Is it your first time to write a personal statement for law school? Well, you should not be nervous and anxious. There are ways that could make the writing process less difficult. Boston College has some tips. Read on.
Brainstorm and plan your personal statement law school
Before you write, think expansively and then plan deliberately. Consider the times in your life that most vividly reflect your character and personality, or that demonstrate your commitment and initiative.
Present yourself as someone who has made decisions based on informed choices. Show that you are self-aware and self-directed.
Explore ways to generate interest and achieve clarity.
Create an impression and make a memory for the reader. Remember, you are advocating for yourself.
Freewriting – writing for a set amount of time without stopping and with no thought to grammar or spelling – may help you start or help you generate new ideas.
You have to jot down everything that crosses your mind. You can select and organize these ideas later to use freewriting effectively.
Think of your style and structure
Start by setting your style and structure. Titles and epigraphs (quotations at the beginning of your essay) are not advisable and can be distracting.
The essay should have an introduction, paragraphs with a topic sentence, and a conclusion.
Write a working introduction just to get started. The introduction you actually use may be the last part of the essay that you write.
Develop a narrative that flows logically and supports a theme.
While the final essay should be about two pages long, early drafts will vary in length. Start by getting the main elements of the story you want to tell down on paper, then edit or expand the piece.
The conclusion should summarize the points you want to convey and re-affirm your intentions.
You have to keep in mind that an excellent personal law school is more than an interesting content. A good essay is also written in an excellent style and is well-structured.
The essay should be written through your own voice
The essay does not have to be dramatic or heroic. Your intelligence will become evident through a broad perspective that indicates your understanding and specific perceptions that demonstrate your insight.
Write about something you like or something you know. Be willing to start over if your theme isn’t working out.
Don’t teach, don’t preach, and don’t make a speech. Your readers believe they know what the law is and what lawyers do.
If you enjoy writing the piece, it will show and your audience will enjoy reading it.
Your own voice is very important in getting your message across the readers. However, make sure you express your own voice in the right way.
The most important thing to do is to write with sincerity and honesty. The Carnegie Mellon University recommends that you should be sincere and honest:
All the best essays will be both honest and direct.
- Don’t attempt to guess at what you think people want to hear.
- Sincerity and truthfulness should be clearly evident.
Some applicants, because of their fervent wish to get accepted into their dream school, forget the importance of sincerity and truthfulness. This leads to essays that don’t reflect their personalities at all. You should avoid committing this mistake in order for your essay to achieve its one true goal — get you admitted into your dream school.
To sum up everything, you have to plan your essay. Think about what to include and exclude in your essay. You should also decide on the writing style. And make sure that you use your own voice when you tell your story.
Is it your fervent dream to get into law school? You have to know that one of the best ways to get to the law school of your dream is to write an interesting admission essay. California State University shares some important reminders when you write a personal statement for law school.
Limit the pages for your personal statement law school
Write an essay that is no more than two pages, double-spaced (one page single-spaced) in length when formatted with normal 12 point font and one-inch margins.
Because of the limitations on the page, you have to make sure that you include only very important details. These details should not be the details found on your resume and application form.
Show your excellent qualities
SHOW traits like motivation, maturity, enthusiasm, honesty, independence, perseverance, creativity, passion, strong personal ethics, confidence, and appropriate humor. However, while emphasizing such strengths, be careful not to be obnoxious or arrogant. If you balance your essay by addressing a personal weakness, do so without being defensive.
Your essay is your chance to sell yourself. This is why you have to include your strengths. If you can’t avoid discussing your weaknesses in your essay, make sure you don’t sound too pitiful or defensive.
Write a personal statement law school intro that could grab attention
Start your essay with an attention-grabbing lead: an anecdote, quote, question, or engaging description of a scene.
The introduction gives you a chance to grab your readers’ attention. This is why you have to write a very interesting introduction. The The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shares some interesting thoughts about writing an introduction:
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The opening paragraph of your paper will provide your readers with their initial impressions of your argument, your writing style, and the overall quality of your work. A vague, disorganized, error-filled, off-the-wall, or boring introduction will probably create a negative impression. On the other hand, a concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will start your readers off thinking highly of you, your analytical skills, your writing, and your paper. This impression is especially important when the audience you are trying to reach (your instructor) will be grading your work.
Your introduction is very important because its the first thing that the admissions panel will read. A boring introduction usually leads to a boring essay.
You have to remember these reminders when writing a personal statement that could get you into the law school of your dreams. Again, show your excellent qualities, limit the length of your essay, and write a very interesting personal statement. When you write your essay, pay particular attention to the introduction. The intro will create a good first and lasting impression on the admissions panel. However, you should also exert effort in writing the body and conclusion.
