The one-page rule is often presented as dogma: one CV, one page, whatever the career path. For a trainee lawyer or a second-year associate, it is indeed the right rule. For a senior associate with ten years of matters, publications and teaching, it becomes an exercise in contortion that ends up working against the candidate.
The real question is not “one or two pages”, but “what does a partner need to read, and in what order”. This article explains why the single page became the norm, for which profiles a second page is justified, what to cut first and how to fit on one page without producing an unreadable document.
Why the single page became the norm in law firms
Three reasons explain the practice.
Reading time. A partner reads a CV between two matters, often on screen, sometimes printed in black and white for a partners’ meeting. They are looking for a few precise pieces of information: bar and year of admission, practice area, previous firms, level of autonomy, languages. If these fit on one page, they find them. On two pages, they may only read the first.
The volume of applications. For an internship or a first associate position, a firm receives many CVs with similar paths: same master’s, same law school, comparable internships. The single page forces each candidate to choose what sets them apart, and makes comparison easier.
The culture of synthesis. A lawyer spends their life summarising: summary memos, submissions, client briefings. A CV that spills over onto two pages for no reason may be read, rightly or wrongly, as a lack of concision. That is unfair to some profiles, but it is a widespread reflex.
For a student, a trainee lawyer or an associate up to three or four years of practice, the one-page rule is therefore the right one. The article CV for a first associate position shows how to follow it at that stage.
The profiles for whom a second page is justified
From a certain level, what the partner wants to read no longer fits on one page. Four profiles are concerned.
The senior associate or counsel
After six to ten years of practice, an associate has often worked in two or three firms, on dozens of matters. The partner recruiting them wants to understand their actual practice, their autonomy, their ability to supervise and manage a client. Three bullets per firm are no longer enough to show this. A second page, devoted to significant matters, is then legitimate.
The partnership candidate
A partnership application, internal or lateral, is judged on practice, clients and contribution to the firm. The CV is often accompanied by a presentation memo or a business plan. The CV itself can run to two pages, with a list of representative matters.
The academic or mixed profile
A lawyer who teaches, publishes regularly or has a doctorate has an activity that matters to certain firms, particularly in tax, competition or arbitration. These elements deserve their place, often on a second page.
The international profile
Anglo-American firms and applications abroad sometimes follow other conventions, with two-page CVs and a detailed list of transactions. The article lawyer’s CV in English for an international firm explains these differences.
In all cases, the rule is the same: the first page must stand on its own. A partner who reads only that page must know who you are, what you practise and what you are looking for. The second page goes deeper; it does not fill gaps.
What goes first when you have to cut
If your CV runs half a page too long, you have to cut. Here is the order in which elements lose value as experience grows.
- Student jobs and undergraduate internships, from the first associate position onwards, unless they are directly linked to the target practice.
- Details of university courses. After a few years, the master’s fits on one line, with its title and institution; the dissertation is kept only if it relates to your practice.
- The bachelor’s years. An associate does not need to detail them: the master’s and law school are enough.
- The PPI, reduced to one line after the second or third year of practice, unless it shaped your practice.
- Generic interests (reading, travel, cinema). Keep one line that feeds conversation, or nothing.
- Obvious skills: word processing, databases everyone uses. Keep the tools that set you apart.
What never goes: the header with the bar and year of admission, the precise description of your associate positions, languages with their real level.
Compare an associate bullet before and after cutting:
- Before: “Within a dynamic team of six lawyers, active involvement in numerous and varied corporate and M&A matters for leading national and international clients, in a demanding environment.”
- After: “Acquisitions and disposals of SMEs for family groups and funds: purchase agreements, warranty and indemnity packages, closings.”
The second version is half as long and says more.
Matters, publications, teaching: where to put them
Matters
On a one-page CV, matters live in the experience bullets, described by their nature, stakes and your role. On a two-page CV, they can form a “representative matters” section on the second page, grouped by type. In both cases, professional secrecy applies: no client name without express consent. Our article on matters and professional secrecy explains the method.
A detailed deal list, on the other hand, remains a separate document, handed over at interview.
Publications
Two or three recent, relevant publications are enough, with the journal and year. Beyond that, refer to a full list, available on request or on your professional profile.
Teaching and talks
A teaching role in a master’s programme or a law school goes into a short “teaching” section, with the institution, the course and the period. One-off conference talks only deserve a line if they are numerous or in your core practice.
Fitting on one page without cramming the layout
When content overflows, the temptation is to shrink the font, margins and line spacing until everything fits. This is the worst choice: a crammed CV is hard to read, prints badly and gives the opposite impression to the one intended.
A few layout rules:
- a readable font, never below a size that is comfortable on screen;
- sufficient margins so the page can breathe;
- a clear hierarchy: section headings, firm names, aligned dates;
- bullets of one or two lines, not paragraphs;
- no multiple columns or complex tables, which also hamper reading by screening software.
The pre-filled business lawyer CV fits on one page with a trainee lawyer’s path, and the pre-filled maritime and transport lawyer CV shows that eleven years of practice can be presented on a single page by choosing your bullets carefully. If you are changing firms, the article moving to another firm as a lawyer helps you decide what must stay.
This is precisely where the AvocatCV builder saves you time: it adjusts the text size so the content fits on one A4 page whenever possible, and produces a PDF whose structure remains readable by screening tools, which is not the case with layouts patched together at the last minute.
Frequently asked questions
Does a two-page CV rule you out for an internship?
It rarely rules you out, but it is often poorly received. For an internship or a first associate position, a two-page CV suggests you could not choose. Stick to one page.
Should the CV be printed double-sided?
For a two-page CV handed over at interview, two separate sheets are easier to annotate. For sending, a two-page PDF is enough, with your name on each page.
Can you attach a list of matters to your application?
Better to keep it for the interview or for an explicit request, and check that it respects professional secrecy. Attaching it unprompted makes the application heavier.
Does a photo take up too much space on one page?
A small photo in the header makes little difference to the space available. The question is mainly one of custom, depending on the type of firm.