For any post, the application should speak of qualifications that are as near as possible to the employer's needs. So you have to make some simple changes in your resume.
A career consultant suggests a degree that seems to be a hurdle for getting the job should be replaced with a professional training statement saying the candidate had more than, say, some hundreds of training in buyer motivation, persuasion and organizational behavior. If you are a psychology graduate, you can use your psychology training for a sales position dropping the psychology degree. You didn't deviate from truth and perhaps you may be successful in crafting your abilities to suit the job requirements.
In the same fashion, small terminology changes like the term 'manager' changing into 'project team leader' may be a right fit for a particular job description. Some may tone down executive-sounding titles, especially if inflated - you can opt for a managerial title instead of showcasing that you were a vice-president in a firm of eight to nine employees. It is also a good idea to drop dates of graduation if you are a more experienced and older professional. This way you can shave off as many years of experience as needed if the application is over-burdened with the weight of the career.
Another strategy is to opt for a functional resume in place of a chronological one. By turning experiences into bunches of skills, you can rid of the extensiveness of your past positions.
Applicants have the freedom of presenting themselves in the way they like most (shouldn't lie any way). It becomes tricky when a hiring manager questions about missing dates. The advantage in this strategy is that you will be invited to an interview. You can always tell the employer that you have done it with an intention to focus on your valuable experience. You can then begin telling him what you have done in your career.
There is undoubtedly a risk in this strategy. Employers feel duped if they sense the candidate is older than what his resume says or his conversation is not straight forward. Leaving relevant experience off the resume is dangerous, especially in the legal field.
When all is said and done, it isn't easy to say what to keep and what not on a resume.