Educational Pauses

I started out in law school five years ago, and I attended full-time for three semesters. The school I was at got put on probation by the ABA, and the administration panicked and kicked out a bunch of students in order to increase their chances of maintaining accreditation. I got caught up in the purge and I was "academically disqualified". I wasn't a straight A student or anything, but I wasn't awful, either. I was your typical B- student.

The ABA requires a two year wait before any disqualified student can reapply to any accredited law school. During my suspension, I went to a community college and got an associates degree in paralegal studies. I graduated with honors. Now I'm back in law school, at a better school for me, and I'm doing well grade-wise. (I'm also a part-time evil HR lady in training to pay the bills.)

This was a long-winded way for me to get to the heart of the question. Do I have to put my first time in law school on my resume? I'm thinking that I don't, since I didn't graduate. I have been employed the entire time that I've been in school, so there are no resume gaps to account for. I transferred those units into my paralegal degree program, but that degree came from a community college. (I do put my associate's degree on my resume, along with my bachelor's degree.) I have on my resume that I'm in law school at my current school, with an expected graduation of 2011.

I've asked a few trusted people, and I get mixed responses, but none of them are in hiring. Also, if it comes up in an interview, how should I deal with it? I'm sure I'm not the first person to do poorly in school and then do better later.

Nope! You absolutely do not have to put your first time in law school on your resume.

You should never, ever, not in a million years, lie on your resume. But, you aren't required to put everything you've ever done on your resume. Remember, your resume is your way to advertise yourself. You never see a Hostess Cupcake ad saying, "Caution: If you eat 12 of thses in one sitting, you'll be sick as a dog!" (Not that I would know anything about this.)

If you weren't employed continuously, then you might want to consider including something because having a gap on your resume with no good explanation is problematic. But, leaving off schooling that is irrelevant is okay. Good luck with your current stint in law school and have fun in HR.