employment law”, even if they have been handling such cases for years. The article CNB specialisation certificate explains how to obtain the certificate and the practice requirements involved; the CNB FAQ on specialisation 🔗 answers practical questions.
Main areas of practice
The same article 10 opens a valuable possibility for a general practitioner: mentioning their main areas of practice (domaines d’activités dominantes), on two conditions:
- no more than three areas;
- actual and habitual professional practice in each of them.
This is the basis of the method. Rather than listing eight areas of law, choose the three where your practice is most regular, and present the rest as a general practice.
Safe wording
| To avoid without a certificate | To prefer | |---|---| | specialised in family law | practises mainly in family law | | employment law specialist | main area of practice: employment law, acting for employees | | lawyer specialised in divorce | main areas of practice: family, employment, contracts | | criminal law expert | handles criminal defence before the criminal court |
Grouping your practice into a few areas
Start from your actual activity
Before writing, take an honest inventory of your activity over the past year: number of files opened per area, hearings per court, share of advisory and contentious work, share of legal aid. This inventory will tell you which areas are your main ones, which are not always the ones you prefer.
Build three blocks
Then organise the description of your practice into three blocks at most, each linked to documents and courts. An example for a sole practitioner in a medium-sized town:
- Family and individuals: amicable and contested divorces, parental authority, simple liquidations of matrimonial property with notaries, protective measures for vulnerable adults.
- Employment, acting for employees: challenges to dismissals, salary arrears claims, contested termination agreements before the employment tribunal.
- Contracts and debt recovery for tradespeople and shopkeepers: payment orders, disputes with customers or suppliers, simple commercial leases.
The rest of the activity (occasional criminal cases, consumer law, a few estates) can fit into a “general practice” line or into the experience bullets.
Avoid the catalogue effect
What gives an impression of dispersion is not the variety of cases but the lack of hierarchy. A flat list of areas without order or volume reads like a catalogue. Three ranked blocks, with concrete documents, read like a practice under control.
Clients, courts, volume: what reassures
A partner or colleague considering working with a general practitioner wants to know three things: who they act for, where they plead and how many files they handle.
Clients
Describe the types of clients: individuals, tradespeople and shopkeepers, small businesses, associations, local authorities. Specify the side when it matters (employees or employers in employment law, landlords or tenants in leases). No names, of course, and no identifiable case.
Courts
Cite the courts where you plead regularly: tribunal judiciaire, family judge, employment tribunal, commercial court, criminal court, the court of appeal in your area. For a general practitioner, this list proves versatility better than a list of areas of law.
Volume and autonomy
Give orders of magnitude: number of active files, frequency of hearings, share of files handled from start to finish. Mention legal aid work, court appointments and duty rosters, which require speed and composure.
Compare:
- Before: “General practice: family law, employment law, criminal law, contract law, consumer law.”
- After: “Sole practice, around sixty active files: family law (divorces, parental authority) before the family judge, employment tribunal litigation for employees, debt recovery for tradespeople; criminal duty rosters and legal aid.”
The pre-filled family lawyer CV shows how to present a volume of files and courtroom practice, and the article family lawyer CV explains how to describe these proceedings.
The CV for a partnership or an associate position
Joining a firm as an associate
If you are leaving sole practice for an associate position, the firm often targets a specific area. Put the area that matches the position first, develop it, and present the other areas as complementary experience. Your versatility then becomes an asset: autonomy, experience with clients, ease in court.
Proposing a partnership
For a partnership with one or more colleagues, the CV is generally accompanied by a presentation of your clients and activity. The CV must show complementarity: which areas you bring that the firm does not cover, which clients, which courts. A general practice is often appreciated in firms that want to offer a full service to their local clientele.
Moving from a general to a focused practice
Many general practitioners eventually narrow their practice, out of preference or because the local market demands it. The transition needs preparing.
- Identify the area to develop, based on your actual activity and client demand.
- Increase the share of that area in your activity, by accepting more files of that type and gradually turning down others.
- Train: targeted continuing education, a university diploma, bar working groups.
- Consider the specialisation certificate once your practice in the area is long and well documented enough.
- Update your CV and communication materials as you go, keeping to permitted wording until you obtain the certificate.
The pre-filled real estate lawyer CV shows what a CV can become after this narrowing, and the article which skills to highlight on a lawyer’s CV helps you choose the know-how to emphasise.
Once the content is ready, the AvocatCV builder spares you the layout work: it offers a structure suited to lawyers and a PDF that screening tools read without errors, which matters if you are applying to more structured firms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I write “general practice lawyer” on a CV?
Yes, the expression is not reserved. It is better completed by your main areas of practice, to give the reader reference points.
Can I cite more than three areas?
The RIN limits to three the number of main areas of practice that can be claimed. You can describe other areas in your experience, without presenting them as main areas.
Should legal aid work appear on the CV?
Yes, if it represents a significant share of your activity. It shows an ability to handle volume and knowledge of urgent procedures.
Can a general practitioner obtain a specialisation certificate?
Yes, if they can show sufficient professional practice in the area concerned and pass the validation interview. Check the conditions published by the CNB before preparing the file.