Law School Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You’ve got the burden of proof.

Your law school resume must show you nailed your bachelor’s degree. It also has to show your character. A high GPA and LSAT scores are not enough.

With enough personal and academic wins, you’ll turn heads like David Boies.

In this guide:

• A law school resume sample better than most.
• How to write a resume for law school applications that proves your claims.
• How to draft the perfect education section in a law school application resume.
• Why you can’t just list law school skills (and what to do instead.)

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Are you writing a resume to use after law school? See our guides:

• Entry-Level Resume
• Internship Resume
• Student Resume
• First Time Resume with no Experience
• Attorney Resume
• Grant Writer Resume
• Paralegal Resume
• Legal Resume
• Legal Assistant Resume
• Law Student Resume
• Federal Resume
• MBA Application Resume
• Undergraduate College Resume
• PhD Resume
• Recent College Graduate Resume

Writing a general college application resume? See these guides:

• Resume for College Application Resume Sample & Guide

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Professional Resume Examples.

Law School Resume Example You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a law school resume that gets to “yes”:

1. Use a Respected Law School Resume Format

You want in.

The first step? Show you can follow the rules and make your resume format shine. 

A poorly-formatted resume will impeach your professionalism.

To fix that, write a reverse-chronological resume.

Law School Resume Format

• Use 1-inch margins and a 1-page resume.
• Write with Cambria, Calibri, or another 10–12pt resume font.
• Include standard resume sections such as a header, summary, education, experience, and skills.
• Export a PDF resume file. They acquit themselves well on all devices.

Expert Hint: Your LSAT score matters on a law school application resume. The top 25 law schools want scores above 160. Take a free version of the test first to boost your score.

2. Write a Law School Resume Objective or Summary

Bad news. The Dean of Admissions won’t read your law school resume. First readers will. Catch their eye, or the Dean won’t know you exist.

Grab them with a winning resume objective.

That’s a fast paragraph with your best exhibits.

Use:

1. An adjective (hard-working, resourceful)
2. “Doctor of Jurisprudence Candidate”
3. Your goal (excel at Concord Law School)
4. Best achievements (created own paid file clerk internship...)
5. Some key skills (research, technical writing...)

Oh yeah—write it last to nuke your stress.

Let these law school resume examples brief you:

Law School Resume Objective—Example

Oceans apart.

Both samples list legal research skills. But—

That first one adds 5 cases and a massive personal achievement.

Expert Hint: 6.9% of applicants get into Yale law school. 28.6% get into Boston College. Tailor your law school application resume to some schools with high acceptance rates.

3. Show Competence with Education on Your Law School Resume

This is critical: Law schools look for applicants with strong academic ability. That means GPA matters. But so do other factors, like your LSAT score, and what you did in school.

That’s why your resume education section carries so much weight.

Do it like this Harvard law school resume sample:

Law School Resume Example—Education

That’s Clifford-Chance-level.

That education section is crammed like Tom Brady’s trophy case.

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4. Target Your Law School Resume Job Description and Skills Section

What skills go in a law school resume?

Here’s a list of the best skills to put on a resume for law school applications:

Skills for a Law School Resume

• Work ethic
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Collaboration
• Research
• Study
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Creative thinking
• Active listening
• Time management
• Self motivation
• Computer skills

But—

You can’t just pile all those into a resume for law school. So, research your chosen law school. Find out which skills they value most.

Then, tailor your resume.

Watch these law school resume samples do it:

Let’s say you want to showcase these law school skills: work ethic, research, time management, collaboration, technology, problem solving.

Law School Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Now check out this poor law school application resume example:

See that?

The second of those law school resume examples isn’t tragic. But the first one builds your case like Vinny Gambini.

5. Add Riders to Your Law School Resume

You’ve done more than earn a bachelor’s degree. And guess what? Admissions directors love accomplishments.

Have you written articles? Done service projects?

Those can elevate your law school application resume.

Try some of these:

• Associations or groups
• Honor societies
• Publications
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Conferences
• Freelancing
• Languages
• Additional activities
• Hobbies
• Sports

These sample law school resumes show how:

Law School Resume—Extra Sections

Impressive.

Why does the first of those Harvard law school resume examples work better? It does due diligence on the details.

Expert Hint: You need a cover letter with your resume for law school. Admissions departments want your letter to show you’re passionate about the school.

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See these related guides:

• Paralegal Cover Letter
• Legal Assistant Cover Letter
• Legal Cover Letter

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

Law school resume tips:

• Use the law school resume template up top. Admissions departments respect its reverse-chronological format.
• Don’t just “show” your education. Make the case for your academic excellence with high scores and achievements.
• Use your experience section to show you’ve built key skills like communication and teamwork.
• Include a few bonus resume sections. Publications or volunteer work show your character.

Got questions on how to write a great law school application resume? Not sure how to put law school on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!