example resume for law school application

A Law School Application Resume That Made the Cut

This sample J.D. application resume from a Harvard Law School alum highlights his public service.

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Experts say that a law school resume ought to convey personality.

When applying to law school , chances are good the competition will be strong students with impressive accomplishments. The challenge of the admissions process is to stand out.

One way to distinguish yourself is to craft an exceptional resume that eloquently tells your story.

"One hundred percent of admissions is differentiation," says Mike Spivey, founding partner of the Spivey Consulting Group, which helps law school applicants navigate the admissions process and provides guidance to law schools and other academic institutions about how to achieve institutional goals.

A solid resume gives admissions officers a strong sense of who you are as a person, says Spivey, who worked in law school admissions for more than a decade and served as an assistant dean at the University of Colorado Law School and the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis .

Anthony Ervin, director of admissions at the North Carolina Central University School of Law , says what he looks for in law school resumes is evidence of communication skills, familiarity with the legal profession and an applicant's commitment to public service. Ideally, Ervin says, a law school resume includes relevant work experience such as an internship in an attorney's office.

Ultimately, Ervin says, the goal of a law school resume is to show you are prepared to hack it in law school and could thrive as a law student.

The biggest mistake you can make in a law school resume, Ervin says, is not putting enough effort and thought into it. Applicants who fail to invest enough time into crafting a resume are missing a significant opportunity, he says. "The resume will allow you to elaborate and show more of what you've been doing, in addition to any other supporting documents."

Components of a Compelling Law School Resume

Experts note that there is no single recipe that dictates what types of activities need to be listed on a law school resume, since J.D. applicants from a variety of backgrounds can be outstanding candidates.

Aspiring attorneys shouldn't feel compelled to precisely imitate the journey that someone else took to law school, since there are a variety of ways to wow J.D. admissions officers.

"There is no 'secret formula' or 'perfect path' to law school," Christine Carr, a consultant with the Accepted admissions consulting firm and former associate director of admissions for the Boston University School of Law , wrote in an email. "I read successful applications from bartenders, flight attendants, scientists, as well as paralegals."

Jeff Thomas, executive director of legal programs at Kaplan, says a common misconception among law school applicants is that they need law-related work experience to get into competitive law schools.

"Students really concern themselves with trying to figure out what type of stuff they've done has some sort of connection to the law, and that is entirely unnecessary," he says. "It does not make an applicant any more competitive in the process."

Law schools are curious about what kind of person the applicant is, so they are searching for evidence of positive "character traits," and those qualities can be demonstrated in a variety of workplaces, Thomas emphasizes. "They're looking for leadership and perseverance and work ethic and responsibility, and so the actual construct of the job itself really doesn't matter all that much."

Victoria Turner Turco – founder and president of Turner Educational Advising, a firm that provides guidance to college and law school applicants – suggests that some kinds of blue-collar jobs could be very impressive to law school admissions officers.

Working through college by working as a barista demonstrates "initiative," so such work experience would be worth noting in a law school application resume, Turco says.

She adds that student athletes who compete on their college sports teams should highlight this. The amount of time a college athlete spends at sports practices is often similar to the amount of time a part-time job would require, which means that juggling this activity alongside a full course load is a significant accomplishment, Turco says.

Regardless of what a J.D. hopeful did before applying to law school, it's wise to document all of the most significant academic, extracurricular and professional accomplishments and mention any meaningful community service or volunteering, according to experts.

"In the admissions process we are looking for experiences and activities that showcase skills an applicant will need in law school such as research, writing and analytical thinking," Alyson Suter Alber, associate dean for enrollment planning and strategic initiatives with the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, wrote in an email. "Applicants should also focus on activities that highlight their leadership and team building experience."

Mistakes to Avoid in a Law School Resume

A lack of meticulous proofreading is a common error among J.D. applicants, according to current and former law school admissions officials, so prospective students should copy edit their resumes to ensure that the spelling and grammar is correct throughout.

