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Imagine your law school application as a puzzle. Each piece serves a purpose and tells the admissions committee something important about you. If any piece is missing, the puzzle is not complete. Your law school resume primarily serves to help the admissions committee understand your life outside of the classroom.

Like every piece of the application, follow the instructions provided on page length and format. Many law schools will allow up to 2 pages, but some may limit it to one or have specific instructions for margins and font size.

Your resume should include the following information:

  • Personal Information/Header: Include name, address, phone number, and e-mail.
  • Education: Include each collegiate-level school attended, with majors, minors, and dates of attendance;
  • Work Experience: Include post–high school employment (whether paid or unpaid), your titles, dates of employment, hours per week at each job, and detailed information concerning responsibilities and accomplishments at each job.
  • Activities:  Include all involvement with student organizations, athletics, volunteering, and other activities to which you devote significant time. If you have few activities, consider including them in the education section instead.
  • Honors/Awards:  Include any academic or non-academic honors, achievements, or awards, including merit based scholarships, Dean’s List, and leadership awards
  • Research/Publications:  If you have engaged in significant research and have one more items to highlight, such as a thesis or capstone or a publication, it is appropriate to add a section for research
  • Skills and Interests:  Language skills, other proficiencies not otherwise included in your resume, or special interests

Your resume should not include:

  • DON’T include an objective section at the top; 
  • DON’T include honors or activities from high school unless they are extraordinary;
  • DON’T include word processing skills (e.g., Word, Excel);
  • DON’T include references. Your letters of recommendation are your references;
  • DON’T include exaggerations or fabrications - if it is on your resume, it should be clear, accurate, and verifiable 

Resources:

Resume Template for Law School Admissions (7Sage)

Converting Your Job Resume Into Your Law School Resume (U Penn)

Prepping Your Resume for Law School (University of Buffalo) 

Resume Checklist (BYU)