Law School CV—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You’ve got the burden of proof.

Your law school application CV must show you nailed your bachelor’s degree.

But—

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

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

• Entry-Level CV
• Internship CV
• Student CV
• First Time CV with no Experience
• Attorney CV
• Paralegal CV
• Legal CV
• Legal Assistant CV
• Federal CV
• MBA Application CV

Writing a general university application CV? See these guides:

• CV for University Application CV Sample & Guide

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

Law School CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

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

1. Use a Respected Law School CV Format

You want in.

The first step? Show you can follow the rules.

A poorly-formatted CV will impeach your professionalism.

To fix that, write a reverse-chronological CV.

Law School CV Format

• Use 1-inch margins and a 1-page CV.
• Write with Cambria, Calibri, or another 10–12pt CV font.
• Your CV sections should be heading, summary, education, experience, and skills.
• Export a PDF CV file. They acquit themselves well on all devices.

Expert Hint: Your LSAT score matters on a law school application CV. 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 CV Objective or Summary

Bad news.

The Dean of Admissions won’t read your law school CV.

First readers will.

Catch their eye, or the Dean won’t know you exist.

Grab them with a winning CV 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 CV examples brief you:

Law School CV 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 University. Tailor your law school application CV to some schools with high acceptance rates.

3. Show Competence With Education

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 CV education section carries so much weight.

Do it like this Harvard law school CV sample:

Law School CV 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 Job Description and Skills Section

What skills go in a law school CV?

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

Law School Skills for a CV

• Work ethic
• Interpersonal skills
• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Collaboration
• Research
• Study
• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Active listening
• Self motivation
• Technology

But—

You can’t just pile all those into a CV for law school.

That looks shady.

So, research your chosen law school. Find out which skills they value most.

Then, tailor your CV.

Watch these law school CV 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 CV [Sample]

Now check out this poor law school application CV example:

See that?

The second of those law school CV examples isn’t tragic.

But the first one builds your case like Vinny Gambini.

5. Add Riders to Your Law School CV

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 CV.

Try some of these:

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

These sample law school CVs show how:

Law School CV—Extra Sections

Impressive.

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

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

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

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Key Points

Law school CV tips:

• Use the law school CV 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 CV sections. Publications or volunteer work show your character.

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