Law School Application Resume Template (20+ Examples)

Law School Application Resume Template (20+ Examples) Listen:T14 law schools admit only one type of candidateThe best.This means you have no choice but to become one of the best to consider a career in law.And your law school resume has to testify to this.This guide will show you:A law school resume better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.How to write a law school application resume to get admitted to the best schools.Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on law school resumes so they shine.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample Law School ResumeSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowInterested in resume writing guides for other legal professions? Weve got you cov ered:Legal/Law ResumeAttorney ResumeLegal Assistant ResumeParalegal ResumeOr maybe youre looking for a different kind of a resume writing guide?College Application ResumeAcademic CVInternship Resume for College StudentsNeed more resume writing advice? Check out our guides:Military to Civilian ResumeFederal ResumeResume With Employment GapsStudent ResumeCareer Change ResumeSpecific Resume Examples1Whats the Best Law School Resume Template?RememberYour resume for a law school is not the same as a resume for a job.Youre not applying for a job at a law school, after all. What you want is to become a law student.Thats why your law school admission resume is an academic document by nature, and will resemble an academic CV.NowDepending on your experience and education you may want to consider the following sections for your law school resume template:Law School Resume TemplateResume SectionsContact InformationEducationProfessional Experience / InternshipsSkillsVolunteer Work / Community In volvementAwards and HonorsAffiliationsPublicationsExtracurricular ActivitiesLeadership PositionsLanguagesInterestsAdditional ActivitiesIf you think this looks more like an outline of a new John Grisham novel than a law school resumeDont panic.Its a list of every possible section you might want to include in your law school resume.But nobody said you gotta use em all.Heres the ultimate rule of law school resume writing (or any resume writing for that matter):Relevance.SoPick the sections that apply to you specifically.That being said, the first three sections (contact information, education, and professional experience) are obligatory. The rest depends on what you have to offer.Pro tip: Regardless of what sections you decide to include in your law school resume, make sure all entries with dates follow the reverse-chronological order.Not sure which resume format would work best for you? Heres a guide that will dispel all your doubts: Resume Format: Samples for All Types of ResumesNow, lets break this down, see what information you can include in each section, and illustrate it with law school resume samples:1. Contact InformationThis one is a no-brainer. What you put here is your contact information, such as:Full nameEmailTelephone numberYour home address (optional)LinkedIn profile (optional).Pro Tip: While including a LinkedIn profile is optional, it will give admissions officers another opportunity to learn something more about you.Make sure your online presence will not disqualify you from getting a place at the law school of your dreams. Read our guide on How to Check Your Online Presence Before Recruiters Look You Up2. EducationThis section of your law school resume is essential.Youre applying to an academic program, so make sure you put your best academic suit forward.Dont just list the university, dates, and degree. Add some more details:Type of degree you receivedYour major/minorName of your schoolSchools locationYear you graduatedGPAThesis titleCoursewo rkAwards and honorsAchievements (e.g., Dean's List)AndPresent your education in the reverse-chronological order.Pro Tip: Dont start with a law school resume objective or summary. In fact, leave this out completelythe admissions committee members know exactly why youre applying. Your academic resume for law school should start with the education section.Heres an example of what your education section on a law school resume could look like:Law School Application ResumeSample Education Section2018MA, Linguistics,summa cum laudeUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)GPA: 3.95Thesis title: Semantic Properties of Past vs. Perfect Tenses in the English LanguageCoursework:Recognition of morphologically complex wordsNegative PolarityEvaluating perspective in meaning and discourseAwards:Deans List 2017, 2018Achievements:Winner of a Linguistics Student Association Essay Contest for an essay on neologisms in social discourse.2014BA, Cognitive ScienceUniversity of California, Los Angeles (U CLA)GPA: 3.85Thesis title: Logical ReasoningOn the Border of Philosophy and PsychologyCoursework:CommunicationAnthropologyLinguisticsStatisticsPhilosophyAwards:Deans List 2015, 2016Pro Tip: You dont need to include information on your high school education. Unless its so impressive you feel the admissions committee will miss out a ton if you skip it.Learn more about how to show your education background on any kind of resume: Education Resume Section: How to Do It Right (20+ Examples for Any Situation)3. Professional ExperienceThis section of your law