Your resume introduces you to prospective employers.  Its purpose is to get you an interview, not a job offer.  Keep in mind that a legal recruiter or hiring attorney may screen 100 or more resumes at a time, spending only 30-60 seconds on each.  To maximize your chances for an interview, your resume should clearly and concisely tell the reader that you are a prime candidate for the job and you are worth interviewing.

Students often make the mistake of listing every past job and activity on their resume.  The main objective, however, is to highlight only relevant education and experiential qualifications.  Point out your strong skills and attributes and then illustrate how they will be beneficial to a particular employer. 

The Resume Guide walks you through the legal resume writing process.  The samples are in  chronological format which is commonly used for traditional legal resumes.  However, if you are pursuing an alternative legal career (in which you use your legal training in a non-traditional legal job), then you may need to develop a functional resume.  Please meet with the Career Services personnel for guidance on drafting a functional resume.

The Basics

Format

There is no prescribed format for a resume since different people will be reading your resume and have varying preferences as to style and format.  Resume writing is an art—not a science.  However, general rules have developed over the years to help guide students in preparing legal resumes.  These guidelines are meant to give you direction while allowing your resume to reflect individuality.  Legal employers expect the categories of EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE to appear on your resume.  Include at least one additional category such as INTERESTS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, or SKILLS.

Your resume should be printed on 8 ½” x 11” medium weight bond paper in white, off white, light cream, or light ecru.  Avoid grays or darker shades as they do not copy or fax well.  You will want your resume to look clean when reproduced and distributed within a given employer’s office.  Rarely should you exceed one page.  The general rule is one page for every 10 years of work experience.  If you require two pages, include your name and the words “page 2” at the top of the second page and be sure to completely fill up both pages.

Choose a font that is easily readable within the 10 to 12 point range.  Acceptable font styles are Times New Roman, Book Antigua, Arial, Century Schoolbook, or Garamond.  Leave a one-inch margin on all sides.  The goal is to have a document that is clear and concise.  Be absolutely certain your resume is error-free.

The top of your resume should contain the information an employer would need to contact you. 

• Your name (in bold in a larger font size than the rest of the resume)
• Your address (list two addresses, a “school” address and a “permanent” address, if you are trying to get a job out of state)
• E-mail address (optional – it is preferable to have on your resume but only if you regularly check your email account).

Be brief and to the point.  Do not include unnecessary personal information (height, weight, marital status, etc.).  Organize your resume in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow.  Use lots of action verbs and phrases.  Be sure to note all the academic and work-related experiences that make you qualified for a given job.

Keep in mind that attorneys are notoriously conservative in their view of a proper “legal resume.”  Also be mindful that listed participation in a particular religious or political organization may affect an employer’s willingness to consider you. 

A Note on Ethics

Although it is sometimes tempting to exaggerate credentials, to do so is to risk disqualification. Always be ethical, honest, and practical.  Every piece of information you include on your resume is fair game for questioning in an interview.  An employer may also try to verify information on your resume through your references, law school faculty, law school staff, and/or former employers.  This does not mean that if you did not perform well with your last boss that you have to disclose it in your resume.  There are ways to highlight the positives without exaggerating or misleading.  For your own sake, avoid even the appearance of impropriety on your resume.

Preparation

Before you begin drafting your resume, you need to do a little preparation.  Your resume will be more effective if you know what type of position you are targeting and what you have to offer.

The best way to narrow down your career options is to talk to as many practitioners as possible across a range of practice areas and settings.  Talk to lawyers who work in small firms, medium-sized firms, and large firms.  Talk to lawyers who work for government agencies and state and federal judges.  Talk to lawyers who work in corporate legal departments and those who are sole practitioners. Talk to lawyers who have chosen alternative careers.

Self-assessment is the other part of your preparation.  We have numerous books in the CSO and offer counseling sessions and materials to help you analyze and discover the skills and attributes you have to offer.  Take some time to figure out what you have to offer an employer and what type of practice area and work environment will make you happiest.

Resume Content

Education

This section should be written in reverse chronological order and should contain the following information. 

