What Experiences Should You Include in a Law School Resume?
As you apply to law school, you must include a resume with each application. You probably already have a resume you used to get your current job or internship. However, law school resumes need to be different than job-seeking resumes. Your law school application package is your opportunity to share as much information about yourself with the school to which you're applying.
Law schools and employers are not always looking for the same thing in a resume. Job seekers aim to get a hiring manager to take notice of their resume compared to many others, while law school applicants want to meet criteria that will inspire committees to further consider their application. Your law school resume provides the chance to create a narrative that chronicles the formative experiences of your life. It should include the "greatest hits" of your accomplishments and learning experiences.
Remember that not all of the experiences you share on your law school resume need to be flashy. Working as a server or in a retail store can be just as formative for one applicant as a coveted internship in DC can be for another applicant.
Best practices for creating a law school resume include:
Formatting your resume professionally
Simplifying sections on your resume
Focusing on academic qualifications for law school
Writing plainly
Perfecting each bullet point in your resume by proofreading your draft several times
Proving honest and complete information about yourself
Below, we take a closer look at the life experiences you should include in your law school resume and the best way to convey the most important aspects of each of these experiences.
Education
Your transcripts and academic letters of recommendation are mandatory parts of law school applications, so you don't need to hit the academic stuff too hard on your law school resume. Include any education you completed or expect to complete since you graduated high school with actual or expected graduation dates. You should also include your major and your cumulative GPA in this section. If you did a senior thesis or capstone project, you can also include that in the education section of your law school resume.
Work Experience
The work experience section of a law school resume can help strengthen someone's resume. The experience they share sometimes helps reviewers overlook a less-than-stellar GPA or LSAT score. You should include any and all work experiences, especially recent ones that speak to your interest in law school. For example, include paid and unpaid internships. For each employer include the following information:
Hours per week
Brief summary of the business
A detailed description of your responsibilities in your role
Accomplishments, praise, or awards received while employed
The description of your job responsibilities is easily the most important aspect of each work experience. Admissions teams look for transferrable skills that suggest an applicant will thrive in law school. This is your chance to showcase leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and other skills that you bring to the table.
Activities
Much like work experience, an applicant's extracurricular activities can highlight skills that will help them do well in law school. Don't embellish and make up activities. If you do not have that many to share, you might want to leave them out and include them in other sections. However, you should include anything that you've done outside of the classroom or your job that takes up a big chunk of your time. This includes athletics, involvement with student organizations, and volunteering. Your involvement with outside activities signifies that you will likely get involved on campus. Sharing this information provides another opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to public service and your leadership abilities.
Accolades
If you received any honors or awards during your undergrad or at a job, you should include them in a separate section on your resume. The more prestigious the accolades, the more important it is to create a separate section. If you have one or two small awards, you can opt to include them in their respective section instead of creating a separate resume section for honors and awards. Some common things to include in this section are recognition or leadership or non-academic achievement, honor society membership, and merit-based scholarships you have received.
Research
Research is more important on a grad school application than a law school application. However, if you have research to highlight, include it on your law school resume. Engaging in research demonstrates skills that suggest someone could be successful in law school, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing. If you have any publications with a professor, including them in your resume demonstrates your capacity to work with faculty.
Skills/Interests
Finally, if you have other interests and skills that do not fit in any of the above categories, you can add a catch-all skills or interests section. Various things might fit in this section, such as language skills, study abroad and other travel experiences, or anything else you want the admissions committee to know about you. However, do not include basic computer skills like Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, etc. In this day and age, law schools assume applicants have these basic skills. Also, avoid including involvement in any political or religious groups or activities that could alienate committees. It's best to focus on your involvement instead of the mission, values, or ideology of a particular group.
The team at S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting is here to support you through this law school application cycle, including helping you with your resume. Whether it's through personalized one-on-one counseling, our essay courses and editing, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, we can help you through the process.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.