8 Ways to Achieve Law School Requirements & Strengthen Your Résumé

Applying to law school is more competitive than ever with specific requirements that each person needs to meet. Your résumé plays a crucial role as part of your application in telling your story beyond test scores & transcripts. Whether you're still an undergrad, took a gap year to travel, or already working, here are eight impactful ways to achieve law school requirements, make your law school application stand out to a law school admissions team & strengthen your résumé.

1. Showcase Academic Excellence
Law schools want to see that you can handle rigorous coursework. Highlight your GPA, honors, & any challenging classes—especially those related to writing, analysis, or public policy. If your GPA isn’t stellar, have your résumé paint a picture of growth or improvement over time. Admissions departments understand that a student's persistence can be more impressive & a better predictor of success than anything else.

2. Highlight Legal or Policy Experience
Internships at law firms, government agencies, or nonprofits are gold. Even administrative roles in legal settings show initiative & exposure to the field. If you’ve participated in mock trials, debates, pre-law societies, or any exposure to a law setting, include those, too.

3. Demonstrate Leadership
Lawyers often lead teams, cases, & causes. Include leadership roles you’ve taken. Whether you were president of a club or student organization, led volunteer groups, or took on a management role in a work setting. Be specific about your responsibilities & accomplishments to strengthen your law school résumé.

4. Emphasize Writing & Research Skills
Legal work is writing-intensive. Showcase any experience with research papers, journalism, grant writing, or editing. If you’ve published anything—even blog posts or op-eds—include links or citations as this will demonstrate your skills to strengthen your résumé.

5. Include Community Engagement
Law schools value applicants who are committed to service & justice. To help strengthen your résumé, mention your volunteer work, activism, or mentoring programs show that you’re invested in making a difference.

6. Add Professional Certifications or Courses
If you’ve taken online courses in legal writing, constitutional law, or public speaking, include them. These show initiative & a proactive approach to learning.

7. Tailor Your Résumé for Each School
Customize your résumé to reflect the values & priorities of each law school. If a school emphasizes public interest law, highlight your relevant experience. Use keywords from their mission statement or admissions page.

8. Work your connections
If you know someone in an admissions department, use them as a resource for tips and even a letter of recommendation. You may not personally know someone in a law school admissions department, but you may know someone who does. Before applying, set up a meeting to “pick their brain”, which will not only help you pick up some tips and tricks for applying, but also build a relationship with someone in a law school admissions department who could help you get a leg up.

Bonus Tip: Boost Your Résumé with JD-Next
One of the most forward-thinking ways to strengthen your law school résumé is by completing JD-Next. Offered by Aspen Publishing & accepted by over 60 ABA-accredited law schools, JD-Next is an eight-week online course that simulates the first-year law school experience, culminating with a law school entrance exam. The exam can help you achieve one of the law school requirements by using your JD-Next exam score as your standardized test requirement. You can also use the course & exam score as an additional piece to:

• Show true grit by completing an 8-week course & build real legal skills like case briefing, legal writing, & analysis.
• Improve your 1L readiness, with studies showing an average GPA boost of 0.20 points.
• Demonstrate commitment & capability, especially if you’re applying to test-optional schools under the ABA’s Standard 503 variance.

JD-Next isn’t just a course, it’s a credential. Whether you’re including it on your law school application to achieve the standardized test law school requirement or to show admissions committees that you’re serious, prepared, & ready to thrive in law school.

Final Thoughts
Your law school résumé is more than a list—it’s a narrative. By strategically highlighting your strengths & supplementing your experience with programs like JD-Next, you can present a compelling case in your law school application for admission that goes far beyond test scores.