Application Tips: Contextualizing Your Experience as a Non-Legal Professional

Applying to a graduate law program as a non-legal professional might feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The Admissions Committee regularly reviews applications from professionals across a wide range of industries and backgrounds. What we’re looking for is how you’ve encountered legal concepts in your work and how you can bring that perspective into the classroom alongside lawyers and other professionals.

The key to a strong application is clearly demonstrating how your experience connects with the legal topics covered in the program. You don’t need to “sound like a lawyer,” you just need to show that you understand the legal frameworks or issues relevant to your field and that you’re prepared to explore them in greater depth.

Here are three important areas where you can contextualize your experience:

Resume/CV
You don’t need to rewrite your resume from scratch. We’re used to reviewing resumes from a wide variety of industries and jurisdictions. The goal isn’t to make it look like a legal CV, it’s to make your experience understandable to someone outside your field.

Before you submit, review your CV with these questions in mind:

• Will someone unfamiliar with your industry understand what you do and why you’re pursuing this program?
• Have you avoided technical jargon or acronyms that may not be widely known?
• Have you clearly indicated how your role intersects with legal issues – whether through regulation, compliance, contracts, or another aspect of your job?

Qualitative Section of the Application
This section gives you the opportunity to explain your motivations and connect your professional experience to your academic goals. For non-legal professionals, it’s especially important to thoughtfully address the following:

• What is your primary objective for undertaking academic study, and how will this program help you achieve it?
• How does your professional experience relate to the specialization you’ve applied for?
• What knowledge or familiarity do you have with legal issues or concepts relevant to this area?

This is your chance to tie everything together and show how your background has prepared you to succeed in a legal graduate program. It’s an important part of the application that is often overlooked.

Be sure to clearly articulate the connection between your work and the law. We’re looking for insight into how your role already engages with legal issues. Use concrete examples: regulatory frameworks you work within, contracts you manage, compliance challenges, or recurring legal questions in your field. Even if you haven’t worked directly with lawyers, you’ve likely encountered legal structures. Describe them plainly and confidently.

References
Choose referees who can speak to the legal dimensions of your work, your analytical skills, and your readiness for graduate-level study. If you’ve worked with legal counsel or in a regulatory setting, those references can be especially helpful in providing context for your experience.