References

Students should not list references on their résumés, but rather should prepare a separate sheet of paper with their references and contact information. This information can be provided at the employer’s request, and students should bring copies with them to any interviews.

Many students like to use the same heading as they use on their résumé for consistency. List three to five references. In most cases, references will be a combination of faculty members and prior employers. For first-year students, listing a professor from college may be appropriate. Second- and third-year students should probably list legal faculty, unless the undergraduate professor was someone for whom the student did extensive work. You should not list personal references such as family, friends, ministers, etc. You may list references from volunteer experience.

Ideally, references should be individuals in the legal field who are able to speak to your legal abilities or individuals who can speak about your academic or work abilities. However, the most important factor in selecting a reference is choosing a person who knows you well and can speak about you comfortably. Listing a famous judge who met you only once at a cocktail party is not a good idea.

For each reference, give the person’s first and last name. Then list the person’s title, company, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

For example:

You may also want to add how you know the person, i.e., Professor Jane Smith, Legal Writing Instructor.

Students should always seek an individual’s permission before listing him or her as a reference. You may wish to send the reference a copy of your current résumé as a courtesy.