5 FAQs About Law School Application Resumes

How important is my resume in my law school application? 

Your resume won’t be the first thing we read, but it will help put your work and academics into context and give us a sense of how you’ve been spending your time. It’s your opportunity to highlight the experiences and accomplishments that prepared you for law school and explain weaker areas of your application. For example, if your undergrad GPA isn’t as strong as you’d like, but you dedicated yourself to demanding volunteer work or had a high-profile fellowship, we will take that into consideration. 

What should I include on my resume? 

Focus on aspects of your work and academic life that demonstrate why you want to go to law school, or the skills you’ve developed that will help you be successful once you’re here. Start with academic achievements and credentials. If you haven’t been out of undergrad long, include any academic awards you received, leadership roles you held, or projects you took on while in school. Be sure to tie your accomplishments to outcomes. How did you or others benefit from your contribution?  

If you have extensive work experience, focus on roles in which you advanced or took on greater leadership responsibilities. Highlight any positions that required writing, critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, or managing people, budgets, or projects. Again, tie your accomplishments to outcomes. How did you or others benefit from your work?  

How far back should I go? 

Four to five years unless you have extensive work experience. If you’ve recently graduated from undergrad, then stick to what you did during that time. Unless you received a Presidential Medal of Honor in high school, there’s no need to go back that far. If you have a few years of work experience, your resume should be a mix of both your career and academic achievements. If you’ve been working for a while, focus on your work, unless you did something particularly noteworthy in college. Your time leading a team of colleagues through a difficult business transaction last year is more relevant than your time as a midfielder on your college lacrosse team eight years ago.  

How long should my resume be? 

One to two pages max. If you aren’t filling more than half of that second page, trim it down to one. 

How should I format my resume? 

Keep it clean, simple, and organized. This is not the time to get creative with a variety of fonts, graphics, or colors. Your resume should be easy to read and touch on just the highlights of your academic and employment history.

For more tips and advice on the resume you submit with your law school application, join us on one of our upcoming Resume and Letter of Recommendation Do’s and Don’ts webinars.