school resume is necessary. It gives the admissions committee an overview of your professional interests, skills youve developed, and key achievements.If you dont have any professional experience yet, use it to list your:internship experiencevolunteer workcommunity involvement.The rule of thumb is to focus on whats relevant.One of the biggest mistakes people make is treat their professional experience as a laundry list of everything th eyve ever done. This is not how you do it.Try this instead:List your relevant experience in bullet points.Follow the reverse-chronological order.List the job title, company name, and dates.Put up to 67 bullet points for each position.Try to go beyond your responsibilities, and put your achievements in the limelight.Use resume action verbs. They highlight your skills and show what you actually did.Quantify your experience bullets with percentages and numbers.Heres an example of what a professional experience section on your law school resume could look like:Example Law School ResumeProfessional Experience20152019Marketing SpecialistOptiConzResearched and prepared materials for internal and external communications. Delivered company presentations and QA sessions at 20+ industry events.Helped to coordinate trade shows, search engine optimization activities, and creation of marketing campaigns.Conducted market research, analyzed competitors activity, and identified customer needs.Worked closely with key internal stakeholders to communicate the brand and business unit position.Key achievement:Wrote 70+ search engine and user-intent optimized articles that increased website traffic by 150% and improved conversion rate indicators by .5 percent over two consecutive quarters.Pro Tip: Spell out your experience in a language understandable to an average person. Avoid industry-specific abbreviations and buzzwords that may not resonate with people who dont have specialized knowledge.How is this kind of experience relevant to your future career as a lawyer?To cut a long story shortIts centered around your transferable skills, such as critical thinking, or written and oral communication.You honed them elsewhere, but youll need need them as a lawyer on a daily basis.Remember:Be selective, and focus on the relevant stuff.Want to learn more about the best skills for your law school resume? Heres an article to help you out: The Best Skill Set for a Resume (99+ Skills Examples fo r All Types of Jobs)4. SkillsLets spell it out once moreIf the experience section of your resume is done right, youve already described your key skills.Thats why making a separate section for skills on your law school application resume isnt obligatory.But if you do decide to include it, make sure its done right!Remember:Relevance is key.Showcase the skills that can really help you as a student and in your future career.Writing, communication, analytical, organizational, and critical thinking skillsall these are characteristic of great lawyers.If your experience section has examples of these, you can make them even more prominent by putting them on a list.Here are some more ideas for soft skills you might want to include:NegotiatingConflict resolutionCollaborationProblem-solvingAdaptabilityAdding some hard or technical skills wont do harm but make sure they are relevant:WordpressGoogle AnalyticsPython for language researchSEOResearch databasesIts best if your skills arent taken out of thin air, but are reflected in your education and professional experience section bullets.Pro Tip: If you cant think of more than one or two skills for your law school admission resume, consider merging skills and interests sections into one.If youre not sure how to identify the skills you could showcase on your resume, heres an article you might want to read: 99 Key Skills for a Resume (Best List of Examples for All Types of Jobs)When making a resume in our builder, drag drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.Create my resume nowWhen youre done, Zetys resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.5. Volunteer Work and Community InvolvementShowing you care about others will earn you extra points.Admissions committees members are on the lookout for active and engaged students.Heres an example of what this section could look like on your law school resume:Law School Resume E xampleVolunteer WorkBig Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaEnglish language tutor and mentor to a 6th-grade student from an underprivileged immigrant familyCasa Pietro Soup KitchenVoluntarily worked as a part of kitchen staff to prepare meals twice a monthSt. Peters Dog ShelterOrganized three fundraiser events and collected $5000+ for building restorationWant to learn more about listing your volunteer work on a resume? We have a dedicated guide to dispel all your doubts: How to List Volunteer Work on Your Resume [+Sample]6. Awards and HonorsAs a matter of fact, this could just as well be part of your education section.HoweverIf you received awards and honors that dont have much to do with your education, you can create a dedicated section on your law school resume format.In fact, we have a dedicated guide that shows you exactly how to put all kinds of achievements on your resume. Check this out: Achievements to Put on a Resume - Complete Guide (30+ Examples)7. AffiliationsThere