Law School Resume: What to Include and How Long It Should Be
A law school resume should list your education, a full work history since high school (part-time and unpaid jobs included), and your activities, most recent first. Most schools accept one to two pages, but each school sets its own rules. Skip objectives and photos, and generally omit high school activities.
Most law schools ask for a resume along with your transcripts, your LSAT or other accepted admission test score, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Most ABA-approved schools take applications through LSAC, the Law School Admission Council, but follow each law school’s application submission instructions. It isn’t a job resume, and the rules for what goes on it are different.
How a Law School Resume Differs From a Job Resume
A job resume is cut to fit one position. A law school resume is broader: admissions committees at ABA-approved law schools want to see how you’ve spent your time since high school, not just the parts that relate to law. Boston University School of Law asks applicants to list all full-time and part-time employment, paid and unpaid, and to mark which is which.
That means the restaurant job and the 15 hours a week you worked during the semester belong on the page. Harvard Law School tells applicants to include all work experience, including jobs held during college. You also don’t need an objective or a summary of qualifications. Your goal is obvious from the application, and UC Berkeley School of Law lists both among the things to leave off.
Describe What You Did, Not Just Your Title
A job title tells the committee very little. Under each position, add one to three lines on what you did, with numbers where you have them. “Office assistant” says less than “Tracked supply orders for a 12-person office in Excel.” Georgetown University’s career center gives the same advice: explain what you did in the role instead of describing the position.
Spell out acronyms and say what an organization does. Berkeley tells applicants not to assume the committee knows what a campus group or a company is.
Make It Work With Your Personal Statement
Your resume and personal statement should read as one application. The resume covers your full record, and the personal statement goes deeper on one or two things. Berkeley says there’s no need to repeat resume experiences in your personal statement, so use the statement for what a resume can’t show. A gap in employment or a hard semester usually goes in a short addendum instead. Michigan Law’s 2026-27 application, for example, offers an optional addendum that mentions gaps in employment.
What to Include on a Law School Resume
Keep the section headings simple, and list entries in reverse chronological order, most recent first. Boston University requires that order. A complete work history is the safe default: some schools require it, and others encourage it, so check each school’s instructions. Most applicants need these sections:
- Education: each college, its city and state, your degree and major, and your graduation month and year (or “Expected May 2027”). Add honors, a thesis, or study abroad.
- Experience: employer, city and state, your title, month and year dates, and whether the job was full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid. Berkeley says it helps to include the hours and dates you worked.
- Activities and service: clubs, leadership roles, volunteer work and research, with your role and dates for each.
- Optional sections: publications, military service, graduate work and languages. The University of Texas School of Law asks applicants to include Armed Forces service, publications, and graduate work.
- Interests: a line or two. Harvard says it likes seeing a personal or interests section, though it isn’t required.
If you’ve already graduated, show what you’re doing now. Michigan Law asks applicants who aren’t in school to say what they’re doing, and that includes looking for a job.
What to Leave Out
Some things you’d put on a job resume, and some you’re used to listing on college applications, don’t help here.
| Item | Include It? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High school activities and awards | Generally no | Boston University and Berkeley ask you to leave them off. Include them only if a school asks, or they’re especially relevant |
| GPA and admission test score | Usually no | Schools get your academic records through your CAS report. Add them if a school asks |
| Objective or summary statement | No | Berkeley lists both among things to leave out |
| Photo | No | Berkeley and Harvard both say to leave it off |
| Part-time and service jobs | Yes | Boston University and Harvard ask for all work, paid or unpaid |
| Hours and dates | Yes | Berkeley says they help the committee read your record |
| Interests | Optional | Harvard welcomes a line or two |
Your GPA and test score are the clearest example. Law schools generally receive your undergraduate records through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), an LSAC service that collects your transcripts and sends a report to each school you apply to, and your LSAT or other accepted admission test score, if applicable, reaches them through that test’s own score reporting. Michigan Law’s application tells applicants it doesn’t need GPA in the education entries. Some schools may ask for GPA on the resume, though, so follow each school’s application instructions.
How Long Should a Law School Resume Be?
One to two pages works at most schools, but there’s no single rule. Each law school sets its own limit, and the published limits run from two pages to three, while several schools set none. Yale Law School says one page is enough for most applicants and that a longer resume makes sense mainly for people with extensive full-time work experience or publications.
| Law School | Resume Length (as of November 2026) | Limit or Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Law School | 1 to 2 pages | Page limit |
| Yale Law School | One page is enough for most applicants; longer for extensive work experience or publications | Guidance only |
| Georgetown Law | 1 to 2 pages recommended, no page limit | Guidance only |
| UC Berkeley School of Law | 2 pages usually adequate, no page limit | Guidance only |
| Boston University School of Law | No required length | No limit |
| Ohio State Moritz College of Law | Generally 1 to 3 pages | Guidance only |
| University of Texas School of Law | Up to 3 pages | Page limit |
| St. Mary’s University School of Law | Up to 2 pages | Page limit |
A page limit is a rule: a longer resume breaks the school’s instructions. Guidance tells you what the school expects but doesn’t cap you. If you’re applying to several schools, build your resume to the strictest limit on your list, or keep a shorter version for the schools that ask for one. Confirm the limit in each school’s application instructions before you upload, since instructions can change from one admission cycle to the next.
How to Format and Submit Your Resume
Keep the design plain. Berkeley asks for one font and one color, with text no smaller than 10 or 11 points (your name can be larger). Harvard suggests black text, notes that admissions offices read files on a screen, and asks you to keep your formatting consistent, down to how your bullets are indented.
