Law Student Resumes Made Easy [+ Examples, Templates, Formats]

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Shape an impactful law student resume that not only captures the hiring manager's attention but also leaves a lasting positive impression, setting you apart from the competition. In a competitive field, capturing the employer's attention is crucial for securing the job. Emphasize your abilities in the law school graduate resume, placing an eye-catching resume summary at the top. Use 2-3 sentences to showcase your standout skills, achievements, or experiences that set you apart from other candidates.

How to Write an Outstanding Law School Student Resume?

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Created by CakeResume

Tip 1: Use an ATS-friendly law school resume format

Simplify your law graduate resume by using bullet points with keywords for past experiences. Keep it easy to read; too many fancy details can make it confusing.

Tip 2: Search for online law student resume examples

Before jumping into writing a resume, try to search for law student resume examples online. Look for the pros and cons of those samples and be sure to keep them in mind. When finishing up, check once again from the law student resume template and see whether you’ve missed anything.

Tip 3: Customize your resume for each job description

Different jobs require different abilities. When drafting your resume, take note of the job description. Remember to tailor the law school graduate resume so your skills and experiences match the requirements. 

Tip 4: Make the results quantified

Presenting data on your law student resume is important. With statistics or numbers, your potential employer would easily understand how much you’ve devoted to this field and would have a better understanding of your skills. 

Tip 5: Be concise on your related interests

Adding relevant experiences can demonstrate your passion as being a law student, but remember the information has to be brief and professional. Try not to fit in too many irrelevant details on your law school student resume.

How to Write a Professional Resume Summary for Law Students?

How to write a good law student resume summary

  • Keep it short: Use only 30-50 words. Keep in mind that the summary for your law student resume is just a brief overview. Put in the crucial information but leave out the unnecessary experiences or skills. 
  • Highlight your expertise: Remember to show your strength on your law student resume summary. Write down things relevant to the job that could help you catch the employer’s attention. 
  • Begin with the perfect adjective: Find the best word to describe yourself. Keep note to use professional words. Try not to use words such as ‘best’, ‘great’, but use words such as ‘fascinated’, ‘outstanding’ in summary for law student resumes.

Examples of professional resume summary for a law student

  • Self-organized, motivated law school student who has exceptional analytical skills recently completing a full-time internship at ABC consulting group. 
  • Energetic law school graduate who is devoted to DEF medical ethics volunteering group. Gained extensive experience in ethics law litigations.
  • Passionate law school fresh graduate currently interning at XYZ law firm. Dedicated to criminal law and had assisted senior counsel with arbitrations upon 10+ disputes.

What are Some Great Skills to Put on a Law Student Resume?

Elevating the importance of the skills section in a law student resume format is crucial. As a law graduate competing against candidates from diverse backgrounds, it's essential to showcase skills that demonstrate your potential. Opting for a skills-based resume, also known as a functional resume, allows you to highlight your law student skills as a strength. Emphasizing these skills on your law school student resume becomes the key to outshining competitors and securing your position in the competitive job market.

4 ways to list skills on a law student resume:

1. Simple bullet list

👍 Pros: 

  • Simple, straightforward, and eye-catchy

❌ Cons:

  • Unclear and undetail

2. Expanded bullet list

👍 Pros: 

  • Credible
  • Show more value you’re likely to bring
  • Viable choice for fresher

❌ Cons:

  • Sophisticated
  • Could only fit 5 points max

3. Integrated with work experience

👍 Pros: 

  • Could be listed in chronological order
  • Suitable if gained extensive experiences & skills

❌ Cons:

  • Requires many experiences
  • Not preferable for freshers

4. Categorized skills section

👍 Pros: 

  • Organized
  • Suitable if applying for jobs with a broad skillset

❌ Cons:

  • Requires many experiences
  • Not preferable for freshers

Keys to choosing the right skills to put on a law student resume

Once you've decided on how to present your professional skills, selecting the right skills to include in your law student resume becomes crucial. The skills you choose can significantly impact the outcome of your job application and bring you closer to your dream career. However, make sure to take note and verify these essential elements:

1. Understand the job description

As previously noted, consistently verify if the skills you incorporate align with the job description, particularly when the hiring manager outlines specific requirements. Ensure to include skills in your law school student resume that would capture their attention effectively.

2. List the related skills only

Avoid including irrelevant skills in your law graduate resume, as they can project an unprofessional image to potential employers. Opt for skills that directly align with the job requirements to present a polished and targeted application.

3. Write concisely

While clear writing skills are advantageous, an overly sophisticated skillset might create confusion for the hiring manager. To truly stand out, ensure that your skills are presented in a clear and easily understandable manner on your law student resume.

4. List both hard skills and soft skills

While hard skills showcase your accumulated abilities, don't overlook the significance of soft skills in your law school graduate resume. These not only provide insights into your personality traits but also offer your potential employer a holistic understanding of your capabilities. Ensure to incorporate both hard and soft skills to present a comprehensive and well-rounded profile. Let's take a look at the examples below.

Hard skills: 

  • Civil law
  • Federal income tax
  • Arbitration
  • Real estate
  • Wills & trusts

Soft skills:

  • Self-disciplined
  • Motivated
  • Negotiator
  • Well-organized
  • Time management

How to Write a Law Student Resume with No Legal Experience?

