Resume example · Law Student (Legal Resume)

Law Student (Legal Resume) resume example.

Law firms and judicial chambers read student resumes top-down, and the education block carries the most weight: school, expected JD date, GPA, class rank, journal, and moot court. A strong law school resume keeps to one page, leads with academics, and translates internships into legal research, writing, and litigation-support tasks recruiters recognize. This example shows the education-forward format a 2L summer associate or judicial externship applicant uses.

// example resume

A worked example for a fictional candidate. Copy the structure, not the details. Swap in your own real experience.

Bram-Visser-Law-Student-Legal-Resume.pdfBuilt with Resimay →
Bram Visser
JD Candidate, Class of 2027 | Associate Editor, Michigan Journal of Law Reform
[email protected] · (555) 293-5568 · Ann Arbor, MI · linkedin.com/in/bram-visser
Summary

Second-year law student with journal, moot court, and 1L summer clerkship experience. Drafts research memoranda and case summaries, cite-checks under Bluebook rules, and runs targeted Westlaw and Lexis queries. Seeking a 2L summer associate position in litigation.

Experience
Summer Legal InternMay 2026 - Aug 2026
Hon. Patricia L. Reyes, U.S. District Court (E.D. Mich.)
  • Drafted bench memoranda on pending motions to dismiss and summary judgment, summarizing controlling Sixth Circuit authority for the judge's review
  • Researched evidentiary and procedural questions on Westlaw and Lexis+; flagged splits in authority and recommended dispositions
  • Observed oral argument and motion hearings, then prepared post-hearing notes comparing argued positions to the briefed record
  • Cite-checked draft opinions against The Bluebook (22nd ed.) and verified record citations for accuracy
Associate EditorAug 2025 - Present
Michigan Journal of Law Reform
  • Edit and source-check articles for substantive accuracy, conducting line-by-line Bluebook citation review on 40-plus footnotes per piece
  • Pull and verify primary sources through HeinOnline, Westlaw, and PACER to confirm authorities exist and stand for the proposition cited
  • Coordinate with authors on revision rounds and track changes across drafts using redlining in Microsoft Word
Member, Campbell Moot Court CompetitionSep 2025 - Mar 2026
University of Michigan Law School
  • Wrote a 30-page appellate brief on a Fourth Amendment suppression issue, structuring argument around governing precedent and standard of review
  • Delivered oral argument before a three-judge panel and fielded questions on the record and applicable circuit authority
  • Advanced to the quarterfinal round out of 64 competitors
Legal Research AssistantJan 2025 - May 2025
Professor David N. Okafor, University of Michigan Law School
  • Compiled case law and secondary sources for a forthcoming article on administrative law deference standards
  • Built a citation table of 120-plus authorities and verified each against Westlaw and Bloomberg Law
Skills

Legal research (Westlaw, Lexis+, Bloomberg Law) · Bluebook citation and cite-checking · Legal writing (memoranda, briefs) · Case law and statutory analysis · PACER and HeinOnline · Document review and redlining · Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat · Oral advocacy

Education
University of Michigan Law School - Juris Doctor (JD), Expected May 2027 | GPA: 3.7/4.0, Top 15% | Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Associate Editor | CALI Award, Civil Procedure. University of Wisconsin-Madison - BA in Political Science, 2024, magna cum laude.
Certifications
  • Westlaw Certification, Thomson Reuters
  • Lexis+ Certification, LexisNexis
Tailor this to a real jobCheck your resume against a posting

Keywords ATS systems scan for

Use the ones that are genuinely true for you, in your own words. Mirror the exact phrasing from the job posting where it matches.

legal researchWestlawLexisNexisBloomberg LawBluebooklegal writingmoot courtlaw reviewcite-checkingPACERmemorandacase law analysis

How to make this resume stronger

Specific to law student (legal resume) roles, not generic advice.

  • Lead with the education block

    For a law student, education sits at the top, not the bottom. List your school, JD date ("Expected May 2027"), GPA, class rank or percentile, journal role, and academic honors before any work experience. Recruiters scan this first and weight it heavily.

  • Name your research platforms explicitly

    Firms run resumes through ATS filters that look for "Westlaw," "Lexis," and "Bloomberg Law" by name. Spelling out the platforms you have used, plus Bluebook and PACER, gets you past keyword screens that drop resumes saying only "conducted legal research."

  • Turn clinic and journal work into experience bullets

    Substantial moot court, law review, or clinic involvement belongs in Experience with action verbs, not buried in a one-line activities list. Describe what you drafted, researched, and argued: bench memos, appellate briefs, cite-checked footnotes, and the authorities you analyzed.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Hiding GPA, class rank, and journal membership at the bottom or leaving them off entirely. On a law student resume these are headline credentials and belong in the education block up top.
  • Writing "responsible for legal research" instead of naming the platform and output. Use specifics: drafted research memoranda, cite-checked under Bluebook, ran Westlaw and Lexis queries.
  • Listing yourself as an admitted attorney or claiming bar membership before you have passed the bar and been sworn in. State your status accurately, such as "sitting for the Michigan Bar, July 2027."
  • Running past one page or switching to a non-serif, oversized font. Legal resumes stay to one tight page in an 11-12 point serif typeface with consistent formatting.

Law Student (Legal Resume) resume FAQ

Should a law student put GPA and class rank on a resume?

Yes, on most student legal resumes GPA and class rank or percentile are expected and belong in the education block near the top, especially for judicial clerkship and journal-related applications. Include them if they help you; if your GPA is below your class median, you can list class rank alone or omit the number while keeping journal and honors. Note that a few schools restrict disclosing grades for non-clerkship purposes under their honor code, so check your school's policy.

What research tools should a law student list on a resume?

List the legal research platforms you have actually used by name: Westlaw, Lexis+ (LexisNexis), and Bloomberg Law are the three major ones, plus PACER for federal court records and HeinOnline for secondary sources. Add Bluebook citation and cite-checking experience. Firms use applicant tracking systems that screen for these exact terms, so naming the platforms matters more than a generic "legal research" line.

How long should a law school resume be?

One page is the standard for law students and recent graduates. Use an 11 to 12 point serif font such as Times New Roman, keep margins reasonable, and apply formatting consistently. Public interest resumes can occasionally run longer when extensive relevant experience warrants it, but for firm and clerkship applications a single, tightly edited page is the convention.

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Last reviewed June 14, 2026.