Follow each law school’s application submission instructions. At most ABA-approved schools, you attach the resume to the school’s electronic application in your LSAC account. If you apply that way, open the Review Application PDF before you submit: LSAC says it shows an exact copy of what the school will receive, so you can catch a broken layout before a committee does.
Why Accuracy Matters After Admission
Your law school application, resume included, can follow you to the bar. When you apply for a law license, the jurisdiction’s bar examiners run a character and fitness review, a check of your honesty and conduct, under that jurisdiction’s own admission rules. What they request and what you must disclose varies by jurisdiction, and some ask for a copy of your law school application. Boston University warns applicants that false, misleading, or incomplete statements can lead to a rescinded offer, dismissal, or a revoked degree.
An article in The Bar Examiner, published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, advises applicants to review earlier documents, including law school applications, before they file a bar application. Get your dates and titles right the first time, and keep a copy of what you submit.
Common Mistakes on a Law School Resume
These are the mistakes admissions offices and pre-law advisors warn about most often:
- Skipping the proofread: a typo stands out on a one- or two-page document. Read it aloud, then have someone else read it.
- Overstating what you did: every line should be accurate and something you can explain in an interview. The University of Connecticut’s pre-law office warns that lying on a law school application can have serious consequences.
- Underselling yourself: a campus job you held for three years deserves a line about what you were responsible for, not just a title.
- Writing in jargon: use plain English, and spell out any acronym the committee might not know.
- Ignoring a school’s instructions: sending three pages to a school with a two-page limit is the easiest mistake to avoid.
Sample Law School Resume
This sample is for a college senior applying in fall 2026 to a J.D. program that starts in fall 2027. Use its structure, not its wording. If you’ve been working full time for several years, your Experience section will run longer, which is the case where Yale says a second page makes sense.
APPLICANT NAME
[email protected] | XXX-XXX-XXXX | City, ST
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY NAME, City, ST
B.A. in Criminal Justice, minor in Journalism, expected May 2027
Dean’s List, four semesters. Senior thesis on juvenile diversion programs in the state’s three largest counties.
EXPERIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, UNIVERSITY NAME, City, ST
Research Assistant, Sept. 2025 to present. Part-time, paid, 10 hours a week
- Code and check court data for a professor’s study of a program to reduce repeat offenses among 500 young people.
- Presented research findings at a regional criminal justice conference in April 2026.
LAW FIRM NAME, City, ST
Legal Intern, June 2025 to Aug. 2025. Full-time, unpaid
- Researched case law and wrote short summaries for two attorneys handling family law matters.
- Organized case files and logged correspondence for about 30 active matters.
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, UNIVERSITY NAME, City, ST
Teaching Assistant, Jan. 2025 to May 2025. Part-time, paid, 8 hours a week
- Graded assignments and held weekly office hours for 40 students in an introductory criminal justice course.
RESTAURANT NAME, City, ST
Server, May 2023 to May 2025. Part-time, paid, 15 to 20 hours a week during the school year
- Served a dining room of 18 tables on weekend shifts and trained four new servers.
ACTIVITIES AND SERVICE
ROTARY CLUB, City, ST
Service Committee Chair, Sept. 2024 to present. Volunteer, about 4 hours a week
- Organize monthly community service projects for 25 student volunteers.
SKILLS AND INTERESTS
Spanish (conversational). Distance running (two half marathons). Restoring old bicycles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put my LSAT score or GPA on my law school resume?
Usually no. Law schools generally receive your academic records through your CAS report from LSAC, and your LSAT or other accepted admission test score, if applicable, through that test’s score reporting. Michigan Law’s application says it doesn’t need your GPA in the education entries, but some schools may ask for it, so follow each school’s instructions.
How long should a law school resume be?
One to two pages at most schools. Harvard limits it to two pages and Texas to three, while Georgetown, Berkeley, and Boston University set no limit. Yale says one page is enough for most applicants.
Should I include high school activities on a law school resume?
Generally no. Boston University and UC Berkeley both ask applicants to leave out high school activities and awards. Omit them unless a school requests them or they’re especially relevant, and start with college.
Should I list part-time and non-legal jobs?
Yes, in most cases. Boston University asks for all full-time and part-time work, paid or unpaid, and Harvard asks for all work experience, including jobs you held during the semester. Not every school spells this out, so check each school’s instructions, but a complete work history is the safe default.
Can I use my job resume for law school applications?
As a starting point. Remove the objective, add back the jobs and activities you cut to fit one position, and check each school’s length limit before you upload it.
- Each school sets the rules: there’s no national standard, and published limits run from Harvard’s two pages to Texas’s three, with Yale saying one page is enough for most applicants.
- List all your work: some schools, including Boston University and Harvard, ask for part-time, service, and unpaid jobs, so a complete work history is the safe default.
- Skip what schools already have: your academic records generally reach each school through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service report, unless a school asks for GPA on the resume.
- Leave out the extras: skip objective statements and photos, and generally omit high school activities unless a school asks for them.
- Accuracy follows you: in many jurisdictions, bar examiners can compare your bar application with your law school application during the character and fitness review.
Your resume goes to the schools you choose, so the list matters as much as the document. J.D. programs differ in format, and in most states a J.D. from an ABA-approved law school is what qualifies you to sit for the bar, so compare programs on both points. Confirm eligibility with the bar admission office in the state where you plan to practice before you apply.
