Drafting Your Resume
General Information:
Read the application instructions carefully. You must follow the rules provided for form, length and content.
Some schools will request a resume.
- We suggest including a resume in your application package unless the application specifically expresses not to include a resume.
- Your resume is an opportunity to describe your involvements in greater detail, while saving room in your personal statement for a stronger essay.
You want your resume to be user friendly so that the reader may scan through in about 30 seconds and gain the information important to them.
- Be careful when using bold face, italics, and capitalization. You don't want to overload your resume and make it difficult to read.
- A general rule for most resumes is to use no more than three fonts. Your law school may have its own font requirements.
Length is not as important in a law school resume as in a traditional resume. If you have enough experience to justify using two pages, then by all means use more than one page. However, do not include extraneous information just to fill space.
Format:
Education
Always Put Education First!
Why?
You are applying for entry into an institution of higher
education.
You can also emphasize a strong major GPA (especially if
your GPA is lower than their normal admissions
standards).
List and describe college/academic honors you've
received.
You may also emphasize classes that you have taken that show a background in law or have developed your writing and analytical thinking skills.
Experience
Your resume should highlight relevant experiences including:
- jobs or internships
- summer programs
- community service activities
- research projects
- skills such as writing, public speaking and analytical thinking
Consider adding a short description about your work while at the job, organization or experience
You could also use bullet points to help highlight your accomplishments or skill development therein.
You want to explain your role so the reader will be able to imagine what type of work you've done. The best way to accomplish this is through real life examples.
Here is an example of a Sample Resume intended only for reference.
Activities
Again, any involvement through an activity should shed light on your contributions and how they have helped shape your skills applicable to a law school student.
Include organizations in which you are a member and any
offices or positions you held.
However, do not
write "member" if you did not hold any office or position.
Membership is implied by your listing the organization.
Languages
This is one of the best ways to distinguish you from
other candidates. As the world economy continues to expand,
a need for bilingual or multilingual professionals
increases. You should only list languages that you
are fluent and able to converse in.
Publications/Papers
Published articles show writing, research and editing skills that are essential in law school.