A less common but severe pitfall in law school application resumes is when they either exaggerate or make unsubstantiated claims, experts warn, adding that this is a major red flag for admissions officers. Another big mistake is when J.D. hopefuls praise themselves using complimentary adjectives or when they describe themselves as possessing skills without providing evidence of those skills.

Excessive modesty can also be problematic, experts say. "The biggest mistake most candidates make in J.D. application resumes is underselling themselves," Daniel Santos – CEO of Prepory, a college and graduate admissions counseling company – wrote in an email. "Most individuals struggle talking about themselves and even more so writing about themselves, so it's no surprise individuals do a poor job of specifically detailing their tangible accomplishments to each organization they've worked at or been a part of."

Law School Resume Example

Below is a genuine sample of a resume that got someone accepted into a top law school. Cameron Clark – a Harvard Law School graduate, civil rights attorney and founder of the REPRESENTED educational consulting firm – provided U.S. News with a copy of the resume he used in his successful J.D. application.

When examining the following resume, prospective law students don't necessarily need to view it as a template to follow as much as a source of inspiration.

Clark strategically used colorful wording in his resume to elicit interest from admissions officers and spark a conversation with his law school interviewer.

He suggests that J.D. hopefuls tailor the structure of their resume based on how far along they are in their career. Individuals who do not have a significant amount of professional experience should highlight their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, volunteering experiences and internships, Clark says. More seasoned J.D. applicants should emphasize the professional skills they have developed that would be useful for a legal career, such as public speaking and policy analysis, he says.

"I recommend that my clients build their applications with a general understanding of the type of law they might want to practice," Clark says. "Once they have an idea, we work together to identify the academic and professional experiences that most closely align with their stated interests."

Here is an annotated copy of Clark's law school application resume, with comments from the author about why he constructed the resume in this particular way and evaluations by neutral third parties about the pluses and minuses of this resume.

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Getting Into Law School

• A Law School Resume That Made the Cut
• 2 Law School Admissions Essays That Succeeded
• How to Write a Law School Resume
• Work Experience and Law School Admission
• What Is a Good LSAT Score?

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Application Toolkit: Resume

On this webpage, you will find our advice and guidance for approaching the resume component of the application., instructions.

We require a resume as part of the application. Please limit your resume to 1 – 2 pages in length.

The following links are sample resumes from successful applicants in prior years. You do not have to follow the formatting used in these resumes, but all three are examples of well-organized, easy-to-read drafts.

Application Insights: Resume

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Blog Advice

• Visit the Admissions Blog
• View All Resume Blog Posts

Overrated/Underrated Part 3

Continuing our Overrated/Underrated series, this week, we shift our focus to highlight some of the overrated approaches that we recommend applicants avoid as they craft their applications. 

November 17, 2021

Overrated/Underrated Part 2

This week, we continue our Underrated Approaches to the Application series with some additional advice.

October 21, 2021

Overrated/Underrated Part 1

The J.D. Admissions team recently came together to offer their thoughts on some underrated and overrated approaches that applicants might take towards their HLS application. We hope you’ll find some of these nuggets useful.

September 9, 2021

Real Talk: The Resume

This week’s entry in the Real Talk series covers the resume. 

August 25, 2020

Podcast Advice

Navigating law school admissions with miriam & kristi.

Miriam Ingber (Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Yale Law School) and Kristi Jobson (Assistant Dean for Admissions at Harvard Law School) provide candid, accurate, and straightforward advice about law school admissions — direct from the source. They will be joined by guest stars from other law schools to discuss application timing, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and more.

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Our Resume Workshop provides applicants with straightforward advice on how to craft their resumes with a reflective activity and guiding questions to consider.

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Law school resume tips + examples: ace your application.

Reviewed by:

David Merson

Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University

Reviewed: 10/25/23

Whether you already have a resume or are starting from scratch, read on to learn law school resume tips to stand out in the admissions process. 

A law school resume summarizes your achievements, qualifications, and experiences. Your resume and cover letter can tell admissions officers much about you and your law school preparedness. We’ll outline tips for your law school resume so it’s refined and ready for submission. 

