Putting a law school resume together probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. The experience can be tedious, to say the least, but it’s important to take the time and effort to get it right.
A resume is often the first impression a potential employer will have of you during law school. You want to use your resume to open the door for an interview request and set the tone for a productive meeting. Chances are good that the person you’re appealing to has more than one resume in front of them and not much time to thoroughly review each one, so you have a very brief window in which to catch that person’s attention.
To make your resume count, we’ve partnered with Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, to provide a how-to for creating a stellar law school resume.
Watch this video and learn more below.
The essential elements
There is certain basic information that every law school resume should have. This includes:
Your name, address and phone number. Your name and contact information should be prominently displayed somewhere on the page and are most often centered across the top of the resume.
Education. Be sure to date everything from your current educational experiences to your expected graduation date. Early on in your resume-building, it’s recommended that you work in reverse chronological order starting with your law school education and then any graduate school time followed by undergraduate. Include accolades, awards and scholarships earned at each school along your academic journey.
Experience. Here, you want to list the positions and/or legal clerkships or internships you’ve had since completing your undergraduate degree. It’s important to list what you do or have done that is relevant to the job for which you are applying. As a law student, you might not have any relevant experience to list — and that’s okay. Do the best you can at highlighting what you’ve accomplished so far to draw the reader in. The rest will come over time.
Publications. This is where you want to list your note or comment from Law Review or any articles you have researched or co-written with a professor. As you get further along in your legal career, you may also have the opportunity to speak on panels. It’s worth listing what you have spoken on, when and where.
Interests. This is a great place to let your personality shine through. Interests can act as good conversation starters/icebreakers and are a way to make a connection with an interviewer. Volunteer work also offers a glimpse at who you are and what you value.
Licensures. If you are already licensed in a certain state, you will definitely want to note it. Also important is any court you are admitted to or if you are a member of a patent bar. Other licenses, such as a real estate or broker license, will demonstrate you have what it takes to get through a rigorous licensing process.
It probably goes without saying (but worth repeating) that your resume should be free from typos and formatting issues. You don’t want to rule yourself out for a position based on a misspelled word or missing space. Keep your resume clean, concise and one page in length. As you get further into your career, you will have the chance to expand on your merits. For now, make it scannable and desirable!