5 Law School Resume Examples That Got the Job in 2022

Why this resume works

• Notice that this law school resume focus on quantifiable metrics.  When it comes to your resume, numbers speak louder than words.  When applying for an attorney role, the hiring manager will look for your impact in previous roles.  
  • This sample law school resume includes metrics like "reduced time on research" and "reduced late payments from clients".  Think about the metrics you can add to your resume. These can be very rough estimates, just be sure to be able to defend your estimates.
• To become a lawyer, you've gone through school, so you're earning or have earned your diploma. Include all of your degrees (including your anticipated or actual law school graduation date) in a dedicated "Education" section on your resume.
• Use action verbs when describing your work experience on your law school resume.  Action verbs such as "managed", "directed", and "supervised" show confidence.

Why this resume works

• You want to structure your law school student resume in reverse chronological format.  Put your most recent experience at the top of your resume, and your oldest experience should go at the bottom.
• The goal of writing your law school student resume career objective is to set the table, so to speak, for your resume.  A hiring manager spends, on average, six seconds reviewing a resume, so the objective is your chance to highlight why you're a great fit for the role and why you deserve an interview.
  • Inject your personality.  A boring resume objective won't get you far.
  • Customize your objective using the same keywords found in the job description.  This will put you in the top 5% of applicants.
• Whether you're looking for an internship or your first full-time job in law, use our resume-checker to measure the quality of your law school student resume.
  • Determine that your objective is clear, that your voice is strong, that you have enough work-experience bullets, that there are enough words (algorithms matter!), and more.  

Why this resume works

• When writing your post law school resume, don't list too many skills in your skills section.  Your skills represent what you're competent in, what you can bring with you to your next attorney role.  It's a red flag to the hiring manager if they see a resume where an applicant lists 15+ skills.  They might be exaggerating and a hiring manager would rather hire someone who is a master of a few skills than a beginner at many.
  • Limit your skills to what you would be comfortable fielding interview questions about.
  • So, if you don't have experience with "depositions" for example, omit it from your resume!
  • Be sure to demonstrate your skills in action. This post law school resume lists "organized" in the skills section then demonstrates that with the bullet point "Managed team that conducted intake and consultations. Processed through 20 new clients from intake through contract.".
• This post law school resume demonstrates career progression, and it specifically focuses on metrics like reduced client wait time, increase in clients, number of files in caseload.
  • What metrics can you come up with from your work experience when your work directly affected a measurable outcome?

Why this resume works

• Your law student resume should include a career objective.
  • Focus on your academic achievements and be sure to customize your resume objective for each role you apply to.
  • If you're a student your strength is likely your academic background so mention any notable academic achievements like a high GPA or Dean's List.
  • Your strengths as a student can reflect tenacity and drive by using adjectives such as "hard-working", "driven", and "ambitious". Better yet, include skills or keywords specifically mentioned in the job description for the legal role you're applying to.
• This is not the time to be shy or bashful. You may be uncomfortable speaking strongly about yourself, but hiring managers are looking for law students who are composed and confident. Think about it: if you're not confident how are your clients supposed to feel comfortable with you as their representation.
• If you've started any clubs or have specific legal writing you're proud of, you can include them in a dedicated "Projects" section on your law student resume. In this section, focus on what you specifically contributed on the project.

Why this resume works

• Hiring teams don’t spend long looking through resumes. You have seconds to impress them to read your law student recruiting manager resume further.
  • Numbers naturally break up the text and draw in hiring managers' eyes. This will ultimately slow them down and get them to spend more time reviewing your resume.
• Furthermore, metrics are a great way to demonstrate your job performance. While words just tell hiring managers about your job history, numbers show your job performance.