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How to Build the Best Law School Resume

Law School Application Checklist

  • Application Form: ?
  • Personal Statement: ?
  • LSATs. Check and remember to check up to make sure sent to right schools. ?
  • Recommendations. In process.

So, what’s left? Remember to attach resume.

Wait just a second. As with the rest of your application, you want to submit your best possible resume. We have a new Law School Podcaster show titled Building the Best Law School Application Resume: Resumes To Get You Accepted. In the podcast, admissions deans and admissions consultants give you solid advice on putting together your resume. Some of the issues they’ll address include writing style, format, what categories to include, and how to treat your experience and activities. Alternatively, if you are tried for time and focus, and you’re thinking that you currently writing a suitable resume would be out of the question, then there is the possibility of looking at a company like ARC Resumes or others you can find online that will write and professionally design your resume for you.

One of the first things you should know about a law school application resume? Don’t make the mistake of submitting the resume you use to look for a job. Bill Hoye, Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, Duke Law School says the wrong type of resume is just a missed opportunity for the applicant. “In my experience, we sometimes see candidates submit a resume that seems most appropriate for finding a job and then they leave off information that we would really find helpful in making a decision about law school admission. I expect candidates to write a resume that impresses recruiters so if I see one with poor spelling, it goes straight in the bin.”

Dean Hoye explains that employers and admissions committees are looking for different skills and information about a candidate, so your job resume doesn’t really work as well with the admissions committee. “So for instance, someone looking for a job might put together a resume that provides a lot of detailed information about their skills in a particular industry [with] jargon language that people in that industry might really understand and leave off a lot of good information that we would want to know about how that particular individual operated within an academic environment, because that’s typically not something that employers might like to see. So, that’s a missed opportunity that might be great for finding a job, but it’s really not the information we’re looking for.

Dean Hoye and our other guests have lots more of good advice on what to do and what not to do in crafting your resume. Learn more about the best way to organize your resume, what to include and what not to include and some definite don’ts in our upcoming show. Other guests on the show include:

Stay tuned for the full show!