The Law Student Resume
Legal employers expect a specific, conservative format: one page, reverse chronological, clean serif type, and bullets that focus on what you accomplished. This guide shows you that structure and gives you a template you can download and fill in. The example below uses placeholders only, so just drop in your own details.
Anatomy of the page
The parts of the page
Name & contact header
Your name larger and bold at the top, centered. One line beneath: city/state, a professional email, and phone. No address, photo, or objective statement.
Education comes first
Law school leads (you’re a law student). List the J.D. and expected graduation, then GPA or class rank only if it helps you, honors, and activities. Undergraduate follows below it.
Experience, most recent first
Most recent first. Each entry: employer and location on one line, title and dates italicized beneath, then 2–4 bullets. Legal and non-legal work both count.
Accomplishment bullets
Start every bullet with a strong action verb, and quantify the result whenever you can. Focus on the impact of your work, not only your duties, and keep your verb tense consistent.
Leadership & activities
Optional, but useful for journals, moot court, clinics, and student organizations, especially leadership roles.
Interests
A short, human final line. Two to five specific interests make you memorable and give interviewers an easy opener.
What firms expect
Formatting rules firms expect
Keep it to one page
For students and junior attorneys, a second page signals that you do not know the norm. Cut content rather than shrinking the font below about 10.5pt.
Conservative serif font
Times New Roman, Garamond, or Century at 10.5–12pt. Margins 0.5–1″. Black text only.
Reverse chronological
Within every section, most recent first. Dates right-aligned and consistent in format.
Lead with a verb
Start each bullet with an action verb and put a number on it when you can. “Drafted 12 memos” says more than “responsible for memos.”
No pronouns or objective
Leave out “I” and “my,” objective statements, photos, and graphics. The content should speak for itself.
Send as PDF
Export to PDF before sending so formatting can’t shift. Name the file FirstLast_Resume.pdf.
Consistent everything
Same bullet style, date format, spacing, and verb tense throughout. Alignment must be pixel-clean.
Honors with care
Include GPA/class rank only if it strengthens you; otherwise leave it off. Spell out journal and award names.
Proofread twice
A single typo can end your candidacy in a detail-obsessed profession. Read it aloud; have someone else check.
Strong bullet verbs
Open each bullet with one of these instead of “responsible for” or “helped with.”
Do
- Keep it to one page with clean, consistent alignment.
- Tailor bullets toward the work the employer does.
- Quantify impact whenever you honestly can.
- Put law school first and lead with your strongest material.
- Export to PDF and name the file professionally.
Avoid
- Photos, logos, colors, columns, or fancy graphics.
- An objective statement or the word “I.”
- Listing duties with no result or scope.
- Inconsistent dates, fonts, or bullet styles.
- Stretching to two pages or shrinking type to fit.
© 2026 Surviving Law School · This is formatting guidance. Follow your career services office’s specific requirements.