Resumes

Law schools will expect applicants to submit a resume with their application to demonstrate their experiences beyond the classroom. Resumes are a tool for quickly capturing your story and showing your readiness for legal education.

Why a Resume for Law School?

Often times, law sc

What About a Curriculum Vitae or CV?

Some law schools do allow applicants to submit a curriculum vitae or CV. These are often more common in academic and research careers, and they are more in-depth than a resume. If a resume is a snapshot, then a CV is a photo gallery. From time to time, applicants may ask if they should submit a CV over a resume. Jayhawk Pre-Law Advising recommends asking the following questions of yourself before submitting this specialized application material:

  1. Does your law school accept CVs instead of a resume? If not, then this is an easy decision. If yes, it can be helpful to think through the next two questions and how you want to present yourself.
  2. Do you have a research presentation or publication, teaching, or grant-writing background? These are all more common fields where a CV is already a document many people already have. Using your existing CV instead of a resume can save time and allow you to focus on other parts of your application you may want to prioritize working on.
  3. Does working in research or teaching align with your future goals? If you see yourself working in a primarily teaching and research career, this can be a good way to show your early interest, especially if you have some experience in either. However, a recent graduate without experience may struggle to develop a CV and may find a shorter resume easier to complete.

Tips for Law School Resumes

Always carefulude:

  1. Read and reread each question on an application. This helps make sure 

Answering honestly is an important first step to becoming a legal professional. A speeding ticket or another minor offense is rarely the sole reason a law school denies admission for an applicant. Answering honestly can help a law school better understand your personal history and may even be able to assist you later when applying to take the bar exam for your state when you are asked similar questions.

What Experiences Should I Look for or Seek Out?

Some law schools do allow applicants to submit a curriculum vitae or CV. These are often more common in academic and research careers, and they are more in-depth than a resume. If a resume is a snapshot, then a CV is a photo gallery. From time to time, applicants may ask if they should submit a CV over a resume. Jayhaw

Writing a Character & Fitness Addendum

Law schools would like perfect applicants but understand they have human applicants. Mistakes happen. When writing a character and fitness-related addendum, acknowledge the misconduct or issue. A law school admissions officer will want to know specifically why you’re providing this addendum, and they will want to know if this is part of a pattern or a current problem. A clear statement of the issue including when and where it happened and who was involved can be helpful. You may also want to state whether a criminal charge was filed or whether a law enforcement agency was involved.

Next, you should write with candor. This means that you write about the issue directly. Being vague or non-specific could signal that you have something to hide. You should be honest about the issue and not try to downplay the seriousness of it. If you received a vehicle infraction, housing code violation, or a misdemeanor conviction, then state that directly. Additionally, taking responsibility for the misconduct can show self-accountability and show a law school that you have values needed to be an honest, fair, and trustworthy future officer of the court.

It is often helpful to take a break after writing to either reread your addendum or ask someone else to review it. It can be easy to unintentionally write defensively or to try to deflect the seriousness of an issue. Understanding your writing tone is important because it can help you think through how a law school admissions office might interpret it. For example, a writing tone that is aggressive and accusatory might suggest that you can’t take accountability; a writing tone that is arrogant might suggest that you haven’t learned from the issue; or a writing tone that is sarcastic and unserious might suggest you don’t understand the importance of the question.

Make sure that you are providing accurate information. For example, the Kansas Board of Law Examiners considers employment misconduct when deciding to admit an attorney. If you state you were dismissed because of a “disagreement of opinions” but a quick, online search shows there was fraud and workplace violence involved, then that will be a concern for a law school admissions officer that decides to look you up. Be precise and make sure the information you provide is accurate. Lastly, consider brevity and clarity as two rules to follow when writing. A character and fitness addendum is not an essay; an addendum is just an additional document to further explain or clarify something. Your writing should be sufficiently accurate, clear, and brief to explain the issue, what happened, and how you have either grown from it or how it no longer reflects your professional habits now.

Bringing Legal Writing Skills into Your Resume

One of the foundational skills of good legal writing is the ABCs. These letters stand for accuracy, brevity, and clarity. Let's practice these using a bullet point from a resume. Ellis is a pre-law student here at KU who has worked at a restaurant on Massachusetts Street for the last few years and wants to showcase their experience. Let's try using the ABCs of legal writing to review this bullet point from their resume:

  • Accuracy means being precise and truthful. Ellis shouldn't be vague about their work and should try to quantify their work when possible, so others can understand it: "Supervised a team of four servers and provided ongoing training to them to support company professional development goals."
  • Brevity means saying more with less. Ellis should succinctly summarize their work: "Supervised a team of four servers and supported business goals by providing critical and ongoing training." 
  • Clarity means being coherent and understandable. Ellis shouldn't embellish or be vague about their work: "Supervised a team of four servers and provided regular training related to health and safety requirements."

Expert attorneys and judges also know when to ask for help. Law students will regularly meet with their law school's career services office to help them be ready for jobs after graduation. This is a good habit to start now, and KU has several campus offices ready to also support you. 

Students in the School of Business, School of Engineering, and School of Journalism & Mass Communications are encouraged to meet with your school career service's office. All other KU students are supported by the University Career Center. These offices can provide support by reviewing your resume. Jayhawk Pre-Law Advising is also available for current pre-law students getting ready to apply to law school.

If you are also applying for a specific fellowship or national scholarship to fund your education, the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships can also meet with you to review your resume or CV.

University Offices and Resources