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Can someone please give an example (format) of what this should look like on your résumé? Thank you!

Something like this should be fine:

<Current law school>
J.D. candidate 2015
GPA . . .

<Past law school>
first year of law school, Academic Year 2012-2013
GPA . . .

<Undergrad/Grad> and so on.

This is how mine looks:

University of New Law School, City, State
Juris Doctor, Expected May 2015

University of Old Law School, City, State
Dates Attended: August 2012-May 2013
-Rank (#/4 GPA)
-Honors listed out below (invited to LR, invited to MC, etc)

University of Undergrad, City, State
Degree, May 2012
-Honors

Then new section for experience

Thank you!

what is the protocol once you actually have a gpa at your new school? Are you supposed to leave your old school on your resume or can you take all that off and just show your new school and new gpa?

I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

Leave it on the resume and use it to your advantage. It says "I came, I saw, I conquered" and "I'm never satisfied with the status quo." Just sell it.

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

What happens when they request a transcript? I'm a transfer and I would only remove it after graduation.

Give both?

I've been told to remove law review once you're at your new school. If you're at a school that allows transfers to write-on, either (a) you have law review on your resume at your new school or (b) it makes it even more obvious that you aren't on law review at your new school. Though I left on the secondary I actually was a member of during 1L.

sap wrote:I've been told to remove law review once you're at your new school. If you're at a school that allows transfers to write-on, either (a) you have law review on your resume at your new school or (b) it makes it even more obvious that you aren't on law review at your new school. Though I left on the secondary I actually was a member of during 1L.

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I disagree. I made law review at my new school. I left my old school's law review on my resume though. Even though it only says "invited to law review" for my old school, when I went through OCI, employers were very impressed that I wrote on to two different law reviews. Im hoping to use the same strategy during the clerkship application process. As one poster said...selling that you are successful wherever you go can only be a plus. "I came, I saw, I conquered." Say it all over your resume.

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

You were told wrong. You create a resume to get the job you want. Not the job that you have/had. Do you also include your high school academic record? No. You own and manage your resume. What you want the employer to know is what you put on there.

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sparty99 wrote:

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

You were told wrong. You create a resume to get the job you want. Not the job that you have/had. Do you also include your high school academic record? No. You own and manage your resume. What you want the employer to know is what you put on there.

Your logic is flawed and you are coming off a little snarky to be honest. Obviously my high school grades arent on myy resume but my undergraduate GPA and information is on my resume so it does seem very dishonest to skip a year. And I have a job, and I got it by being very transparent about my situation.

In my opinion, it is easier second year to get better grades. There is no learning curve. For example, no one at my new school had a 4.0 their 1L year. So is it really fair for a transfer who came and got straight As in one semestet to represent that he/she has had a 4.0 for three semesters at the new school? No. Thats lying by omission.

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:

sparty99 wrote:

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

You were told wrong. You create a resume to get the job you want. Not the job that you have/had. Do you also include your high school academic record? No. You own and manage your resume. What you want the employer to know is what you put on there.

Your logic is flawed and you are coming off a little snarky to be honest. Obviously my high school grades arent on myy resume but my undergraduate GPA and information is on my resume so it does seem very dishonest to skip a year. And I have a job, and I got it by being very transparent about my situation.

In my opinion, it is easier second year to get better grades. There is no learning curve. For example, no one at my new school had a 4.0 their 1L year. So is it really fair for a transfer who came and got straight As in one semestet to represent that he/she has had a 4.0 for three semesters at the new school? No. Thats lying by omission.

If the student got a 4.0 at the new school, the student got a 4.0. That's not lying, that's their gpa. Is it fair? Finding a job isn't fair. You create a resume to your advantage and if it will pose more questions, then answers, then you design it in a way that avoids that situation. You can easily put the dates of attendance and leave the old school off the resume. However, if you were good enough to transfer, you probably had top grades and might keep the old school. But if the old school really sucked, then fuck it, take it off. That ain't "dishonest." That's you choosing not to display that information.

