Law schools publish their own rules for the law school resume, and the rules differ. Harvard caps it at two pages, Texas allows three, and Berkeley sets no page limit at all. Several schools also say what belongs on the page and what to leave off, and Berkeley sets a minimum font size.
The page has a clear job. Yale’s admissions FAQ says a resume should let the reader “quickly understand the chronology of your experiences.” Harvard’s admissions office adds that for some of its readers, the resume “is the first document they review when they begin your application.”
Whether a school asks for a resume at all is one of its law school admissions requirements, and every school quoted in this article asks for one.
How Long Should a Law School Resume Be?
None of these seven schools limits the resume to one page. Their rules, as published in October 2026:
| School | Page limit |
|---|---|
| Harvard Law School | One or two pages |
| Yale Law School | Generally one or two pages |
| Stanford Law School | One or two pages |
| Columbia Law School | Up to two pages |
| Georgetown Law | No limit; one or two recommended |
| Berkeley Law | No limit; two generally adequate |
| Texas Law | Up to three pages |
Harvard’s application instructions say: “Please limit your resume to one or two pages in length.” Stanford requires “a one-to-two-page resume describing your academic, extracurricular, and professional activities.” Columbia’s fall 2027 preview application asks for “a résumé of up to two pages.”
Three schools are looser. Georgetown sets no page limit, “though we recommend a one to two page resume.” Berkeley Law sets none either and says “generally two pages is adequate.” Texas Law states that a résumé “may not exceed three (3) pages.”
When a Second Page Is Worth It
Yale says résumés should “generally” run one to two pages, and its FAQ sets the default lower: “For most applicants, one page is sufficient.” A longer resume, Yale adds, is most likely needed by applicants with “extensive full-time work experience or a substantial publication record.” In deciding what stays, Yale asks you to “consider both recency and relevance.”
Of Harvard’s three sample resumes, two fit on one page. The third lists a graduate degree and jobs going back to 2011, and it runs to two.
What to Include on a Law School Resume
Harvard’s 2025 resume workshop sorts the page into four headings:
- Education: every college and graduate school you attended, plus the honors you earned.
- Experience: jobs and internships held during college, and full-time employment “including roles and promotions.”
- Activities: extracurricular and volunteer work since college, especially roles where you led or built skills you will use in law school.
- Skills/Interests: Harvard’s admissions office calls a “Personal” or “Interests” section “Not required, to be sure, but well worth a line or two of space.”
Texas Law’s list is more specific. It names “graduate work or degree,” “any service in the Armed Forces,” and publications. For each job, it wants “dates of employment, location (city and state), job descriptions, and major areas of responsibility.”
Count Every Job
Harvard is direct about work history: “Include all work experience.” It names retail, hospitality and child care, and asks for all the experience “that brought you to this moment,” with the aside “not just the fancy internships.” In its words, and without naming a study, “Studies show that experience in the service industry is one of the strongest predictors of success in law.”
Berkeley’s instructions point the same way: “Do not limit yourself to strictly law-related or professional experiences.”
How to Write Each Line
Harvard’s workshop gives two tips for each bullet: “Begin each sentence with an action verb,” and “Include specific examples of the work you did including the results.” It adds, “Use numbers where applicable.”
Berkeley says “It is helpful to include the hours and dates you worked or volunteered.” It also asks you to explain briefly what an organization does, or write out the full name behind an acronym.
If your record has a gap in work or school, or a graduation date that moved, Harvard’s workshop suggests answering that question on the resume. Texas gives gaps an optional statement of their own: “If there are any gaps in your résumé or education, please provide further explanation.”
What to Leave Off a Law School Resume
Start with the photo. Harvard’s advice: “save the headshot for LinkedIn.” Stanford says “Please do not include a photo,” and redacts any photo it receives so that reviewers never see it.
Berkeley keeps a longer list. It asks you not to include a personal photograph, other images, graphics or art, “an objective,” a separate list of “Key Qualities” or a “Personal Summary,” a motto, or a quote.
