Law Student Resume Examples & Templates
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A law student resume can help you land an internship, start your legal career, or apply for a scholarship. You must include the right information to showcase your skills, educational background, and professional experience.
This guide will help you build an efficient law student resume to make your qualifications stand out in the applicant pool.
Start with this law student resume template, or explore the rest of our layouts on our resume templates page for more student resume templates.
Law Student Resume Example (Text Version)
Thomas Alvarez
Atlanta, GA 12345
(555)555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Aspiring law student with a BA in International Affairs and an MA in Political Science, seeking to leverage strong research and advocacy skills in law school. Passionate about social justice and international human rights, with hands-on experience in policy analysis and stakeholder engagement. Eager to contribute to a collaborative learning environment and make a meaningful impact in the legal field.
Education
May 2024
University of Georgia Athens
Master of Arts Political Science
May 2019
University of Georgia Athens, GA
Bachelor of Arts International Relations And Affairs
Skills
- Research and Analysis
- Policy Writing
- Communication
- Project Management
- Cross-Cultural Competence
- Data Analysis
- Public Speaking
- Networking
- Digital Outreach
- Critical Thinking
- Team Collaboration
- Time Management
Work History
September 2021 – May 2022
Center for International Relations – Washington, DC
Research Assistant
- Conducted comprehensive analyses of 15+ international policy reports, contributing to a 25% increase in the center’s publication outreach and visibility.
- Collaborated with a team of 5 researchers to develop a policy brief that influenced local government decisions on immigration reform, directly impacting over 1,000 constituents.
- Organized and facilitated four major international symposiums, enhancing participant engagement by 30% through innovative digital outreach strategies.
September 2019 – May 2020
United Nations Association – New York, NY
Intern
- Assisted in the preparation of a global advocacy campaign that reached over 50,000 individuals, raising awareness on climate change policy and generating a 15% increase in membership.
- Conducted qualitative interviews with 20+ stakeholders, providing insights that shaped the association’s strategic planning for international collaboration initiatives.
- Developed a comprehensive database of over 200 international NGOs, improving the organization’s resource accessibility and communication efficacy by 40%.
Certifications
- Advanced Research Methods – John Hopkins, 2022
- Public Speaking and Advocacy – Toastmasters International, 2021
Volunteer
- Volunteer, Happy Tails 2018 – Present – Participated in community outreach programs and advocacy campaigns.
Languages
- Spanish
- French
Sections of a Law Student Resume
Resume Objective
Law student resumes don’t typically include a resume objective. However, if your application instructions require including a resume objective, follow this formula:
[Who you are] [School Year][Statement of intent] [Top qualifications]
For example:
Detail-oriented 2L law student with a firm foundation in legal research and analysis seeking a summer internship at Vogel & Partners. Eager to apply classroom knowledge and gain hands-on experience in corporate law while contributing to the firm’s success through excellent writing and interpersonal skills.
Education
The education section is the cornerstone of your law student resume and if you’re not including the objective, it is the first section the reader will see. Write a robust section by including as much information as possible, such as:
- GPA
- Class rank
- Activities
You can also include more information to help you stand out from other law students.
- Moot court or mock court
- Courses relevant to your specialized practice interest
- Scholarships and fellowships
- Student organizations
- Thesis
- Leadership roles
- Study abroad
Work History
Strive to present your work history effectively. If you do not have professional experience, it is okay to include part-time jobs, internships, or even volunteer experiences.
The key is to focus on the responsibilities you had that are relevant to the application. Use action verbs and quantify your achievements by including numbers. For example:
Managed customer inquiries and complaints, resulting in a 15% increase in customer satisfaction ratings.
Additional Optional Sections
The legal industry is competitive. Use everything that’ll help you stand out, as long as it’s relevant to the application. Below you can find examples of commonly used additional sections for your law student resume. You can use these or others to keep your reader engaged and interested.
- Certifications:
- International Association of Privacy Professionals’s CIPP/US Certification
- Association of E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS)’s eDiscovery Advanced Certificate
- An accounting certification for non-financial professionals
- Languages: Include your proficiency level and any certification.
- Conferences: Add if you were in attendance, part of a special project, like a student round table or were a presenter.
- Volunteer experiences: Include your role and the dates you volunteered. If the experience is a good addition to your experience, add it as a work experience.
- Awards and recognition: Include the issuing organization and year.
- Interests: If you’re building this resume to apply for law school, including details like personal interests or hobbies helps distinguish your application. Harvard Law School, for example, suggests including a sentence or two about your personal interests to close your resume. But, if you’re writing this law student resume for an internship program, avoid this section unless specifically asked to include a personal interest.
- Certifications:
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action Verbs for Your Resume
Action verbs empower your law student resume. These words not only take less precious space but pack a punch describing your achievements, keeping the reader interested and impressed.
List of action verbs students might use on their resume:
- Achieve
- Administer
- Advise
- Analyze
- Assess
- Assist
- Collect
- Conduct
- Coordinate
- Develop
- Document
- Draft
- Establish
- Investigate
- Manage
- Negotiate
- Participate
- Present
- Provide
- Represent
- Research
- Review
- Revise
- Support
Best Skills for Your Resume
Create a balanced section to showcase your hard skills and soft skills. Using your resume for a job can help you stand out in the applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Hard Skills
- Legal research
- Law
- e-Discovery
- Case management
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
- Accounting knowledge
Soft Skills
- Time management
- Conflict resolution
- Collaboration
- Critical thinking
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Negotiation
- Conflict resolution
- Relationship building
- Legal ethics
- Cultural competence
Certifications for Your Resume
Start showing your expertise through certifications. You can include any certification relevant to your professional interests, plus others relevant to law students, such as:
- International Association of Privacy Professionals’s CIPP/US Certification
- Association of E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS)’s eDiscovery Advanced Certificate
- An accounting certification for non-financial professionals
- LexisNexis’ Legal Research Certification for Law Students
- Notary Public Certification
- Legal Writing and Communication Certificate
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
FAQ
How to Add a Judicial Internship to a Law Student Resume?