Law School Resume Format 

On your law school application , it’s best to keep the format of your law school resume simple (even if you have a penchant for graphic design). You should avoid using: 

• Distracting colors 
• Graphics, such as “skill graphs” or progress bars 
• Any other multimedia elements 

Your resume should be one to two pages long using a standard, legible font size. Stick to Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, or another similar font, and don’t use a size smaller than 11 points. 

What Should Go on Your Law School Resume

Putting together a law application resume can be daunting. Applying to law school is already a big task as there are many elements to consider, like personal statements and recommendation letters. 

To help you get a leg up, it’s a good idea to look at some examples of what other law school application resumes include, as well as to pay attention to what admissions counselors have to say. 

UPenn states , “Law school admissions committees are very interested in how you spend your time and energy outside of class, so it is essential that you create a strong, accurate, and flattering portrayal of yourself on your resume.” It’s crucial to summarize your experiences and candidacy succinctly. 

That being said, you have some freedom regarding what goes on your law school resume to complement its core elements. Standard sections you should include in every law school application resume include:

Source : US News

These are the main sections that every law school application resume should have. If you haven’t done much volunteer work or participated in many activities since high school, the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests weaving any activities into your resume’s education section. 

While these are the standard pieces that every law school resume should include, you can choose to add other sections if they’ll add something new and fresh to your application: 

• Honors/Awards : If you have a laundry list of honors/awards, consider putting them into their own section. Otherwise, it’s okay to put them in your education section. 
• Research : If you have one or more research-related experiences, it may be worth adding a section to your resume. This can include a capstone project or thesis that would otherwise go in your education section, significant work in a study, or publications. 
• Skills/Interests : This section is a great way to showcase information about you that didn’t fit into your resume anywhere else. Whether you’re bilingual, an expert coder, or decorate cakes in your spare time, you can add another layer to your individuality. 

You can add whatever sections you want that best reflect your candidacy, qualities, and experiences so far. You can also rename/alter these sections as you see fit. 

Alyson Suter Alber , Associate Dean for Enrollment Planning and Strategic Initiatives at Case Western Reserve School of Law, said, “In the admissions process we are looking for experiences and activities that showcase skills an applicant will need in law school such as research, writing and analytical thinking.” 

So, highlight activities that emphasize these skills on your resume! That way, you can show admissions committees that you’re a worthy law school candidate. Take a look at some examples of law resumes down below to see how they’ve done it. 

9 Law School Resume Tips

If you’re wondering how to improve your resume for law school, look no further than these nine expert tips. 

1. Remember the Resume’s Purpose 

The first law school resume tip is crucial to follow: remember its purpose. When you formulate a resume to find work, you may write an objective at the top expressing your goals. You don’t need to include this element in a law school application resume. 

In the words of Quinnipiac University Law , “Objectives are not necessary, and sometimes highlight your desire to do something other than attend law school.” You don’t want to take the focus off your resume’s ultimate goal: helping you get accepted to your dream law school. 

To that end, you won’t include any references either. Your recommendation letters serve as the “reference” portion of your application. 

2. Be Honest 

While this sounds obvious, applicants tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves when they write law school application resumes. For example, don’t stretch the time frames of your commitments to make it look like you spent more time on your activities than you did. If you’re taking a gap year before law school , don’t try and fudge the numbers. 

Remember, integrity is a quality found in great lawyers; you don’t want to potentially get caught in an inconsistency during the application process or law school interview because you wanted to make something sound more impressive. You can always add an addendum to your application to explain something unsightly on your resume. 

Also, it’s okay if you don’t have much experience with legal work. Admissions committees don’t expect you to have a mountain of experience as a law school applicant. 

3. Keep Your Writing Simple 

Your law school resume should be two pages at maximum. You need to write concisely if you have a lot of ground to cover to effectively summarize your experiences. Don’t use long, elaborate sentences or pull words from a thesaurus. 

Writing plainly includes limiting industry jargon. While admissions committee members may understand what you’re writing about, you want to write in a way that someone from any field would understand your resume. For example: 

“Aggregated with clients in order to contrive understanding and transferable knowledge and solutions for exponential economic growth.” 

