Part of your law school application will be your resume. Law schools want to admit well-rounded individuals. As important as your LSAT score and GPA are, showing that you have other interests, experiences, and leadership skills matters. 

Don’t worry if you have no direct experience in the legal profession. It is very rare for an undergraduate to have any legal experience at all. 

What you should have is experience volunteering, interning, or being a member of an organization that you are passionate about. If you have any paid work experience, be sure to include that. If you have been a server, or worked in retail, or cleaned houses, this is hard work!  Law school admissions staff recognize that. Do not sell your experience short. 

Resume writing is shockingly HARD. Providing detailed descriptions of your experience will take multiple drafts.

Resume Checklist: 

NO TYPOS.

It has to be perfect.  Have at least two people look over your resume before you submit it. Take advantage of the pre-law advisor and Career Center on your campus.

ONE PAGE.

SERIOUSLY!!  You get one page. Stop thinking you are the exception. I am not kidding. You get one page. If you are lucky enough to have content that fills more than one page, pick material that you think is the most relevant to get it down to one page.

OVERALL FORMAT IS EASY TO READ WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WHITE SPACE.

Do not make your margins too extreme. Make sure there are blank lines between sections for ease of reading. Use font that is at least 11 point (easy to read).  Use bullet points to help with design and ease of reading. 

LOOKS GOOD ON A SCREEN.  

You will be submitting your resume online, so it needs to look good on a screen, as well as on paper.  You can use color, but do not go nuts.

CONTACT INFORMATION AT THE TOP MUST BE EYE-CATCHING AND PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING.

This top section must have your name, phone, and email address. You may include your mailing address, your LinkedIn URL, or other relevant website. DO NOT include a headshot.

GRAMMAR IS CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT.

If you want periods at the end of all your bullet points, make sure have you have periods at the end of all your bullet points.  If you do not want periods, make sure there are none. 

Make sure all the verbs are past tense and parallel for the jobs, activities, or experiences that are in the past. 

USE ACTION VERBS AND PHRASES ADMISSIONS STAFF WANT TO SEE.

Here is a list of words that you should try to use in the descriptions of your experience: teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, research skills, collaboration, curiosity, empathy, emotional intelligence, effective communication, listening, flexibility, adaptability, and generosity.