Law School Application Resume Guide (2025-2026)

💡 This guide is based around one simple idea: there is too much advice online for anyone to read, and much of it is low-quality. To save you time and irritation, we’ve sifted through what’s out there to extract clear takeaways and a short-list of recommend resources.

When you search “law school admissions resume” online, there is a ton of content. You’ll find YouTube tutorials, Reddit discussion threads, blogs from admissions consultants and test prep companies, and much, much more.

Most of this content is scattered, low-quality, and overwhelming to sift through. Much of the “how to” content is designed to drive web traffic rather than actually help applicants, e.g., clickbait to grow a YouTube following or blog posts to ensure an LSAT prep company shows up on the first page of Google. It’s often written with no first-hand experience of the admissions process, and it doesn’t go into the tactical, nitty-gritty detail you need to build a high-quality resume. It also distracts from the excellent content that does exist.

We’ve reviewed 100+ different online resources and identified our Top 5 resume resources for law school applicants. We look for resources with (a) advice from current and former law school admissions officers with first-hand experience reviewing applications, and (b) personal stories and examples from successful applicants. We strongly prioritize tactical detail over generic advice.

Our recommended resources address the many details you need to figure out, and they do it efficiently. Should you include volunteering on your resume? What about being a full-time mom? Does it matter how you format dates? Can your resume really exceed 1-page? Is an Interests section a good idea? The best resources discuss all these questions based on first-hand admissions experience.

We’ve written up the important takeaways from these resources – and the rest of our online research – below, so you can use this guide as a comprehensive reference. The guide includes best practices for law school application resumes, sample resumes, and resume guidance from each of the T14 Law Schools (including page limits!)

When you purchase this guide, we'll provide you a link to a private Notion document that includes...

Table of Contents:

• 💭 Purpose of the Resume
• 📚 Advice from Admissions Officers
  • 🏅 Top 5 Recommended Resources
  • 5️⃣ Principles of Great Resumes
  • 📄 Format Guidelines
  • ✍️ Resume Sections
    • Education
    • Experience
    • Interests & Skills
    • Publications
  • 🚨 Common Mistakes
• 🔗 Sample Resumes
• 💼 Resume Guidance from T14 Schools
• 🙋‍♀️ FAQ
  • Covers: page-limits, font, multiple colors, photos, dashes, date format, ordering your experiences, verb tenses, volunteer and unpaid work, part-time work, retail jobs, care-giving, publications, political opinions, honors, Greek Life, high school jobs, summary sections, resume padding, whether to include an interest section, what skills make sense to include, and more.

Wondering if something is included in the guide? Email us at support@usegems.com.