On high school, Harvard and Berkeley differ in how firm they are. Harvard’s rule of thumb is “When in doubt, cut it.” Berkeley asks you to list only “activities from college and beyond (no high school, please).”
Keep the page plain. Harvard suggests keeping your resume font “to the color black,” with any accent color kept subtle. Berkeley asks you not to use “multiple colors or fonts.”
Law School Resume Format
Harvard says of its samples, “You do not have to follow the formatting used in these resumes.” What it asks for is consistency: one font, the same indentation, one bullet symbol, and one style of dash in every date range. “Whatever your aesthetic choice, keep it consistent throughout.”
At Penn, a CV works too: its application checklist lists a “Resume or Curriculum Vitae.” Berkeley says “The résumé is distinct from a C.V.,” but it welcomes research and publications on the resume.
Yale asks for more than the resume. Its application has separate College and Post-College Activities sections, and its FAQ says: “We expect significant overlap between the resume and the activities sections in content and language. Copying is acceptable.”
The resume also frees your essay. Berkeley tells applicants, “There is no need to repeat experiences described in the résumé in the personal statement.” That leaves your personal statement room for what a list cannot show.
A Law School Resume Template: Sample Layout
The layout below is ours, written for this article. It is not a real applicant’s resume, and no law school published it. It follows the four headings in Harvard’s workshop, fits on one page, and can be built in Word or any other word processor.
FIRST AND LAST NAME, City, State, email address, phone number
EDUCATION
– State University, City, State. B.A. in Political Science, May 2026. Dean’s List, six semesters.
EXPERIENCE
– County Legal Aid Office, City, State. Intake Assistant, June 2026 to present, 30 hours a week. Screen about 25 tenant calls a week and route each one to the right attorney. – Campus Dining Services, City, State. Shift Lead, September 2023 to May 2026, 15 hours a week. Promoted from server after one year; scheduled and trained a team of eight.
ACTIVITIES
– Mock Trial Team, Captain, September 2024 to May 2026. Led weekly practices for 14 members.
INTERESTS
– Long-distance running, Korean home cooking, restoring old bicycles
The main choices follow published rules. The dates and weekly hours come from Berkeley, and the action verb and number in each description of the work come from Harvard’s workshop. The service job beside the legal one follows Harvard’s admissions office, and the page leaves off the photo, objective and summary that Berkeley rules out.
Check Every Line Against Your Records
LSAC treats a false resume detail as misconduct. Its rules on misconduct and irregularities list “falsification of transcript information, school attendance, honors, awards, or employment” among the examples. LSAC adds that “Intent is not an element of a finding of misconduct or irregularity,” so an honest mistake is no defense.
The definition also reaches information that is “false, inconsistent, or misleading.” So check every date, title and honor against your transcript and records before you upload.
Getting a Second Read
ExceptionalGrad’s law school resume and CV editing service lists an “Expert JD Advisor,” “Detailed Editing” and a “48 Hour Turn-Around” on its page. Our advisors edit and advise; they do not write your resume for you.
If you are applying this cycle, start with a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a law school resume be two pages?
Yes, at all seven schools in the table above. Harvard, Stanford and Columbia set two pages as the limit, so a three-page resume built for Texas would break their rules. If you apply to several schools, build one version to the strictest limit on your list.
What font should a law school resume be?
A highly legible one, in Berkeley Law’s words. Berkeley asks for nothing smaller than 10 or 11 points except your name, and names Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, Calibri and Cambria as examples. Yale sets no font size for the resume and asks you to prioritize readability.
Do law schools verify resumes?
NYU says it may. Its admissions instructions state that it “may seek to verify any information submitted by contacting recommenders, employers or school officials.” At NYU, misrepresentation can lead to denial of admission, a rescinded offer or a revoked degree, and a report to LSAC.
What should a law school resume include?
Your education, work, activities and honors, each with dates. Georgetown asks for work experience, extracurricular or volunteer activities, the schools you attended, and academic honors or awards. Columbia also wants “a summary of written scholarships, presentations, awards and honors,” so list any publications or talks.