As aforementioned, the perfect resume format for law graduates would make you stand out. With no legal experience, you could still pursue your dream job or internship with the best resume and cover letter for law internships. If you’re writing a law school graduate resume, here’s some advice gathered for you:

Advice 1: Pick the correct format

Before you begin with your law student resume, make sure you know what a resume is. Here are two points you shouldn’t neglect:

  • Resume vs. CV: The distinction between a resume and a CV is mostly about the length and whether it’s detailed. Remember to be certain about the difference between a law student resume and a law student CV. If you’re still confused, refer to The Key Differences between Resume and CV.
  • There are 3 different law student resume formats (see more in the end). 

Advice 2: Adopt a career objective

Crafting a strong career objective articulates the vision of your aspirations, making it a crucial element in a law graduate resume. This holds true not only for a comprehensive career resume but also for a targeted resume tailored for law internships. Clearly communicating your professional goals to your prospective employer is essential in showcasing your focused intent and purpose.

Advice 3: Highlight your education section

In crafting resumes for law school freshers, your academic background holds paramount importance for potential employers. Ensure to provide comprehensive details in your educational experiences, emphasizing relevant coursework, achievements, and any noteworthy academic accomplishments to strengthen your candidacy.

Advice 4: Include additional information

Include any pertinent work experience and relevant certificates in your law student resume, showcasing your qualifications effectively. Additionally, don't hesitate to highlight volunteering experience or completed projects, especially when crafting a law student resume for internships. This not only enhances your credentials but also demonstrates a well-rounded skill set and commitment to your field.

Advice 5: Write a sincere cover letter

Ensure you include a law student cover letter before submitting your resume. A thoughtfully crafted cover letter not only complements your application but also leaves a strong and positive first impression on potential employers.

There are 3 different law student resume formats

1. Chronological (Reverse-Chronological):

Opting for a chronological resume format in your law student resume involves presenting your experiences in reverse chronological order. This approach enables your hiring manager to quickly grasp your professional journey by first reviewing your most recent experiences. This not only streamlines the information flow but also allows the reader to gain a swift and comprehensive understanding of your background.


2. Functional (Skill-based):

Opt for a functional resume format when crafting your law school student resume, focusing on categorizing your skills rather than integrating them into past experiences. This approach highlights your strengths with clarity and purpose, allowing your qualifications to shine more prominently.


3. Combination (Hybrid):

To emphasize both your experiences and skills, consider adopting a combination resume format for your law school graduate resume. This format showcases your work experience in reverse-chronological order while incorporating a dedicated section for a skill summary. Although slightly less concise, it effectively spotlights your expertise alongside your background, offering a comprehensive view of your qualifications.

With CakeResume, we provide you with the best free resume builder, hundreds of free resume templates, and great resume examples that help showcase the best you. Landing your dream job will be a piece of cake!

Which Law Student Resume Template is the Most Successful One?

Considering whether to employ a resume template for law students often sparks uncertainty. Examining the advantages and disadvantages can provide valuable insights into the appropriateness of this choice:

Pros

  • Look more organized: by using a law student resume template, you could easily understand which section to put your information in.
  • Save your time: could spend less time especially if you’re writing a law student resume for the first time.
  • Make a good first impression: a good law school student resume would give your hiring manager a great impression.

Cons

  • May look generic: since you found a resume template for law students online, there’s a possibility that other applicants had used the same format.
  • Can’t be customized: if you apply a template as your law school student resume, there’s less space left for customization.

To write an ideal resume for law school freshers, consider exploring recommended resume templates through the followings

  • Standard resume format: when using this format as your law student resume template, use no more than 2 colors. This type of template suits when you’re applying for a rather rigorous company.
  • Formal resume format: a formal resume format has to be in reverse-chronological order. Use only fonts like Helvetica or Times New Roman with only one column for the whole resume.

If you’re looking for the best website to construct your resume for law school students, here are some suggested websites you may consider:

  • CakeResume : you can seek jobs on this website as well as crafting a resume with templates provided by CakeResume for free!
  • Canva: it provides hundreds of templates for you, so you could find the best template. But keep note that some of the tools are not for free.
  • Google/Word Docs: write one on your own! Try to make your own resume template for law students

Law Graduate Resume Sample

Julie Kim

Conducted research on briefs, both recorded and drafted opinions for judges, and assisted senior lawyers with criminal cases.

Mobile: (+1)000-1234
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliekim
Medium: medium.com/@juliek

Professional Summary:

A law school graduate with a passion for criminal law and has decision-making skills. Looking forward to applying knowledge of law codes and court proceedings to an attorney position.

Work Experience:

Legal Intern
ZYX

09/2020 to present

  • Worked with several clients and assisted senior lawyers in collecting evidence
  • Collaborated with other colleagues and classified files for ongoing cases

Summer Intern
ABC
07/2020 to 08/2020

  • Wrote depositions and done researches on 50+ cases
  • Assisted with maintaining files of cases with spreadsheets

Education:

2017-2021, BSBA in Jurisprudence
University of Oxford

GPA: 3.74/4.3

Skills:

Hard Skills: criminal law, constitutional law, felony procedure, typical procedure, criminal defense

Soft Skills: ethical, analytical skills, teamwork, verbal communication

--- Originally written by Eliana Tschnag ---

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