Understanding all the pieces that make up the law school admissions process is key to helping your chances of being admitted to your desired law school. One important component in the process is a résumé specifically written for law school admissions.
Your résumé is a professional summary of your experiences, skills, and accomplishments. From this document, admissions committees should gain a clear understanding of your academic background, professional development, and extracurricular involvement. A well-crafted résumé not only reflects your achievements but also demonstrates the value you will bring to the law school community.
How to Build a Résumé for Law School Admissions
A strong résumé is organized into distinct sections that effectively convey your qualifications. Begin your law school résumé with your academic background, including your undergraduate and graduate education, and any honors and awards you received from those institutions.
In the résumé, you want to be sure to detail your professional experience, listing full-time and part-time positions, internships, externships, and freelance or contract work, whether legal or otherwise. Round out your résumé with any meaningful extracurricular activities, community service, and volunteer work.
After reviewing your résumé, law school admissions committees should see evidence of initiative, leadership, and growth. Furthermore, your résumé should clearly demonstrate how your experiences have helped you develop transferable skills, such as research, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking, that will serve you well in law school.
Prioritize Attention to Detail in a Law School Résumé
The content in your résumé is important but so is its appearance. Your résumé should look professional and showcase strong attention to detail. Select an easily readable font and text size and maintain consistent formatting throughout the résumé. Keep the length of your résumé concise, ideally one to two pages, and avoid including extraneous information or details that do not strengthen your application.
As with everything you submit as part of your law school application, proofread carefully to eliminate typos and formatting errors that distract from your qualifications. Seek feedback from a Pre-Law advisor on your undergraduate campus or from a mentor to ensure your résumé accurately and succinctly captures the breadth of your experiences and skills. Lastly, confirm that everything you include in your résumé is consistent with the rest of your application materials.
Your résumé is more than a list of experiences. It is an opportunity to present yourself as a motivated professional prepared for the rigor of law school. Invest time building and refining your résumé so it reflects how your experiences have prepared you to thrive in law school and beyond.
Learn More and Apply
There are many factors to consider when you are applying to and selecting a law school. If you are interested in learning more about Miami Law, our Fast Facts give you an overview of the most recent incoming JD Class, and the 18 areas of study webpage provides insight into the breadth of the curriculum.
Learn how the Office of Career and Professional Development and our 23,000+ alumni network support you during law school and beyond. We also encourage you to view the prospective student webinar library, which provides videos on topics such as personal statements, law student life, financial aid, and much more. When you are ready to apply, review the application overview and first-year JD application instructions.
