Résumé

The primary purpose of a law school résumé is to quantify how you have spent your time outside the college classroom. Significant experience outside the classroom is valued by law schools, and can help you stand out amongst other candidates and compete with candidates who have more gap time than you.

What to Include:

You should include the following sections (the titles may vary by applicant):

Include post–high school institutions attended for one or more semesters, expected/actual graduation date and degree, major(s)/certificates, cumulative GPA, thesis/capstone, and academic honors/awards. You may alternatively include separate sections for honors/awards or research.

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

NOTE: One item that you always want to include on a law school application resume that you normally do not include is the number of hours per week you have worked at each job/internship, as well as for each volunteer/student organization/community involvement activity to which you devoted a significant amount of time.

Include all involvement with student organizations, athletics, volunteering other than an unpaid internship, and other activities to which you devote significant time. If you have few activities, consider including them in the education section instead.

DON’T exclude involvement with a fraternity or sorority. Greek organizations often provide significant opportunities for leadership and community service.
DON’T exclude political/religious involvement out of a concern that you may alienate admissions committees. In fact, law schools want student bodies with a diversity of political/religious beliefs and experiences. But focus on the substance of your involvement, not the ideology of it.

You may include the following sections if applicable:

Include any recognition for academic or non-academic achievement or leadership—honor society membership, merit-based scholarships, etc. 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.

This is another section that is unique for law school application résumés. Schools want to learn more about you and this section (in addition to your personal statement) helps to bring your application to life. You can (and probably should) include at least one line highlighting your language skills, travel, and unique interests/hobbies that may not fit elsewhere on your resume.

Note: It is usually okay for your résumé to go onto a second page. You may want to check with the admissions office for the law schools to which you are applying to find out their preferences if you are not sure. Schools like Yale and Northwestern are examples of schools for which it would be a better idea to limit your resume to one page.

Note Regarding Length:

It is okay for your résumé to exceed one page unless the law school you are applying to specifies otherwise. For Yale and Northwestern Law it would be better to stick to a one page resume. You may want to check with your law schools if you’re not sure what they prefer.

What NOT to Include:

DON’T include an objective section at the top. Your objective is to get into law school. That’s obvious.
DON’T include honors or activities from high school even if you were class valedictorian, Eagle Scout, etc. The exception is something truly impressive like professional ballet or the Olympics.
DON’T include many detailed technical/scientific skills (e.g., knowledge of scientific antibody tagging technique).
DON’T include word processing skills (e.g., Word, Excel).
DON’T include references. Your letters of recommendation are your references.

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What to Include:

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Résumé Resources