GPA on resume? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I understand lawyers take their GPAs off their resume after a certain passage of time, or if they have Latin honors. I'm thinking about when I should remove it from mine as I consider looking into lateraling.

I'm a 2nd year associate and my GPA is actually pretty good (about 75th percentile), but no Latin honors due to my school calculating those off of 2L-3L grades only - I did well 1L and then tailed off.

However, I have clerked on a federal COA, so maybe removing GPA will lead people to think I did better than I actually did? Probably not since I would have included magna or summa if I had it...

I also include my undergrad GPA for now, where I did get cum laude honors. So if I remove my GPAs, but retain my undergrad honors, one might infer that my law school grades might be worse than they actually are (although the clerkship would belie that).

Interested in thoughts on how to proceed here.

[2013]

You’re putting way too much thought into this. Remove both your JD and undergrad GPAs.

[The Lsat Airbender]

You’re putting way too much thought into this. Remove both your JD and undergrad GPAs.

[Anonymous User]

I’m a third year associate in biglaw currently job hunting in the in-house market. A lot of applications ask for your GPA, so they’re going to see it either way. I also find a lot of interviewers comment on my GPA (both law school and undergrad), as I think my prior academic success is one of the few distinguishing items between me and all of the other third year big law asscociatws looking to get out. So if you think your GPA for both degrees is at least somewhat impressive, I’d leave it on.

[2013]

I’m a third year associate in biglaw currently job hunting in the in-house market. A lot of applications ask for your GPA, so they’re going to see it either way. I also find a lot of interviewers comment on my GPA (both law school and undergrad), as I think my prior academic success is one of the few distinguishing items between me and all of the other third year big law asscociatws looking to get out. So if you think your GPA for both degrees is at least somewhat impressive, I’d leave it on.

Most biglaw associates graduated with top grades from top colleges. That doesn’t distinguish you.

OP didn’t get honors. Id he or she lists gpa without any honors, those grades don’t mean anything.

[Anonymous User]

OP didn’t get honors. Id he or she lists gpa without any honors, those grades don’t mean anything.

In my experience interviewing for in-house positions, many interviewers know little about latin honors (especially in the law school context) and just want to see a big number for GPA. Keep in mind a lot of the people interviewing for in-house positions may not have gone to law school, and may also be involved in interviewing people for management or even tech positions. So if its a good looking number I would certainly keep it on at least for in-house interviews. (In any case, has anyone ever *not* gotten a job offer/interview because they had a decent looking GPA on their resume?)

[2013]

OP didn’t get honors. Id he or she lists gpa without any honors, those grades don’t mean anything.

In my experience interviewing for in-house positions, many interviewers know little about latin honors (especially in the law school context) and just want to see a big number for GPA. Keep in mind a lot of the people interviewing for in-house positions may not have gone to law school, and may also be involved in interviewing people for management or even tech positions. So if its a good looking number I would certainly keep it on at least for in-house interviews. (In any case, has anyone ever *not* gotten a job offer/interview because they had a decent looking GPA on their resume?)

Good point.

[QContinuum]

OP didn’t get honors. Id he or she lists gpa without any honors, those grades don’t mean anything.

In my experience interviewing for in-house positions, many interviewers know little about latin honors (especially in the law school context) and just want to see a big number for GPA. Keep in mind a lot of the people interviewing for in-house positions may not have gone to law school, and may also be involved in interviewing people for management or even tech positions. So if its a good looking number I would certainly keep it on at least for in-house interviews. (In any case, has anyone ever *not* gotten a job offer/interview because they had a decent looking GPA on their resume?)

Good point.

But what do you think would constitute a "good looking" GPA to a nonlawyer? Law school grades tend to be (much) lower than non-law school grades. A 3.4 would be a completely unremarkable college GPA and possibly even a bad grad school GPA (depending on the graduate program), but could easily be a very good law school GPA.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. My GPA is a 3.6X, which I understand at my school (lower T-14) to be about 75th percentile.

I realize this question is probably unusual given the GPA/no Latin honors/COA clerkship circumstances, which is why I’m coming to ask for advice. Not sure what my best play is. Also I’m aware it probably doesn’t matter too much either way.