How to Write a Legal Resume

The power of an effective resume cannot be underestimated. It is your first opportunity to make a favorable impression on a prospective employer and, if it is well written, may lead to an interview.   Your resume is a guide to you as a potential employee. It is a brief account of your educational and professional experience, and serves as a personal advertisement by attracting attention, stimulating interest and generating action on the part of the employer.   A well-written resume will highlight any academic and work experience that is relevant to the employer and demonstrate your skills, achievements and interests.

Your resume also serves as a writing sample. It will reflect your ability to present information in an organized, concise and visually pleasing manner. As it serves to demonstrate your attention to detail, typographical errors are unacceptable. Always ask someone (preferably a career counselor) to review your resume before you print numerous copies or mail it to an employer.

Format

The standard format for a legal resume is to list your education and experience in reverse chronological order. Content, layout and information vary; the manner in which they are presented depends largely upon an individual's style and personal preference. However, consistency in style is always important.

If you are starting from scratch, you may wish to write down everything you can think of regarding your education, work experience, extracurricular activities and interests. From this data, draw up a rough draft. Then make an appointment with a career counselor for a resume review.

Here are some general rules for writing your resume:

•  Keep your resume simple, uncluttered and easy to read

•  Use adequate margins on all sides

•  Highlight important information so the reader does not have to hunt for it

•  Target the particular employer to whom you are sending your resume

•  Use a consistent writing style throughout your resume

•  Avoid using incomplete sentences

•  Do not use the word "I" or any other pronouns

•  Be brief, but not at the expense of accuracy and completeness

•  Be honest, do not embellish; an inaccurate representation of your background is both unethical and unacceptable

Appearance

Paper:     8.5 x 11 quality paper (such as Eaton's or Crane's)

               Conservative color: ivory, white, ecru

Print:      Word processed/laser printed

Length:    One page for most students and alumni (those with significant

               professional experience may require two pages)

Heading

Think of your heading as a letterhead; it sets the tone of the document. List your name, address, telephone number (including area code) and email address at the top of the page. If you wish to include your permanent address to convey a geographical tie to another area, you may do so.

Education

As a law student (day or evening), this section should appear first. List your schools in reverse chronological order starting with Suffolk . Start by listing the school name, city and state. Include the degree you will receive and the date it will be awarded:

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Boston, MA

Candidate for J.D., May 2006

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Boston, MA

Juris Doctor Candidate, Evening Division, May 2006

You should also include any graduate or undergraduate degrees received prior to law school using the same format. Remember to be consistent when listing your degrees (e.g. J.D./B.A., Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Arts). You may also include information on transfers between schools and participation in study abroad programs.

If you received your degree with honors, you should list summa, magna or cum laude in lower case italicized letters after your degree:

TUFTS UNIVERSITY, Medford, MA

B.A., magna cum laude, May 1997

High school education may be omitted; however, if you attended a private school or wish to establish a tie to a specific geographic area you may include this information.

MILTON ACADEMY, Milton, MA

Diploma received June 2000

Grades

Students with exceptional grades may wish to include this information on their resumes. The general rule with respect to undergraduate grades is to include a GPA that is a 3.0 or above; however, you may wish to discuss this with a career counselor.   With respect to law school, your class standing will often be more meaningful than your GPA.   The Career Development Office advises that only those students in the top third of their law school class include information on grades and/or class rank on their resumes.   Also, it is not permissible to round-up your grades or class rank.   For example, if your rank is 42/400, then you are in the top 11% and you may not round-up to the top 10%.   If your GPA is a 2.99, you may not round-up to 3.0.

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Boston, MA

J.D. Candidate, May 2004

Class Rank:        Top 20% (80/400)

Honors and Activities

Within your education section, you should include two subheadings, if applicable, under each school attended - "Honors" and "Activities." Under "Honors," list any awards received such as Phi Beta Kappa, Dean's List, or Best Brief in First Year Legal Practice Skills Class. You may wish to include a brief explanation of awards that are not self-explanatory.

Under "Activities," include participation in student organizations. You may also include involvement in sports (both varsity and intramural). If you were involved in numerous activities in college, you may wish to list only four or five on your resume. Too much information under this subheading can be distracting. Think about those activities in which you assumed a leadership role or are directly relevant to your career goals.

Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA

Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2004

Honors :               Best Brief in First Year Legal Practice Skills Class

                           Dean's List

Activities :            Member, Financial and Business Law Society (FABS)

                           Contributing Editor, Dicta (SULS student newspaper)

Experience

You should list your work experience in reverse chronological order. List your employer first and include the city and state. Following that information, list your title and dates of employment:

JONES, SMITH & PARK, Boston, MA

Paralegal, Summer 1998

Under each job listing, describe your position using action verbs to start each sentence. Paint a dynamic picture of yourself. Think about your chief responsibilities. What skills did you develop? What did you accomplish? What did you do that will be relevant to the employers you are targeting? Be as specific as possible. If you wish to classify your experience, create headings specific to your background (e.g. "Financial Services Experience" or "Health Care Experience") to emphasize your expertise.  

Skills

If you wish to list your facility with a language, you may do so under a "Skills" heading. Be sure to include your level of proficiency (e.g., fluent in Spanish). Computer skills may also fall under this heading. Don't forget to include Westlaw and LexisNexis.

Other Possible Headings

Using the same format, consider listing additional information under the following headings:

•  Publications - any citations should follow blue book format

•  Community Activities

•  Volunteer Service

•  Certification/Licensure

•  Professional Associations - include positions of leadership

•  Interests - you may include hobbies and/or travel; be specific and as

    descriptive as possible

•  Personal information such as age or marital status is not appropriate

A Final Note

You may wish to discuss with a career counselor any possible implications of listing affiliations with religious, political, and/or social organizations.

References

Employers will presume you can provide them with two to three names of former employers and/or law school professors who can attest to your legal ability, reliability and performance.   Generally, it is not necessary to list "References available upon request" on your resume, as this information is assumed.   Instead, you should create a separate document entitled "List of References". Include the following information for each reference: full name, title, employer, city, state and telephone number. It may also be helpful to list their relationship to you (e.g., supervisor).   Print this document on a quality bond paper that matches your resume. Be sure to contact those individuals you are listing to ask if they are comfortable being a reference for you and to let them know that you have listed them as a reference.

Action Verbs