Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for

[Anonymous]

25+ years?

I find it embarrassing. One lawyer sent around little bios for a group that is getting together with a little bio on each of us. A few sentences on where we work, and then two lines on where we went to law school, college and our undergrad majors.

I don’t see that in other fields. My company’s senior leadership bios don’t contain their undergrad majors!

[Anonymous]

^ oops. To be clear, I don’t mean regular resumes, I mean short bios or business focused background blurbs.

[Anonymous]

Is the field “law”? This is standard in every corner of the legal world.

[Anonymous]

Well, yes. Law. But it’s so odd. No one else I know in the business world really does this. They’d list their accomplishments, work focus. They wouldn’t devote equal space to undergrad school and major, and law school.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, law isn’t like business. Your credentials (law license/admissions/degree) are what you’re selling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:25+ years?

I find it embarrassing. One lawyer sent around little bios for a group that is getting together with a little bio on each of us. A few sentences on where we work, and then two lines on where we went to law school, college and our undergrad majors.

I don’t see that in other fields. My company’s senior leadership bios don’t contain their undergrad majors!

Why are you "embarrassing"? Are you required to include your alma maters on your bio? Were you graduate from bad law school?

[Anonymous]

Some people did well on the LSAT and went to a top tier law school. They have a right to be proud. Where did you go to law school OP?

[Anonymous]

It's standard in the field -- not sure why you don't understand this. The biggest context for bios is website copy written for clients. Clients want to see where the lawyers went to law school. Legal culture in general follows -- bios for CLE presenters, etc.

Doctors and dentists do this as well -- people look at that info when choosing a provider.

That you "find it embarrassing" is definitely about you, and not about the phenomenon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people did well on the LSAT and went to a top tier law school. They have a right to be proud. Where did you go to law school OP?

This was my thought, too ... lol. OP went to a third tier law school or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, law isn’t like business. Your credentials (law license/admissions/degree) are what you’re selling.

Someone’s undergrad degree and major? So I’m meeting a senior lawyer at an industry event and one of the important details about her background that I should know is that she has a JD from NYU university and that she went to Wesleyan and was a poetry major?

Hmmm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's standard in the field -- not sure why you don't understand this. The biggest context for bios is website copy written for clients. Clients want to see where the lawyers went to law school. Legal culture in general follows -- bios for CLE presenters, etc.

Doctors and dentists do this as well -- people look at that info when choosing a provider.

That you "find it embarrassing" is definitely about you, and not about the phenomenon.

Yup. For licensed professionals providing professional services, this is relevant, so that’s why it’s there.

[Anonymous]

Why? Clients care or no one would do it. Even a partner 25 years out. Corporate clients want to see a resume they expect. They could be open to alternatives but most want central casting. It explains who they are getting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people did well on the LSAT and went to a top tier law school. They have a right to be proud. Where did you go to law school OP?

This was my thought, too ... lol. OP went to a third tier law school or something.

I went to a T20 law school and a top 15 undergrad. I just don’t feel the need to lead with that after 25 years practicing. If you don’t understand this, well, I’m embarrassed for you too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's standard in the field -- not sure why you don't understand this. The biggest context for bios is website copy written for clients. Clients want to see where the lawyers went to law school. Legal culture in general follows -- bios for CLE presenters, etc.

Doctors and dentists do this as well -- people look at that info when choosing a provider.

That you "find it embarrassing" is definitely about you, and not about the phenomenon.

Just because it is standard doesn’t make it any less dumb.

I really have no idea where my dentist went to school. Or my doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, law isn’t like business. Your credentials (law license/admissions/degree) are what you’re selling.

Someone’s undergrad degree and major? So I’m meeting a senior lawyer at an industry event and one of the important details about her background that I should know is that she has a JD from NYU university and that she went to Wesleyan and was a poetry major?

Hmmm

You intentionally picked a dumb major to strengthen your argument but of course it often is relevant, like majoring in accounting for a tax lawyer or electrical engineering for a patent lawyer or biology for a regulatory lawyer….