How to Build Legal Research Skills Before Law School

Welcome to the latest installment of Law Admissions Q&A, a feature that provides law school admissions advice to readers who send in inquiries.

If you have a question, email us for a chance to be featured in a future installment.

In this installment, one reader wants a head start on legal research skills while another is concerned about a lack of extracurricular experience. Let's dive in!

[READ: 13 Tips to Build a Strong Law School Application.]

Thank you for your information and for your sincere desire to help us, potential future lawyers. I would like to polish my legal research and writing skills. What do you suggest I should do? -- GK

You're welcome! The need for lawyers is stronger than ever.

Practicing legal research skills can be a great way to show commitment to a law school career. Look for classes that engage with real court cases on topics like constitutional law, legal ethics or criminal justice reform. Reach out to local law professors, legal advocacy groups or legal practices to see if they could use a part-time research assistant. Not only would the experience help you decide whether pursuing law is the right path, but it could lead to a strong recommendation letter or personal statement.

If you have trouble finding openings in your area, consider summer positions in areas that are underserved and affordable. You don't need to be in a big city to gain real-world legal experience on topics like state politics, civil rights, immigrant rights, Native American rights, energy law and land rights.

[READ: 4 Ways Undergraduates Can Strengthen Law School Profile.]

For example, when I was an undergraduate I wanted to intern for a national advocacy organization, but openings on the East Coast were in high demand. On a lark, I reached out to a small affiliate office in Alaska and received a warm and welcoming reply. I ended up in a different position, but I'm sure I would have learned a lot in an unbeatable setting!

If you can't find legal research opportunities, look to build research skills in related fields like humanities and social science. Any experience that involves composing clear and nuanced arguments based on careful reading of texts, comparative analysis across multiple sources and consideration of counter-evidence would prepare you well for legal research and writing.

I am currently in the process of applying to law schools and was hoping to revise my resume slightly. I don't have many extracurricular activities -- one club from high school and one from college. However, I have held a job, starting in high school and continuing through college. Should I just leave out the high school extracurricular roles so I can showcase my work history? What would law schools prefer more? -- JS

This one is easy. Law schools care much more about work experience than high school extracurricular activities. Besides prominent honors, awards and athletic achievements, leave your high school off your law school resume. Don't even list its name unless asked. Law school is a professional school -- leave your childhood trophies behind.

[READ: 4 Tips for High School Students Considering Law School.]

Your more recent extracurricular pursuits reflect your capabilities best. If those pursuits were impressive, they will make your high school activities look like resume filler. If they were lackluster, then you don't want your high school activities to outshine them. Either way, there's no gain from resting on your laurels from high school.

On the other hand, your work history is vital. Even entry-level jobs show qualities law schools appreciate, like managing multiple responsibilities, fulfilling expectations and providing a professional level of service. If you have room you can include your full work history, but I would emphasize more recent and meaningful jobs. More than two-fifths of full-time undergraduates and four-fifths of part-time undergraduates are employed, so admissions officers have read plenty of job-heavy resumes.

Gabriel Kuris is a contributor to the U.S. News Law Admissions Lowdown blog, writing about issues relating to applying to law school. After advising law school applicants for more than 15 years with Powerscore and JDMission, he founded Top Law Coach to directly help applicants master the LSAT, find their voice and make their best case to law schools.

Kuris has worked as a legal researcher focused on human rights, corruption and policy reforms for Columbia Law School, the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University, the World Bank and the American Bar Association. He has done field research to support judicial reforms and transitional justice efforts in more than 20 countries. Previously, he taught at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and practiced global finance law at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in New York.

Kuris received a Fulbright Fellowship in creative writing and his work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Harvard Review, Policy and Society and ForeignPolicy.com. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale University.