This sentence is unclear and unnecessarily wordy. A better sentence would read: “Met with clients to share information to increase profits.” This sentence is much clearer, and your reader doesn’t have to do mental backflips to understand you. 

4. Use Bullet Points 

Bullet points underneath major experiences/subheadings communicate a lot of information in less space. You can make your points uniform and more impactful by: 

• Writing each one as a full sentence, with or without closing punctuation 
• Start your points with a verb in the past tense for past activities and present tense for current ones 
• Keep your points focused on a responsibility or task that emphasizes your role/qualities 
• Be detailed and share tangible results, how many times you performed a task, or the overall time commitment 
• Focus on tasks/skills that are transferable or related to law school 
• Limit bullet points under each item to three, if possible 

Ensure you watch your tenses while you write; it’s easy to slip up and use the wrong one. 

5. Don’t Omit Experiences Not Related to Law

Although you should focus on transferable skills and tasks related to law school, don’t omit any experiences that aren’t necessarily law-related. You don’t want to leave chronological gaps in your resume: that’s a red flag for admissions committees. 

UChicago Law states that your resume should absolutely not contain only legal experiences. The school states that it wants “to see all of your work experience and activities to gain a more holistic picture of you.” Avoid these gaps and be honest about your work experience. 

6. Emphasize Leadership Experiences 

Leadership experience and capability are what every law school seeks in applicants. If you have relevant leadership experiences in employment or activities, ensure they’re in your resume. 

7. Highlight Entries That Align With Your Mission 

You’ve likely discussed your professional and career goals in your application. Your resume can complement your other application materials and narratives. For example, if you want to teach law, don’t bury your experience as a teaching assistant or tutor. 

Think about your personal mission and which experiences have contributed to helping you get one step closer to reaching your goals. 

8. See If There Are Particular Instructions for Each School 

Some schools may or may not have law school resume instructions. You should always double-check the application requirements of the schools you want to apply to. For example, UChicago Law asks, “Please include the number of hours per week spent on each employment experience or activity.” 

While you may have thought to do this on your resume anyway, it’s important not to miss any elements schools ask for. 

9. Edit, Revise, Refine

You probably already have a resume you can work off of, but it’ll take a lot of editing and reconstructing to tailor it to your law school application. Even if you’re starting from scratch, ensure you edit your resume. 

Does everything you wrote make sense? Is your language clear and concise? Are there spelling or grammar mistakes? It’s okay if it takes a few drafts to get to the finished product. You want your law school resume to make a stellar impression, so give yourself enough time to revise and refine. 

5 Law School Resume Templates 

Sometimes, it’s helpful to look at examples of what other people have done to get inspired. Below, you’ll find some resume templates for your law school applications to help you get started. 

Law School Resume Example 1

It’s important to use strategic wording to get your point across. In the following example, the applicant reframed their extracurricular/volunteer work section to reference leadership and service. Your goal is to use the right language to accurately summarize your story in a way that reflects you best. 

Take a look at this sample law school resume provided by the University at Buffalo School of Law: 

Source : University at Buffalo School of Law

Law School Resume Example 2

Although this applicant has no work experience, they’ve still put together a solid resume emphasizing their scholastic achievements and involvement in academic leadership. The experiences they’ve chosen to include demonstrate many skills relevant to studying law! 

Source: UPenn

Law School Resume Example 3

Take a look at this resume from Yale Law School. This applicant was careful to focus on their work related to academics and scholastic experience. 

This is a great example of how you can pick and choose various work and volunteer activities to highlight the skills that law school admissions committees are looking for. 

Source: Yale Law School

Law School Resume Example 4

Here’s an example resume from a student who was accepted into Harvard Law. This resume emphasizes relevant skills like technical writing and marketing. The inclusion of the “Presentations” and “Affiliations” sections demonstrates the applicant’s interests in a unique and relevant way. 

Source: U.S. News  

Law School Resume Example

In this law application example, the applicant has focused on her accomplishments, both academic and work-related, and gives strong examples of where she demonstrated leadership skills. She also includes interesting personal information that could serve as a great conversation starter during an interview. 

