Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for law school graduates and students
Short answer
Henrietta is the best Resumity fit for a law school resume: plain black and grey, with education printed directly after experience and room for honors, law review and bar status. The fictional sample is a new J.D. who was a litigation paralegal before law school and now clerks for a judge while awaiting bar results. Law students are often told to list education first, which no template does once jobs appear.
Download the law school (J.D.) sample
Caroline is a fictional judicial law clerk. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Henrietta suits a law school (J.D.) resume
Henrietta prints education immediately after experience in a conventional left-aligned business layout, so the J.D. entry with its honors, class rank and law review sits right below the clerkship instead of under a skills list. The black and grey styling keeps a legal resume sober.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian uses no colour and a centred header but prints skills before jobs and education last, so it suits a lawyer with several years of practice better than a new graduate.
What goes in each section, in Henrietta's order
Henrietta prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Give the J.D. and year, your current legal role and your bar status in plain words: sat for, results pending, or admitted. You sit the bar through a specific jurisdiction, so always name the state.
- Work Experience. Legal jobs first, newest on top: clerkship, summer associate, then work before law school. Career offices note that significant relevant experience, such as years as a paralegal, can justify placing experience before education.
- Education. The J.D. above the bachelor's, with honors, class rank if strong, your journal role and moot court in the detail line. Write "Juris Doctor", not "Juris Doctorate".
- Skills. Short and concrete: research platforms, review software and any language you can use with clients. Henrietta prints a grid without labels, so legal research and writing go first.
- Publications, pro bono and bar. A published note, pro bono work and the MPRE print last under one title. Give a published note its full citation.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Caroline Ashworth
Judicial Law Clerk, J.D. 2026
Richmond, VA | caroline.ashworth@example.com | (804) 555-0161 | linkedin.com/in/sample-caroline-ashworth
J.D. graduate (May 2026, cum laude) clerking for a state circuit court judge, with three years as a litigation paralegal before law school. Writes bench memos on civil motions to weekly deadlines. Sat for the July 2026 Virginia bar exam; results pending. Seeking an associate position in commercial litigation.
Experience
Judicial Law Clerk, Fairmont County Circuit Court, Chambers of Judge M. T. Ellison, Richmond, VA (08/2026 to Present)
- Draft bench memos and proposed orders on civil motions, about six a week.
- Research procedural questions before hearings and prepare the judge's hearing binders.
- Proofread opinions and check every citation before release.
Summer Associate, Harwood and Pell LLP, Richmond, VA (05/2025 to 08/2025)
- Wrote research memos on contract and insurance coverage questions for six partners.
- Drafted a motion to compel discovery that the supervising partner filed with light edits.
- Attended two depositions and summarised the testimony for the trial team.
Litigation Paralegal, Brennan Schaefer Group, Washington, DC (06/2020 to 07/2023)
- Managed document productions of up to 200,000 pages in Relativity for commercial cases.
- Built exhibit lists and witness binders for two jury trials.
- Tracked court deadlines for a team of four attorneys.
Publications, pro bono and bar
- Note, "Notice Pleading After the Pandemic Docket," 58 James River Law Review 412 (2026).
- Pro bono: 60 hours drafting tenant answers with a legal aid clinic, 2024 to 2026.
- MPRE passed, 2025.
Education
Juris Doctor (J.D.), James River School of Law (05/2026). Cum laude, top 20%. Notes Editor, James River Law Review. Moot Court Board, regional quarterfinalist
Bachelor of Arts, History, Shenandoah Hills College (05/2020)
Skills
Legal research and writing, Bench memos, Civil procedure, Document review, Westlaw, Lexis, Relativity, Tight deadlines, Precise proofreading, French (professional)
How to make the sample yours
Still in school? Know the order trade-off
Law career offices usually put education at the top for current students and recent graduates. Resumity templates print experience first whenever you list a job, and Henrietta puts education right after it. If your office requires education first, use its template for on-campus interviews.
Write the bar line that is true today
"Admitted in Virginia, 2026", "Sat for July 2026 Virginia bar exam, results pending" or "Registered for the February 2027 exam": pick the accurate one and update it the day results arrive.
Include class rank only when it helps
Career offices commonly suggest listing rank when you are in the top third; otherwise let honors and journal work stand. Use official figures only.
Shrink pre-law jobs as practice grows
After a few years as an attorney, an unrelated pre-law job can drop to one line. Paralegal or policy work in your practice area can stay longer.
Note a portable UBE score when you have one
A Uniform Bar Examination score can be transferred to seek admission in other UBE jurisdictions, which matters if you apply across state lines. Name the jurisdictions you are admitted in once you know them.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- Juris Doctor
- J.D.
- judicial clerkship
- legal research
- legal writing
- bench memos
- motion practice
- civil litigation
- discovery
- Westlaw
- Lexis
- Relativity
- law review
- bar admission
Mistakes to avoid
- Keeping "J.D. Candidate" after graduation. Once the degree is conferred, give the year.
- Vague bar status. "Bar exam pending" with no state or sitting leaves the reader with questions you could have answered.
- An estimated class rank or a rounded-up GPA. Use the figures on your official transcript.
- Two pages for a new graduate with one clerkship. A clerkship, two legal jobs and the J.D. entry fit on one.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
Frequently asked questions
Where does education go on a law school resume?
Law career offices usually place it first for students and recent graduates. Resumity templates print it after experience; Henrietta puts it directly below your jobs, the closest order available.
How do I show bar results pending on a resume?
Name the jurisdiction and the sitting: "Sat for July 2026 Virginia bar exam; results pending". Change it to "Admitted" with the state and year once you are sworn in.
Should I put my MPRE score on my resume?
A line such as "MPRE passed, 2025" is enough. The MPRE is required for admission in all but two U.S. jurisdictions and each sets its own passing score, so the number itself tells a reader little.
Should I keep jobs from before law school?
Yes, especially law-related work such as paralegal or policy roles. Unrelated jobs can shrink to one line each so your timeline has no holes.
Is a law review note worth listing?
Yes. Give the title, journal, volume and year in the publications list, and your editorial role in the J.D. entry.
Can I use this layout to apply to law school?
Yes, with different content: an admissions resume leads with your jobs, your bachelor's degree and activities. Drop the legal sections until you have them.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Henrietta PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 9 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- Lewis & Clark Law School, Career Services: The Legal Resume, Part 1: The Basics (Education usually at the top for current students and recent graduates; experience may go first with significant relevant experience; write Juris Doctor, not Juris Doctorate; class rank typically if top third.)
- National Conference of Bar Examiners: Uniform Bar Examination (Applicants register for the UBE by applying to a user jurisdiction; examinees earn a portable score that can be transferred to seek admission in other UBE jurisdictions.)
- National Conference of Bar Examiners: Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (Required for admission to the bars of all but two U.S. jurisdictions (Wisconsin and Puerto Rico); scores range from 50 to 150 and each jurisdiction sets its passing score.)
- National Conference of Bar Examiners: Bar Exam Requirements (Advises consulting each jurisdiction's bar admission agency directly for current requirements.)
More in resume templates by education.