Published September 10, 2025
With everything required for a law school application, such as LSAT scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation, it can be easy to overlook your resume. But this seemingly standard document can play a strategic role in shaping your story.
The resume is often overlooked in the law school application process, yet it carries more weight than many applicants realize. It’s one of the few places where you can present your academic and professional background on your own terms, showing how you’ve used your time and what you’ll bring to a law school community.
Unlike a job resume, which markets you for a specific role, a law school resume speaks to a different audience. It should highlight your intellectual engagement, your ability to lead or collaborate, and your readiness for the demands of legal study. It also helps fill in gaps that transcripts, test scores, and recommendations may not capture.
Just as important, your resume should work in tandem with your personal statement. Where the statement provides voice and context, the resume grounds your story in facts and experiences. Together, they give the admissions committee a fuller picture of who you are.
Below you’ll find sample resumes and templates designed to help you present your experiences clearly and professionally. Use them as a starting point, then adapt them to reflect your own strengths.
Click resumes to expand.
This resume from a UB Law admitted student brings together international education, professional work in med-legal consulting, and research on equity and inclusion, showing how diverse experiences can translate into a compelling law school application.
This template works well for applicants who want something pre-formatted and easily editable, making it easy to focus on content while ensuring the layout is clean, consistent, and professional.
Experience in residence life and student affairs, including supervising staff, resolving conflicts, and managing communities, shows how campus management experience can translate into skills valued in law school.
A strong template that combines honors, campus leadership, and service involvement to present a record of initiative and engagement.
A STEM background, with lab work, data analysis, and academic honors, shows that skills in research and critical thinking can be just as valuable in law as in science.
This template (Sample 2) emphasizes a balance of professional, academic, and extracurricular experiences. With sections for legal work, grassroots activism, and leadership roles, it provides a structure that showcases both practical skills and community involvement. Its clear formatting helps applicants highlight diverse commitments in a way that feels organized and ready for law school.
Pairing multiple degrees with legal internships and community involvement offers a clear example of how strong academics and practical experience can work together in a law school application.