CV for a First Associate Position after the CAPA: Turning Training into a Strong Application
You have just obtained the CAPA, the French bar qualification, or are about to sit it, and you are looking for your first associate position (collaboration). Your CV now has to convince a partner to trust you with real matters from day one. It is no longer the CV of a student seeking an internship: it is the CV of a future colleague, who must show a clear direction, a working method and an understanding of the constraints of a law firm.
The difficulty is well known: you have little experience as a lawyer in the strict sense. This article shows you how to make the most of your internships, training and early work without exaggerating or diluting.
What a partner looks for in a first-year associate
A readable direction
A partner hiring a junior associate is not looking for a generalist "interested in everything". They want someone whose background converges on the firm's practice: master's degree, dissertation topic, internships and, above all, the final internship. If your background covers several areas, choose the one that matches the position and organise the CV around it, without hiding the others.
The final internship as the centrepiece
The end-of-training internship in a law firm is often the experience closest to the role you are targeting. That is where you drafted documents, prepared hearings or worked on transactions in conditions close to those of an associate. It should take up the most space in your experience section, with precise lines.
Signs of autonomy
The partner wonders how long it will take before you can work independently. Anything showing you have already worked with limited supervision counts: a first draft of submissions that needed only light edits, a research memo delivered directly to a partner, managing part of a data room, preparing a full hearing bundle. Stay accurate about the framework: Article 58 of Decree No. 91-1197 of 27 November 1991 provides that a trainee lawyer on internship may not stand in for their supervising lawyer in any professional act.
Reliability in the details
Procedural deadlines, document formatting, accurate references: these are qualities a partner checks first on your CV itself. A spelling mistake, an inconsistent date or a vague reference to a legal text is sometimes enough to rule out an application.
Status and availability date
State your exact situation: CAPA obtained (session), planned or completed swearing-in date, intended bar. You can only practise after being sworn in and admitted to a bar's roll; the partner needs to know from when you can actually work as a lawyer.
Recommended structure
One page, without exception, for a first associate position.
- Header: name, contact details, status ("CAPA holder, 2026 session – swearing-in scheduled at the Lyon bar"), title line stating your direction.
- Experience: final internship first, then the PPI internship (the individual project placement during bar school), then relevant university internships, in reverse chronological order.
- Education: CAPA, bar school, master's degree with honours, dissertation topic if relevant, any LL.M. or foreign degree.
- Skills: languages with verifiable level, legal research tools, software used in firms.
- Activities: moot court competitions, legal clinic, teaching tutorials, publications.
To start from a suitable layout, build your CV in the editor. If you are targeting a specific area, the pre-filled CVs can serve as drafting models, for instance the commercial litigation associate CV.
Describing internships without breaching professional secrecy
During your internships, you had access to confidential information about the firm's clients; it does not belong to you. Once you are a lawyer, Article 2 of the French National Internal Rules (Règlement intérieur national, RIN) will apply to you in full, and Article 2.2 brings client names within professional secrecy. Adopt the right habits now: a CV for a first position circulates widely, sometimes to dozens of firms.
- Name no client, opposing party or identifiable transaction.
- Describe the client category ("retail group", "tech start-up", "individual in a residential lease dispute").
- Describe the nature of the matter and your precise task.
- You may, however, name the firm where you did your internship.
Before and after examples
The examples describe fictional profiles; figures illustrate form.
Final internship in litigation
Before: "Commercial litigation internship: legal research and drafting."
After: "Drafted first versions of submissions in disputes over abrupt termination of established commercial relationships; prepared exhibit lists and hearing bundles; attended around ten hearings before the commercial court."
Employment law internship
Before: "Worked on employment law matters."
After: "Prepared employment tribunal cases for employers (dismissals on personal grounds): reviewed evidence, built chronologies, drafted submissions; wrote notes on dismissal procedure for HR departments."
Corporate internship
Before: "Helped on M&A deals."
After: "Worked on two SME sales: reviewed the data room (commercial contracts, leases, litigation), drafted the corresponding sections of the due diligence report and maintained the closing checklist."
PPI internship
Before: "PPI internship in a legal department."
After: "Six-month PPI internship in an industrial group's legal department: reviewed supplier contracts, updated contract templates, handled first-line legal queries from operational teams."
Dissertation
Before: "Master's dissertation."
After: "Master's dissertation on compensation for economic loss in competition law, graded 17/20."
The "after" version gives the partner what they want: concrete tasks, professional vocabulary and a sense of your level of responsibility.
Common mistakes
Making the CRFPA the centrepiece. At this stage, the CAPA is obtained and recruitment is about your practical work. The CRFPA (bar school entrance exam) can appear under education, but your internships should dominate.
Listing short internships without hierarchy. Four two-month internships presented at the same level look scattered. Detail the most relevant ones and summarise the others in a line.
Claiming what you did not do. "Managed files independently" for an internship is rarely credible and will be checked with your supervisor or at interview.
Writing a generic summary. "Dynamic and motivated young lawyer" adds nothing. Prefer a factual line: "CAPA holder – commercial litigation and insolvency".
Leaving out your start date. Partners plan their needs: a CV that does not say when you can start forces an extra question.
Underplaying languages. "Fluent English" without evidence is of little use. Give a certification, a study period abroad or experience drafting in English.
Before signing: preparing the next step
A successful CV leads to an interview, then to a contract offer. Self-employed versus salaried associate status, fee retrocession (the associate's remuneration) and contract terms are worth understanding before negotiating. Article 14 of the RIN governs these contracts and provides, among other things, that a self-employed associate may build and develop a personal client base.
To go further, read our articles on the self-employed associate contract, on choosing between self-employed and salaried status, and our guide to the associate interview at a law firm.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply before being sworn in?
Yes, and it is common: many associate positions are decided in the months before swearing-in. State clearly your planned swearing-in date and intended bar so the firm can organise your arrival.
Should I mention my CRFPA ranking or CAPA grade?
If the results are good, you can mention them briefly under education. If not, nothing requires you to include them: the partner will be more interested in your internships.
My final internship does not match the role: what should I do?
Present it honestly, highlighting transferable skills (drafting, procedure, client contact). Then reinforce your direction through your master's degree, dissertation and any PPI internship in the target area.
Is a one-page CV really essential?
For a first associate position, yes. Your experience fits on one page if it is prioritised; a second page suggests you cannot summarise, a skill expected of every lawyer.
Should I state salary expectations on the CV?
No. Remuneration is discussed at interview or when an offer is made. Research practices beforehand and, where applicable, any minimum set by your bar council.
Conclusion
A convincing CV for a first associate position shows a clear direction, puts the final internship first, describes precise tasks without revealing anything about matters, and states your availability date. To produce a sober, readable document without spending hours on layout, open the CV editor and focus on what matters: describing your work.