Bespoke Résumé Writing

Our bespoke résumé writing program is for Fortune 500 CLOs, GCs, C-Suite lawyers, and AmLaw 100 law firm equity partners.

As of 2024, we’ve discontinued our bespoke résumé writing program.

As of Jan 1. 2020—and with the pioneering success of résumé writing by screen share for lawyers of all levels—we limited our bespoke writing option to meet the unique needs of purple squirrel candidates whose transitions may require the approval of particularly demanding audiences such as political leaders, Boards of Governors and Directors, C-suite executives, and top retained executive search consultants.

All bespoke clients work directly with Shauna or Jared on a multistage program to address positioning, branding, and career narrative development in order to build an inter-related suite of career documents.

Be forewarned: Our bespoke résumé writing program can easily take 20 to 30 hours of effort, including 5+ consulting sessions with you. There’s usually a 2 to 8-week wait to start, the entire process can run 2 to 4 months, and the minimum investment is $5,795 and generally runs to $6,795.

On this page:

• Why Choose Bespoke Résumé Writing

• Bespoke Résumé Writing Process

• Bespoke Résumé Writing Pricing

• Why Work with Us? Bespoke Résumé Client Testimonials

Why Choose Bespoke Résumé Writing

The legal résumé and its creation remain a critical part of:

• Identifying your target employers and target positions

• Marketing yourself for those targets, including focusing on what you offer them

• The legal recruiting and hiring process

• The foundation for your other career documents, including leadership bio, marketing copy, and LinkedIn profile

In the bespoke package, your new master CV is only part of the deliverable. The collaborative process necessarily integrates contemplation of and coaching on:

• Identifying your skills, talents, and ideal next positions

• Positioning yourself in the crowded legal marketplace

• Addressing strengths and weaknesses (real or perceived)

• Focusing on the needs of decision-makers and employers most likely to value the talents and skills you offer

Phase 1:
Orientation and Custom Pricing for Bespoke Résumé Writing

You’ll start with a complimentary 15-min introductory call with Shauna C. Bryce. In that call, you’ll discuss your goals, needs, and timing, as well as get an overview of how it all works so that you can decide whether our bespoke track is a good fit for your needs. Your individual pricing will depend upon a variety of factors relating to the complexity of your project.

After your call, Shauna will create and email you a proposal outlining your deliverables, process, and pricing. An initial payment of $500 is required to unlock next steps, including reserving time for your project on Shauna’s calendar. Additional payments will be due prior to your first Phase 2 work session, and before Phase 5.

Different industries and types of employers have different needs and different expectations. Résumés and other career documents work best when they are developed with a particular audience (or set of similarly-situated audiences) in mind. That pre-supposes clients have a fairly firm idea of the types of employers and positions they want to pursue. If you’re not yet at that stage, then we recommend starting with career coaching to discuss career planning and decision-making prior to investing in the bespoke process.

Should you decide not to proceed further on the bespoke track, we also welcome you to consider the résumé writing by screen share track or work-on-your-own options.

Phase 2:
Client Interviews

After initial payment is received, you’ll receive details on background information to gather and send Shauna prior to your interview, as well as questions to think about to help you prepare. Your final payment will be due, along with your information gathering, 48 hours before your first client interview. Most bespoke clients have 2 to 3 client interviews, each around 90 to 120 minutes, for a total of 4 to 6 hours.

Your client interviews will be in-depth writing and strategy calls that are also great preparation for taking about your work in other settings—including interviews with Boards, C-suite executives, executive and legal recruiters, and others. 

As they partner with Shauna to answer the fundamental question of “Why should an employer hire you, rather than someone else?,” many lawyers find they are challenged to think about their career narratives, contributions, impact, and value in ways they had not previously considered. Together, we will consider more than just your technical skillset; we’ll also discuss what types of problems you solve best, for whom, and in what types of environments. These questions help increase the likelihood of finding a good fit between you and prospective employers so that you can focus your job search better and waste less time fielding off-target inquiries. 

Occasionally, the client interview process will reveal a technical skill, experiential, or other gap between clients and their targeted roles. Alternatively, the process may reveal other potential roles that might be good career options.

Phase 3:
Master CV Creation

The first document for us to create is your Master CV, which will serve as the foundation for your other package documents.

It usually takes about at least 14 business days after your client interview for Shauna to plan, design, and write your master legal CV (generally 4-6 pages). During that time, she may ask for additional information. 

Shauna is very aware of the conservative aesthetics of the legal sector, and strives for a balance she calls “modern classic.” You will not get a CV filled with hyperbole, empty résumé-speak, legalese, or formats and graphics better suited for other professions. Shauna focuses on providing fact-based and evidence-based documents that clearly reflect individual career journeys, experience, and value—all in proven design formats that meet the traditional expectations of the legal sector while simultaneously feeling fresh. Such documents offer visible reinforcement of your professionalism and balanced judgment.

When your draft document is ready, she’ll email it to you as a Microsoft Word .doc or .docx, as well as a .pdf for comparison. Again, your CV will be a master CV. By definition, it may need to be adjusted to mirror the needs specific employers and opportunities as you launch your job search. Shauna provides a post-project tip sheet to help you do this and you’ll have an opportunity to discuss this in your Follow Up.

Phase 4:
Master CV Review, Edits, and Follow Up

After delivery of the Master CV, you’ll have a 60-Min follow up call with Shauna.

As a lawyer and former hiring attorney, Shauna appreciates the importance of precision in language. This is your career and reputation at stake, so now is the time to nitpick shamelessly! Be mindful that—in addition to presenting you as a desirable candidate to your target audience—your documents must pass background and reference checks, both formal and informal. Shauna encourages all clients to read their career documents critically to ensure they are 100% accurate. You must be comfortable discussing and defending every word, phrase, and sentence in your CV in a job interview or other setting. 

Now is also the time to ask any questions you have about the strategies used, document set-up and construction, and other decision-making. Shauna always has reasons for her choices. She is happy to walk through that reasoning with you, as well as to make adjustments where, for example, you have more specific information about the preferences of your market. (Those adjustments tend to be small—for example, differences in jargon and procedure among jurisdictions.)

Shauna also encourages you to market test your documents with trusted peers.

In many cases, the review, editing, and follow up process is completed in a few days to a week, and you’ll have the opportunity for two rounds of edits. 

Additional consultation and edits are available at an hourly rate. And because our collaboration works best when there is momentum and continuity of thought, changes requested after 30 days from initial document delivery may be subject to additional charge. Please review our Terms & Conditions for more information.

Phase 5:
Derivative and Supplemental Documents

As your Master CV is finalized, we can turn to the derivative and supplement documents in your bespoke package — your networking résumé, leadership bio, LinkedIn profile optimization, and more.

We will have an additional 90-minute client interview to gather additional information to complete your networking résumé, leadership bio, cover letter, reference sheet, and compensation history.

After delivery of those documents, you’ll have another 60-minute follow up with Shauna.

Lastly, we tackle LinkedIn.

Shauna will adapt the work we’ve developed in your CV, networking résumé, and leadership bio for LinkedIn. As part of your LinkedIn profile optimization, she will review your existing LinkedIn profile, offer suggestions on major fields, and provide a copy of her LinkedIn for Lawyers book to serve as an on-going resource. You’ll have a 60-minute follow up for LinkedIn as well.

Again, Shauna encourages you to market test your documents with trusted peers.

You can also choose to supplement your bespoke résumé writing with résumé addenda, deal sheets, representative matters, or other documents.