Before including a judicial internship in your law student resume, you must decide where it belongs. You can place it under your internships or as a work experience. You can choose internships to draw attention to a particular program or show the amount of internships you’ve completed. If you want the focus to be on your professional experience, add it under your work history.
The format will be the same whether you include it under internships or work experience. For example:
Judicial Intern
Hon. Jane Grant, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
June 2023 – August 2023
- Conducted legal research and drafted over 15 bench memoranda on civil and criminal matters.
- Observed more than 20 court proceedings, including hearings, trials, and settlement conferences.
- Assisted in the preparation of 10 judicial opinions and orders.
What Sections Should be Included in a Law Student Resume?
A law student resume must include:
- A professional resume header with your contact information
- A comprehensive education section, including your GPA and class rank if you’re already in law school. Also include relevant coursework, projects, scholarships, honors, memberships and leadership roles.
- An experience section,
- Skills section with a thorough list of hard skills and soft skills
- Additional sections — relevant to the application— to help you stand out. For example:
- Hobbies
- Athletic achievements
- Certifications and licenses
- Conferences
- Memberships
How Can Student Resume Examples be Helpful in Creating My Own Resume?
Law student resume examples serve as valuable references to understand the structure, formatting, and content that should be in a resume. By reviewing different examples, you can gain insights into different ways to present your qualifications and how others with similar experiences have tailored their resumes.
Should I Include My Part-time Job Experience in My Student Resume?
Absolutely! Including part-time job experience in your student resume shows your work ethic, time management skills, and ability to balance academics with employment responsibilities. It also showcases your transferable skills that can be valuable in future professional roles.
How Can I Highlight My Academic Achievements in My Student Resume?
Include sections such as GPA (if it is strong), relevant coursework, research projects, honors, scholarships, or any academic awards you have received. Remember to provide specific details and quantify your accomplishments.
Are There Any Specific Tips for Formatting a Student Resume?
When formatting your student resume, keep it clean, organized and easy to read. Use a professional font, consistent formatting and bullet points to make it visually appealing. A resume builder can adjust your content to fit a one-page resume or, if you have extensive experience, a two-page resume.
What Skills Should I Include in My Law Resume?
Skills should reflect what you’ve learned before law school through education or experience as well as what you’ve learned during your 1L, 2L and 3L. Each year, update your resume skills to reflect what you’ve learned.
- Leadership skills
- Communications skills
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills
- Research and discovery
- Writing skills like drafting legal documentation
- Technical skills, like coding, programming languages and databases like LexisNexis
- Cultural competence
- Languages with your level of proficiency
Best Practices
- Highlight academic achievements and extracurriculars: Use your resume to showcase academic successes such as a high GPA, honors, or relevant coursework. Also, include any extracurricular activities, clubs, or sports you’ve participated in, as these can show soft skills like teamwork and leadership.
- Tailor the resume for each application: Customize your resume for each job or internship application by focusing on the most relevant experiences and skills. Include keywords from the application description to showcase you as a prepared candidate.
- Use a clean, professional format: Opt for a straightforward, easy-to-read font and layout. Use bullet points for better readability and employ action verbs to make your experiences sound more impactful. Consistency in formatting, bullet points, and headers is crucial for a polished look.
- Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach: Tailor each resume to the job you are applying for by incorporating keywords from the job description. A lack of customization could imply a lack of genuine interest or effort and reduce your chances of landing the job or internship.
- Overload with irrelevant information: Keep the focus on quality over quantity. Only include experiences, skills, and achievements directly or tangentially relevant to the job you’re applying for. You can always delve further into your experiences in your cover letter.
- Forget to proofread: Typos and grammatical errors can instantly turn off hiring managers. Proofread multiple times, and consider having a trusted person, like a friend, family member, or career counselor, review it for additional perspective. Our resume builder has a built-in spelling and grammar checker to catch any errors that you may have missed.
Top Tips for Law Student Resumes
Start with a Strong Objective or Summary
Begin your law student resume with a succinct objective statement that outlines your career goals and why you’re a good fit for the job or internship. Tailor your summary to the specific role you’re applying for.
Highlight Relevant Coursework and Projects
Emphasize the relevant courses and projects. This can show employers that you have some foundational knowledge and hands-on experience in the field.
Use Action Verbs and Quantifiable Achievements
Action verbs add dynamism and make your contributions stand out. Include quantifiable achievements to give a sense of the impact you’ve made. For example, “Led a 5-person team on a project that increased fundraising revenue by 20%.“
Include a Skills Section
Create a separate section to list hard and soft skills. This will help employers see your skill set at a glance and help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems that scan for specific keywords.
Proofread and Get Feedback
Thoroughly proofread for any grammatical errors or inconsistencies. Don’t rely only on online grammar checkers, seek feedback from mentors, career counselors, or friends who can offer constructive criticism.
Use a Chronological Format
The prospective school wants to see the road that led to applying or the path you’ve carved as a 1L,2L or 3L student. A chronological resume format shows how your career has grown. Remember, a resume will not give them the full picture but enough information to keep you running toward your goal, whether that’s getting into the school or being accepted into your dream internship program.
Complement with a Cover Letter
A cover letter serves as your introduction. It presents a more human side and allows you to expand on your soft skills and how you’ve accomplished your achievements. Remember to include what interests you in the school or job. Skip this step if the application specifically says so.
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Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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