Should You Include Pre-Law Work Experience?
BigLaw Bear · 2 min read
If you worked before law school, whether for two years or ten, you're wondering how much space it deserves on your resume. The answer depends on what you did and how it connects to your legal career.
Always Include If...
It's substantive professional experience. Investment banking, consulting, engineering, government, military, healthcare, these are assets. They show maturity, real-world skills, and a perspective that K-JD students don't have.
It explains your narrative. If you worked in healthcare before law school and now want to do healthcare regulatory work, that's a coherent story. Make the connection obvious.
It demonstrates transferable skills. Project management, analytical work, writing, client-facing roles, these translate directly to BigLaw.
Trim or Cut If...
It was a short-term or part-time job that doesn't add to your candidacy. Your barista job between undergrad and law school doesn't need to be on the resume.
It was a long time ago and you have more relevant experience now. If you have legal internships and a strong 1L summer, a job from eight years ago can shrink to one line.
It fills space but doesn't add substance. Every line should strengthen your application.
How to Present It
Give pre-law experience its own section or integrate it into a single "Experience" section, with legal experience listed first. Use 1-2 bullet points per role, enough to convey what you did without overwhelming the legal content.
Emphasize skills and accomplishments, not job descriptions. "Managed a $2M project budget" is better than "Worked in the finance department."
For the complete formatting playbook, see our resume guide. And use the firm directory to identify which firms value your specific background, some practice groups actively recruit people with industry experience.