Source: University at Buffalo School of Law  

Law School Resume FAQs 

Do you still have questions about building or improving your law school resume? Read on to learn more! 

1.  Do Law Schools Care About Your Resume? 

Law schools like to see your real-world work experience and academic qualifications. Although your resume may not be the focal point of your application, law schools will still read it. 

2. What Skills Should I Put on My Resume for Law School? 

You can put whatever skills or interests you think the admissions committee should know about that you haven’t already discussed. Think about the things that make you unique and jot them down before you decide which points should go on your resume. 

3. Should I Put My LSAT Score or GPA on My Resume? 

It depends on what the law school asks for, but you typically don’t have to. Law schools will see your LSAT scores and GPA through your CAS report. 

4. How Long Should My Law School Resume Be? 

Your resume should be one to two pages long and shouldn’t exceed this length. 

5. What Has to Go in My Law School Resume? 

All law school resumes should include your contact/personal information, education, work experience, and activities. If you haven’t participated in many activities, you can include them in your education section instead. 

Build the Perfect Law School Resume 

Building the perfect law school resume helps admissions committees easily digest your experiences and qualifications. Using these expert law school resume tips, you can craft a stellar, attention-grabbing resume. 

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Prepping Your Resume for Law School

Published December 10, 2018 This content is archived.

Guest blogger Ashley Wilson-Rew is Content Strategist & SEM at protocol 80, Inc.

With everything you need to submit for law school -- you shouldn’t let your resume fall through the cracks. How can you be sure your law school resume highlights your best attributes?

It may seem like there are an endless amount of materials you need to submit to get into law school --  LSAT scores, letters of recommendations, and a personal statement are just a few among them. A resume could easily get lost in the midst.

However, a resume is a crucial element to your law school application process. It’s not something that is always required, but if it is, you’ll want to take some time creating it. You won’t want to throw it together the night before it’s due.

How is a law school resume different from a career resume?

A law school resume emphasizes your academic achievements.

An important thing to keep in mind is that your audience is the admissions committee, and not a future employer. You’ll have to be careful about your specific word choice, the skills you present, and the accomplishments noted. These all need to match the qualifications that law schools are looking for.

It’s important to note your passions while illustrating how you spent your time in college. Any leadership positions, professional responsibilities, and volunteer experiences could be beneficial to highlight.

Another thing to keep in mind when writing your resume is to make sure it matches your personal statement. You want to be transparent and cohesive about who you are. Your resume and personal statement should compliment one another.

These are just a few tips to help you craft your law school resume. Below is a list of law school resume templates you can follow to help you get into your dream school!

5 Law School Resume Templates & Examples

1. this example from redrocketresume has all the necessary information to impress the admissions committee..

It includes:

• Academic experience (education AND any research, writing, or teaching experience)
• Relevant employment (including non-law employment that demonstrates desirable qualities in a lawyer)

2. This template from International Student highlights leadership experience & special skills.

Learn more about the law school admissions process and School of Law community through an individual meeting with one of our staff members.

[Learn More]

3. Here’s a fantastic example template from U.S. News & World Report.

4. The Girl’s Guide to Law School provides a before & after law school resume example.

5. This resume template from Calling All Questions goes into depth with plenty of outside experiences.

You might want to follow this if you’re already in law school or soon-to-be graduating:

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Resume for Law School

Your resume is one the several components that ultimately comprise your applications to law school. Law school admissions committees are very interested in how you spend your time and energy outside of class, so it is essential that you create a strong, accurate, and flattering portrayal of yourself on your resume.

How to Convert a Job Resume to a Law School Resume

Consult this blog post for tips on converting your job resume to a law school resume that highlights your qualifications.

Law School Resume Samples

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Resume Advice & Samples

Resume advice and samples.