Perhaps the school might have academic dishonesty rules and this falls under it and so to avoid reprecussions from the new school you don't do this, but outside of that, you own your resume and make it so you can get the interview. If the gpa is below a 3.0, you don't include it. If you get more questions in the interview about whether you have been there three semesters versus one, then perhaps you put the old school. Or you design the new law school info in a way that shows it's grades for one semester. But at the end of the day, you do what you gotta do.

sparty99 wrote:

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:

sparty99 wrote:

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

You were told wrong. You create a resume to get the job you want. Not the job that you have/had. Do you also include your high school academic record? No. You own and manage your resume. What you want the employer to know is what you put on there.

Your logic is flawed and you are coming off a little snarky to be honest. Obviously my high school grades arent on myy resume but my undergraduate GPA and information is on my resume so it does seem very dishonest to skip a year. And I have a job, and I got it by being very transparent about my situation.

In my opinion, it is easier second year to get better grades. There is no learning curve. For example, no one at my new school had a 4.0 their 1L year. So is it really fair for a transfer who came and got straight As in one semestet to represent that he/she has had a 4.0 for three semesters at the new school? No. Thats lying by omission.

If the student got a 4.0 at the new school, the student got a 4.0. That's not lying, that's their gpa. Is it fair? Finding a job isn't fair. You create a resume to your advantage and if it will pose more questions, then answers, then you design it in a way that avoids that situation. You can easily put the dates of attendance and leave the old school off the resume. However, if you were good enough to transfer, you probably had top grades and might keep the old school. But if the old school really sucked, then fuck it, take it off. That ain't "dishonest." That's you choosing not to display that information.

Perhaps the school might have academic dishonesty rules and this falls under it and so to avoid reprecussions from the new school you don't do this, but outside of that, you own your resume and make it so you can get the interview. If the gpa is below a 3.0, you don't include it. If you get more questions in the interview about whether you have been there three semesters versus one, then perhaps you put the old school. Or you design the new law school info in a way that shows it's grades for one semester. But at the end of the day, you do what you gotta do.

You must not have taken PR yet.

brotherdarkness wrote:

sparty99 wrote:

Florida-Georgia Line wrote:I'm a 2L at my new school, but I was told by the transfers that are now 3Ls that it is technically dishonest to remove your old school information and GPA. However they said that many of them removed it due to transfer bias of employers. I am happy with both my GPAs so I'm leaving both on there, but I can understand both sides.

You were told wrong. You create a resume to get the job you want. Not the job that you have/had. Do you also include your high school academic record? No. You own and manage your resume. What you want the employer to know is what you put on there.

Most employers are going to ask for transcripts and figure out you're a transfer no matter what you do. The comparison to your high school record is ridiculous.

this 100 times over. they'll ask for your transcripts, ruse will be up. however, there is no req't you display your old law school GPA on your resume because it will be on your transcript anyway.

You should display your 1L law school until you graduate. After that you can remove it.

If you want to downplay it on your resume you can format as follows:

New Law School, City, State
Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2014
Honors:
Activities:
Completed first-year at Old Law School, City, State, 2011-2012
GPA: X/4.0 (Top X%)
Honors:
Activities

But if the old school really sucked, then ...take it off. That ain't "dishonest." That's you choosing not to display that information.

That is a mistake since it will leave an unexplained gap year on your resume. While an interviewing partner might miss it, the Recruiter/HR will not. And they will immediately wonder what you are hiding. (Or did I misinterpret and you are only suggesting to leave the GPA off.)

But you do not have to continue to list the GPA. And to the poster above, there is no NEED to list GPA of undergrad college. Sure, list it if its great, but once you have a professional/grad school GPA, there is no requirement to continue to list undergrad GPA.

btw: one of the arts of resumes is visual -- the more white space, the better. Brevity is good; redundancy is not.

Full disclosure about your law school education is the better course of action. Why risk being viewed as sneaky or dishonest by a prospective employer by concealing information about one's most important year of legal education. Plus, transfers usually have stellar credentials from their prior school so why hide them ?