are two ways in which you can present your professional and academic affiliations on a law school resume:Option 1: List affiliations In your education section.The danger is that adding too much detail might make the section look too long.And if theres too much informationYour affiliations might get drowned out.Instead, you can:Option 2: List affiliations In a separate resume section.This way everything will remain clearly visible.AndYou can put all sorts of organizations and associations under this one heading.The problem is this section might end up on the second page of your law school resume.Sample Law School ResumeAffiliationsPhi Beta KappaMemberUCLA Golden KeyMemberSociety for Technical CommunicationMember8. PublicationsIf you published articles, papers, or books, go ahead and list them in a separate section.You have three different bibliography formats to choose: MLA, APA or Chicago.If youre not sure which one to stick to, check the school website to see if it offers any specific guid elines.If there are noneChoose the format you prefer and use it consistently throughout.9. Extracurricular ActivitiesList any extracurricular activities that add value to your law school application.As mentioned before, admissions committees want to build a community of engaged students.All the more so as law schools have large numbers of student organizations and groups.Here are some ideas for your law school resume:Pre-Law Society UCLAUCLA Club VolleyballTeam CaptainStudent GovernmentEnvironmental Student Organization10. Leadership PositionsConsider adding a separate section listing your leadership experience.Students who show they like to take initiative and have strong leadership skills are always more than welcome.Heres a couple of ideas to get you inspired:Managing Editor at LingZooan online magazine covering research and development in the field of cognitive sciencesUCLA Club SoftballTeam CaptainOrganizer and moderatorAmerican literature student discussion clubFeel like you s till need more information on what sections to put on your law school resume? Head straight to our guide: Resume Sections Item Order [Extra: Additional Categories that Matter]2How to Format Your Law School ResumeHeres the thing:Before we say anything about how to format resumes for law school admissionsCheck the school website to see if there are any specific guidelines for you to follow.You may be asked (not) to include particular sections or exceed a certain number of pages etc.And it doesnt really matter if youre writing a Harvard law school resume, Yale law school resume, or any other.Always check the requirements.Always.NowOf all law school resume formats, the reverse-chronological pattern is the safest one to follow.Why?First off, it brings your latest education and experience to the fore.Second of allIts the resume format the vast majority of admissions officers feel at home reading. Its well organized, easily navigable, and speaks volumes.Just remember to:Avoid clutter and embrace white space.Pick out a resume-friendly font.Write simple and reader-friendly headings.Use bullet points.And:Save your law school resume as a PDF file. The PDF file type keeps the formatting intact on all systems and devices.And finallyTheres a bit of controversy as to the ideal law school application resume length.Some claim it must not exceed a single page.Spivey law school resume consultancy even published a piece to help you make the right decision.In shortYou should always check the schools requirements. If youre asked to provide a one-page law school resume, youve got your answer.If not, think about all the added value your law school resume would gain if you included the information that doesnt fit on a single page.If not much.Just drop it. And keep your resume short and sweet.Simple as that.Pro Tip: At the end of the day, its the content of your resume that matters most. So dont neglect it. That said, our law school resume builder allows you to experiment with the for mat and easily choose the one you like best.Mixed feelings about the length of your resume? It so happens we have a guide that clears everything up: How Long Should a Resume Be? Ideal Resume Length for 2019 [+Tips]With our builder you can create any kind of professional resume. More than that, you can use ourcover letter builderto make a matching cover letter. Here's what it may look like:See more cover letter templates and start writing.Key TakeawayYour law school resume must be something more than a laundry list of everything youve done so far. Heres how to make your law school resume stand out:Dont hasten it. Be selective about what to include on your law school resume.Focus on your relevant academic and professional achievements.Dont write a law school resume objective. Theres no room for this.Your law school resume is academic by nature, so start it with the education section.List your relevant experience. Focus on the responsibilities and achievements which demonstrate youve g ot the skills necessary to succeed.Lay out your law school resume in the reverse-chronological order.Exceed one page only if the extra information you want to include adds a lot of value.Are you writing a law school resume for the first time? Or perhaps youre an L1 student whod like to share their experience? Wed love to hear from you, leave your comment below!