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• Draft your resume with the reader in mind.
• Understand that a resume is a sales tool, not an autobiography.
• Make it visually clean and clear. What will an employer see in 30 seconds? 5 seconds?
• Consider a “resume wardrobe” – different resumes for different employers.
• Be scrupulously honest. Exaggerations or misrepresentation will damage your reputation and professional relationships.
• Be prepared to talk about every word of the resume at an interview.
• Keep your resume to one page.
• Use a standard font such as Times New Roman or Garamond.
• Select a font size of 11 point or 12 point.
• Create margins no smaller than .5 inches on all sides.
• Use bold, underlining, and italics consistently to enhance readability.
• Make deliberate style choices, then stick to them throughout.
• Ensure your resume is error free.
• Follow our advice, “ Resume Formatting: How to Use Tabs & Styles ” to give your resume a professional look.

Resume Construction

• Include your name, mailing address, cell number, and Yale email address.
• If you do not have a mailing address in New Haven, that is fine, as mailing addresses are becoming optional.
• Add your permanent mailing address to emphasize ties to that area when applying to positions nearby.
• List your gender pronouns if you wish.

Education Section

• List degrees in reverse chronological order.
• Include all courses of study: past, present, and future.
• List each educational institution, location, degree, and degree date (expected date if currently enrolled).
• Do not include high school or LSAT score.
• Think strategically about how much space you devote to each degree. What message are you sending to employers?
• Include at your option with a strategic mindset.
• YLS awards few Honors.
• Moot court/mock trial awards and paper prizes are Honors.
• List Yale Law Journal as an Honor, due to the competitive admission process. List other journals as Activities or create a separate Journal sub-section under Yale Law School.
• List those that are not based solely on financial need and are awarded through a competitive process.
• If space permits, provide a very brief description of the selection criteria.
• Examples: Tilman Scholarship; the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans; and the NAACP LDF Earl Warren Civil Rights Scholarship.
• List scholarship or fellowship awards that are associated with summer or post-graduate employment with the position in the Experience section.
• Do not list need-based scholarships and fellowships, including SPIF funding, summer Mary McCarthy funding, and Kirby Simon travel grants.
• List the following positions as Activities or in the Experience section: Coker Fellow, Research Assistant, Deans’ Advisor, Student Representative, Peer Advocate, Tsai Leadership Program Fellow, and CDO Student Advisor.
• Use this section to emphasize relevant skills and interests including research and writing skills, oral advocacy, teamwork, and leadership.
• Narrow the list, if necessary, by selecting only one of several activities that are of the same genre.
• If applying for public service positions, include as many of your service-related activities as space permits to demonstrate your commitment to service.
• Move particularly relevant, intensive, or skills-enhancing activities to the Experience section. Example: clinics.
• Be clear about the timing of future commitments, however, describing the exact timing of past activities is not strictly necessary.
• Create a Study Abroad sub-section in your undergraduate education listing.
• Create a Thesis sub-section in your undergraduate education listing. Include especially if the topic relates to the law.

Experience Section

• List experiences in reverse chronological order.
• Include experiences to which you have committed, but not yet begun; describe using future-tense verbs.
• Dates can be general (e.g., Summer 20XX).
• Omit job titles if unimpressive or do not clarify your responsibilities, however, be consistent about including/excluding titles throughout.
• List experiences that demonstrate knowledge and skills in areas relevant to legal employers, especially research, writing, and analysis.
• Emphasize professional skills including organizational ability, leadership, initiative, creativity, communication skills, common sense, and intellectual ability.
• List both paid and unpaid experiences.
• Include work associated with a scholastic experience, including legal clinic experience, research for a professor, and extensive work for a student organization.
• Rewrite past descriptions written for different industries and audiences. Eliminate jargon and terminology unfamiliar to a general audience.
• Summarize smaller or less relevant positions to fill gaps. E.g., “Held various positions as salesclerk, server, and receptionist while in college.”
• Be prepared to discuss significant gaps at interviews.
• Think strategically about the amount of physical space devoted to each experience. More space = greater emphasis.
• Use action verbs and rich detail in descriptions. E.g., “researched and wrote memoranda on issues of jurisdiction and venue,” rather than “involved in assisting attorneys in the researching and writing of…”

Optional Sections

• Languages: List if relevant and/or skill level is high. May be useful to delineate written vs. spoken proficiency. Be scrupulously honest regarding skill level.
• Think strategically about employers’ impressions. Publications show writing skills, but a long list of publications may signal interest in an academic career which may not be well received by non-academic employers.
• Consider selective list or summary if publication list is long.
• Use Bluebook citation format.
• Be clear about co-authored pieces.
• Interests: Include a few special interests that may be compelling and serve as icebreaker topics during an interview.
• Other skills: list only relevant skills, eliminating those which are universal (e.g., MS Word) or unrelated to legal employers’ needs (e.g., C++ programming).

