How do you make a strong law school resume?

Asked by: Lesley Pagac  |  Last update: September 7, 2023
Score: 4.6/5 (31 votes)

Most law school résumés have four sections:
  1. Experience. Include both jobs and internships. ...
  2. Education. Include degrees, distinctions such as magna cum laude, and academic awards. ...
  3. Activities. ...
  4. Personal. ...
  5. Make it scannable. ...
  6. Use bullet points, but no more than three per entry. ...
  7. Give context for each entry. ...
  8. Format consistently.

What makes a good law school resume?

A good resume for law school should clarify the skills and experience you bring from work, school and other activities. It won't paint a full picture of who you are, but it should provide a frame for the admissions committees to view the rest of the application in context.

How do I make my law school resume stand out?

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.

What do law schools want on a resume?

Work Experience: Include post–high school employment and internships whether paid or unpaid—your titles, dates of employment, hours per week at each job, a brief summary of your employers (if not obvious from name), and detailed information concerning responsibilities and accomplishments at each job.

How do I write a resume for a law student?

How to write a law student resume
  1. Select the right resume format. ...
  2. Create a professional resume header. ...
  3. Write about your education. ...
  4. Describe your professional experience. ...
  5. List your publications. ...
  6. Add additional information. ...
  7. Proofread. ...
  8. Convert your document into a PDF.

How To Build Your Resume For Law School

43 related questions found

Should I put my GPA on my law school resume?

As a general rule, if your GPA is in the top half of the class, or starts with a "3," include it. Otherwise, you may want to consider leaving it off. Employers will assume your grades were lower than top half if they see no mention of grades or rank.

How much do law schools care about resume?

Getting into a top law school is extremely competitive, and will only be accepted if your résumé indicates that you are the best and most worthy for admission. So, if you submit a haphazard résumé, hoping your LSAT score and GPA are enough to get you in, you're most likely shooting yourself in the foot.

What are great extracurriculars for law school?

Activities That Cultivate Legal Skills

Law school applicants should highlight law-related activities like mock trial, public speaking, political activism or assisting with research for a professor working in law or policy.

What makes you stand out in law school applications?

Extracurricular Involvement

Law schools want to admit motivated, energetic students who get involved and try to improve the campus—and world—around them. The admissions committee will be looking at your undergraduate extracurricular activities to get a sense of how involved you might be on their campus too.

What looks good when applying to law school?

How to be a successful law school applicant
  • Choose your college major carefully.
  • Take rigorous, relevant undergraduate courses.
  • Aim for a high college GPA.
  • Conduct original research and write an honors thesis.
  • Be strategic about your extracurricular and work experiences.
  • Study hard for the LSAT or GRE.

Do you put all work experience on law school resume?

Including Your Work History in Your Application

Your law school resume should clearly present all your work experience. Schools also commonly ask applicants to list each significant job or volunteer position individually on a separate form for easy comparison.

How long should a law student resume be?

Unlike most employment-oriented resumes, which are tailored to a particular job function, the law school resume is broad, and should include all of your significant, post-high school experience. For this reason, many applicants expand their standard one-page resume to two pages.

Do law schools care about work experience?

Work Experience on Your Application

LSAT score and GPA generally constitute the most important factors in law school admissions decisions. Historically, post-college work experience has not been emphasized, and students often go directly from college into law school.

What's in a good law school personal statement?

The personal statement is your chance to REFLECT upon your life and show the law school admissions committee who you are as an INDIVIDUAL. Tell the Admissions staff something about yourself, your experiences and your life. Use vivid, descriptive prose with the intent to draw readers in and keep them interested.

What is a good answer to why law school?

Good Reasons to Study Law

Many lawyers find fulfillment in working to solve individual, group, and societal problems through the law. However, effecting change through the law can be a long and drawn out process, so you should be sure that you will enjoy the day-to-day work of being a lawyer.

Should I put dean's list on law school application?

If you have only one or two honors and/or awards (e.g., dean's List), then it would be better to include the item(s) in the education section. If you have one or more items of research to highlight, it may be appropriate to include a separate section for research.

What is the most important factor in law school application?

Each law school combines your cumulative GPA with your LSAT score to come up with an index score. This index score is the most important admissions factor, and it is used to benchmark you initially against other applicants.

What is a good GPA for law school?

Among the 191 ranked law schools that submitted grade data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average median GPA of entering law school students in 2021 was 3.55. But at the 20 highest-ranked law schools, the average median GPA is much higher – 3.86.

Does LSAT matter more than GPA?

Just how important the LSAT relative to other elements of your overall application package varies a little from school to school. However, generally, your LSAT score alone is thought to be anywhere from twice as important as your GPA to four to five times as important!

How to be #1 in law school?

  1. Memorize the law, even if you have an open-book exam. Some students approach an open-book exam totally differently than a closed-book exam. ...
  2. Make your own outline (and start early) ...
  3. Avoid low-yield, time-consuming study habits. ...
  4. Be okay with being different.

What majors are most common in law school?

Best Undergraduate Majors for Law School
  • History. There were 3,366 history majors who applied, and 77.5% were admitted. ...
  • Economics. There were 3,709 economics majors who applied, and 76.1% were admitted. ...
  • English. ...
  • Philosophy. ...
  • Political Science. ...
  • Finance. ...
  • Arts and Humanities. ...
  • Communications.

What two law school extracurriculars do employers care most about?

Top Law School Extracurriculars
  1. Law Review/Journals. ...
  2. Moot Court. ...
  3. Externships, Clerking, and Clinics. ...
  4. Student Bar Association. ...
  5. Networking and Career Fairs.

Do employers look at law school GPA?

There's no doubt about it — your law school GPA is important for your first job (or two) after law school graduation. If you review job ads (which are a fantastic research tool), you'll often see law firms and other employers demanding top academic credentials.

Should I put my LSAT score on my law school resume?

In that same survey, the vast majority of employers thought listing LSAT scores was “irrelevant,” and a few found it annoying. Given this feedback from employers, you most likely will choose not to include your LSAT on your resume.

Can a high GPA offset a low LSAT?

Emphasize Other Strengths

High grades can help offset a low LSAT score, as can strong recommendation letters from professors, professional experience and a well-structured personal statement.