• Names and locations of schools and programs
• Dates of graduation (for law school include “Juris Doctor expected, Month/Year” or “Candidate for Juris Doctor”)
• Degrees awarded and whether you graduated with honors
• Grade point average for undergraduate and graduate school programs if 3.0 or better         
• Law school class rank (e.g. 22/150 or Top 15%); (we don’t recommend including your law school GPA.)
• Coursework related to position sought (optional)
• Honors, awards, scholarships, activities
• Publications

Generally, you should only list institutions from which you received a degree except for study-abroad programs.  Do not list your high school unless it is necessary to establish a geographical identification or if it has a strong reputation in the community where you will be sending your resume.

Work Experience

This section is critical. Employers weigh a number of factors when screening resumes, but the two most important are your academic credentials and your work experience.  Make sure you show a record of success.

List your employment/experiences in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent.  Be sure to include (1) the employer’s name, city, and state; (2) your job title; (3) dates of employment; and (4) a brief description of the experiences you had and the skills you developed or demonstrated in that position.  For instance, be sure your resume reflects your ability to research, write, analyze, communicate, organize, work independently or as part of a team, and solve problems.  Give examples of traits you demonstrated on the job such as initiative, exceptional work ethic, ability to persuade, business acumen, well-developed people skills, leadership capabilities, and willingness to accept increased responsibilities.  When possible, quantify your successes. 

Do not forget to include promotions, company awards, and improvements you made.  Be sure to include jobs even if you performed them on a voluntary basis or over summer break.  As long as you were providing substantive work, volunteer positions may be appropriately listed under the work experience section of your resume.  In drafting this portion of your resume, keep these points in mind.

You should not:

• Describe every aspect of your job
• List every job you have ever had
• Use complete sentences
• Leave large time gaps
• Lie or exaggerate
• Try to be “cute”
• Be wordy

 You should:

• Be clear and concise
• Proofread carefully
• Vary your action verbs
• Be selective in summarizing work duties
• Focus only on the skills and accomplishments important to the prospective legal employer

It is important to capture the reader’s attention by using appropriate action words:

References and Writing Samples

References

While including a phrase such as "references furnished upon request" on your resume will not hurt you, it is a waste of precious space. We recommend eliminating this phrase and supplying references only when requested by a prospective employer, unless the employer knows one of your references or your list is extremely impressive.

Your references should be typed on a separate page that is the same type/color of paper as your resume.  Use the same heading as your resume including your name, address, and phone number.  Put the title “References for (your name)” at the top of the page. 

Use only three to four references and list them down the left side of the page in address label format.  Leave a few blank lines between each one.  For each reference, list the name, title, place employed, mailing address, phone number, and email address.

For example:
Timothy G. Swensen
Assistant Dean, Director of Career Services
University of Dayton School of Law
300 College Park
Dayton, OH  45469-2774
937/229-3215
timothy.swensen@notes.dayton.edu

If it is not readily apparent, include how the reference is connected to you.  For example, if the reference used to be your boss, but no longer works at the same employer, then put a parenthetical explanation next to or underneath the name such as “former supervisor at XYZ Company.”

References should be individuals who can speak knowledgeably about your academic or work abilities.  Using family, friends, or character references is not appropriate.  Be sure to ask permission to use the person’s name BEFORE you submit your reference list to an employer.  It is also a good idea to give a copy of your resume to your references and continually update them on your job search progress. 

Writing Sample

Your writing sample should be an impressive example of your legal writing ability.  It must be an example of legal writing—not something you wrote before law school.  Most employers prefer writing samples between 5-10 pages in length.  However, employers also understand that 1Ls typically have legal memoranda in excess of 10 pages to choose from their first year legal writing class assignments. Upperclassmen should, if possible, use a writing sample from a legal job or upper level course that falls within the preferred page limitation.

If a writing sample is too long, you are encouraged to either shorten it or take a 5-10 page excerpt from the sample.  If you use an excerpt, be sure to attach a cover sheet which provides the reader with a summary of the missing information.  For example, if you omitted the Facts Section at the beginning of a memorandum to decrease length, provide a few sentences in your cover sheet outlining the fact scenario.

Be sure to have your name clearly typed on the front of the document.  Be certain your writing sample is flawless.  Employers, especially judges, will look closely at writing samples as the majority of work performed by their law clerks involves legal writing.  You can print your writing sample on plain white printer paper. 

Sample Resumes

Several sample resumes are available. You are strongly cautioned against plagiarizing any portion of these samples. Remember that many UDSL students will send resumes to the same employers.

Sample Resume #1

Sample Resume #2

Sample Resume #3

Sample Resume #4