Do Not Include

• Objective or introductory statements.
• Personal information (e.g., marital status, parental status).
• Salary requirements.
• “References available on request.”

Think Ahead to Your Next Resume

Develop your skills and knowledge through career-related experiences

• Summer employment
• Student organizations
• Research Assistant positions
• Leadership positions

Sample Resumes PDF   Sample Resumes Word

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7 Law School Resume Examples That Got the Job in 2024

Best for senior and mid-level candidates

There’s plenty of room in our elegant resume template to add your professional experience while impressing recruiters with a sleek design.

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Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

Law School Resume

• Law School Application Resumes
• Law School Resume for Current Students
• Post-Law School Resumes

A career in law is both rewarding and intellectually challenging. Practicing law also offers a certain level of prestige and high earning potential.

Due to the diversity of legal practice areas, deciding what to include and omit when writing your law school resume may prove challenging. And if you’re recently out of law school, you’ll also have to write an  attorney cover letter .

We’ve reviewed numerous law school resumes to find what works and distilled what we learned into these seven law school examples.

Whether you’re applying for a full-time staff attorney role out of school, looking for your first internship, or anything in between,  these proven law school resume examples will help you get your next legal position in 2024 .

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Metrics don’t have to be complicated, nor do they have to be 100 percent perfect. Include rough estimates regarding how much you improved efficiency, how many cases you worked on, or how many issues you resolved. The numbers are there—all you need to do is find them.
• An objective is an optional section that describes your skills and enthusiasm for your future role. Always customize this section for each job you apply for by including the employer’s name and the role you’re seeking.

Law School Application Resume

• You’re far from being done. A winning strategy here is including one or two of your school projects that underscore your research and analytical skills and an understanding of the legal landscape.

Harvard Law School Resume

• Your interactions with clients that led to them deciding to use the services of the law firm would go a long way to pave your way to success.

Law School Student Resume

• Reverse-chronological order is simply putting your most recent experience first. Usually, this means employers will see your most relevant experience first.
• If the job you’ve most recently held isn’t related to the position you’re seeking, that’s okay! Simply highlight transferable skills (preferably any keywords listed in the  attorney job description ).
• Before hitting submit, always  check your resume  for errors and inaccuracies. Make sure you have one full page of content; don’t leave too much white space!

Law Student Resume

• Using a fun  resume template  can make your resume pretty and help you structure your content, keep it to a single page, and even make it easier to read. Plus, you can adjust the template as needed to suit your needs.
• In this section, focus on what you specifically contributed to the project. Were you the founder of a club? Did you lead any community initiatives? Whatever you contributed, show off your leadership abilities and unique skills.

Law Student Recruiting Manager Resume

• Numbers naturally break up the text and are easy to spot, keeping eyes on your resume longer.
• Section headers are an industry standard, but you can improve readability by putting them in bold and adding some color.
• Keep your bullet points short and sweet. Limit them to no more than three lines, and start each one with strong action verbs.

Post-law School Resume

• Only include six to eight skills you would be comfortable talking about in an interview. If you’re not experienced with a particular skill, leave it out.
• Better yet, include metrics like reduced client wait time, increased client numbers, or the number of cases you tackled to show you’ve got the right qualifications.

Related resume guides

• Legal Assistant
• Grad School

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How Do I Apply to Law School?

• by Ryleigh J. Praker
• March 27, 2024

Well, here you are. You’ve decided you want to go to law school — but how do you get in? How do you know which schools to apply to? Will you need to take admission tests?

