Im currently trying to update my CV and having lived with art students and looked at theirs, which are so much more graphic and creative, i've been thinking why not combine the two, say an academic CV just with a better layout/graphics, do you think this can work?
I wouldn't say any of those are better layouts because in the first instance I'm drawn away from the information I'm trying to read and towards the colour scheme/ background.
Not at all recommended. Conformity is an important part of working in a law firm. At work you're not even allowed to modify the font. All emails have to be replied in the exact same format and your signature has to look a certain way. I was once told off for replying in a different shade of colour to the one we've been forced to use.
OP, use a standard font (Times New Roman or Arial) and layout. Those coloured CVs are not remotely appropriate for a law CV. You can have a well-presented, well laid-out CV (a lot of CVs are pretty ugly or badly presented)--but keep the font black, the paper white or off-white, and use a standard, straightforward font.
Not at all recommended. Conformity is an important part of working in a law firm. At work you're not even allowed to modify the font. All emails have to be replied in the exact same format and your signature has to look a certain way. I was once told off for replying in a different shade of colour to the one we've been forced to use.
Is that why your emails are always in that particular shade of blue?
I worked in an office where we used blue, and it makes it easier to tell your emails from the ones sent by people external. Most people use black, so you can scroll through and it's breaks up the individual emails a lot.