Anonymous
10/31/2025 17:35
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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….
Anonymous
10/31/2025 17:34
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:33
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:32
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:32
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:31
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:30
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:29
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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.
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
10/31/2025 17:29
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:29
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:26
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
Sorry, law isn’t like business. Your credentials (law license/admissions/degree) are what you’re selling.
Anonymous
10/31/2025 17:25
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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
10/31/2025 17:22
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
Is the field “law”? This is standard in every corner of the legal world.
Anonymous
10/31/2025 17:21
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
^ oops. To be clear, I don’t mean regular resumes, I mean short bios or business focused background blurbs.
Anonymous
10/31/2025 17:20
Subject: Why do lawyers in my field insist on listing their Alma maters on their resumes, even after they’ve been practicing for
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!
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!