Having all these questions is normal. It’s also normal to feel lost and overwhelmed. But there’s nothing to be afraid of and no need for the process to seem opaque. Read on to learn about the application process, broken down into simple steps.

If you’re not sure about law school or want to learn more about what it’s like and whether you should apply, consider reading our article “ What You Need To Know About Law School .” If you don’t know much about law school, that article is a good place to start.

Applying to law school can be a daunting process, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are five steps to follow when setting off on your application journey.

1. Research many law schools

When searching for the right law school, there are a variety of factors you should consider. For example, you’ll want to think about location, cost of attendance and prestige. If you have an interest in a particular area of law, you should look for schools that have a strong program in that concentration.

As you build up your list of schools, you should organize them based on admissions statistics — acceptance rate, average GPA and average LSAT score. These factors will help you determine whether a school is in the safety, target or reach ranges for you.

A good place to start exploring law schools is the Law School Admission Council’s Official Guide . LSAC is an official organization on which law schools rely for admissions information coordination — sort of like the College Board for undergraduate institutions. LSAC administers the LSAT exam and manages the Credential Assembly Service, through which law schools accept applications.

2. Take the LSAT

The Law School Admission Test is a standardized test administered by LSAC. Offered several times throughout the year, the exam is divided into sections on reading comprehension, arguments and logic games. It’s designed to test your aptitude for the kind of reasoning that makes a good lawyer.

Your LSAT score will be a major factor law schools will consider when you apply. It will also offer a metric for you to determine whether a particular school is in your safety, target or reach ranges.

The LSAT is offered several times throughout the year. You should plan on taking it at least a few months before you send out applications, so you’ll have time to improve your score if necessary. Starting to prepare for the test at least two months in advance has been shown to improve outcomes. You’ll want to study the format of the test and, for the best results, take practice exams. You can start exploring official LSAT test preparation resources on the LSAC website.

3. Write a personal statement

In contrast to the LSAT’s quantitative metric of your aptitude, a personal statement offers a qualitative measure for schools. A personal statement is a short essay that you will submit with your application that discusses your personal history, interests, goals and strengths. It’s a chance for you to showcase what makes you unique.

For advice on this step, check out our article “ How to Write a Strong Personal Statement for Graduate School .” The UC Davis Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services also offers personal statement workshops and programs .

4. Request letters of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are another way for schools to qualitatively evaluate your academic success, work ethic and interests. They’re a way for you to stand out beyond the number on your LSAT report. Most schools will ask for two to three letters of recommendation, so start thinking early about who you’ll approach for them.

The key to receiving good letters of recommendation is building personal relationships with your professors and supervisors. Try out these tips:

• Attend office hours.
• Ask questions in class.
• Get involved in research.
• Share your interests.
• Ask for advice.

If you put in the effort to make genuine connections with them, your professors and supervisors will be happy to write passionate, personalized letters on your behalf.

For more advice on securing letters of recommendation, read our article “ How to Request Letters of Recommendation for Grad School .”

5. Keep on top of the admissions cycle

Just like applying to undergraduate studies, applying to law school is a lengthy process. You should plan to space out your application journey over at least six months. During this time, you’ll need to study for and take the LSAT, explore schools and prepare your application materials. Spacing the process out will allow you to keep a healthy balance with your studies and personal life.

Most law schools begin accepting applications in the fall of the preceding year and continue to accept them well into the spring. It’s recommended that you apply early in the cycle to have the best chance at securing a spot.

Now go on — you’ve got this

Applying to law school can be draining and nerve-wracking. Just remember that no matter what, you are good enough — it’s just about presenting your unique, talented self in the best way.

For more advice on the law school application process, read our article “ 6 Things I Wish I Knew When I Applied to Law School .”

How to apply to UC Davis School of Law

What you need to know about law school

R.J. Praker (she/her) is a third year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in professional writing and Russian . She currently works as a writing intern for UC Davis' Office of Strategic Communications and an academic peer advisor for the Department of Political Science . She also serves as chief copy editor at the Davis Political Review . R.J. is from Placerville, California and loves to hike in the Sierra Nevada with her family’s dogs.

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