Law school is an arena of tight competitions. From the application process, you will experience the tight competitions that will continue until you graduate. But before talking about graduating with a law degree, you have to focus first on how to get admitted into the law school that you’ve been dreaming of. Athen’s Learning Blog gives some tips on how to enter law school by writing a winning admission essay. Read the article to know some of these tips.
Use an authentic voice in your personal statement law school
Somewhat related to being honest is using your authentic voice. Sound like yourself. Now, don’t use a lot of slang and become too informal, but don’t try to sound like Shakespeare either. Use your own words instead of those written by someone from the 1800s.
Use a language that would be understood by people from all walks of life. Do not use cliche and highfalutin words because they can make your essay sound archaic and superficial.
Be sincere and honest on your admissions essay
One of the biggest mistakes students make is trying to say what they think the department wants to hear. They write a lot of flowery B.S. that the professors can see right through. Be yourself and tell the truth about who you are, what you expect from the program, and what you want to do with your life.
Talk about who you really are and not about who the admissions panel wants you to be. Remember that the admissions committee has a way of seeing through your lies.
Make your essay engaging
When you write your personal statement, tell your story. Give specific examples and stories of the situations that made you believe what you believe and made you want to get into this specific profession in the first place.
You have to make your essay very engaging from the beginning up to the end. You can do this by telling a story instead of enumerating accomplishments and events. You can also find helpful advice regarding this on this site:
You should not rehash your resume. Strive to make you and your life experience vivid in ways that complement the resume instead.
You also have to organize your details well.
Organize those telling details to help you articulate the core elements sketched above. Develop a logical narrative thread that will tie the paragraphs together.
Your personal statement for law school is one of the keys to make your dreams of pursuing a career in law come true. This is why you have to write a notable personal statement. Again, you have to be honest, original, and engaging in your essay.
Getting admitted into law school is not very easy. Law school is a very competitive arena for people like you. You can get better chances of getting admitted into the law school of your dreams if you write a personal statement law school that could grab the attention of the people who will decide, which is the admissions committee. The KPJT Law blog shares some interesting insights about writing a law school personal statement.
Purpose of a personal statement for law school
Consider the purpose of a law school personal statement, which is two-fold. First, you must try to convince an admissions committee that your accomplishments are worthy of consideration. Second, you need to prove that you are not only lawyer material, but you are also a perfect addition to the student body at that particular institution.
The goal of your essay is to provide evidence for these two claims. Emotional appeal won’t really work, so this is why you need to resort to logical argument that would prove your point that you deserve to be in a law school.
The presentation of your evidence
The admissions committee is your jury, and they need to see the proof that backs up your arguments. I work hard is not an evidentiary statement. How do you work hard? How have you demonstrated your work ethic throughout your lifetime, particularly in your undergraduate studies and employment? Your college grades at your undergraduate school will provide some evidence as to how hard a worker you are. Sharing your experiences in the workplace will too.
This means that you have to show and not just tell. You need to be specific in presenting your evidence. Don’t resort to vague generalities for this could weaken your argument.
More helpful tips
The second part of your essay needs to persuade your jury that you are a fit for that school. What is it about the institution that attracted you in the first place? For example, if the law school you are making application to has a strong commitment to encouraging pro bono work, describe why this appeals to you. Follow that by sharing related volunteer work that you’ve done.
You have to show to the admissions committee that you are not a fish out of the water. You need to make them see that you fit in perfectly in that specific community.
Aside from this, there are other more tips that could help you make a winning essay. The Time to Edit Blog gives another useful piece of advice.
Provide explanations where necessary, but avoid making excuses. If you feel the need to explain, for example, a pattern of low grades at the beginning of your college career, or a change in your major, consider creating an addendum to your application to address this topic briefly and separately from the body of your personal statement.
Making excuses will give an impression of immaturity. As much as possible, talk about the brighter things in your essay.
Before you write your personal statement law school, weigh your goals and purposes. After you have done this, you have to show strong evidence of why you deserve to be in that specific law school. Make sure that you persuade the jury of your worthiness through your admission essay.
The practice of law may entail some gut-wrenching activities that some law degree holders may find daunting, tiring, or even boring. Fortunately there are a host of other occupations that are available for those who don’t have the desire for litigation and its processes.
In-house counsel
Large companies and industries have their own legal departments to take care of everyday tasks that involve varying degrees of legal work. The duties of in-house counsel do not necessarily involve frequent high-profile litigations. However, administrative matters and duties may be assigned from time to time as in-house counsels also work closely with other departments such as Human Resources and even Finance.
Courts
The courtroom can still be the arena of a law degree holder even without having to do litigation. Attorneys in judicial clerkship jobs research and make recommendations on how to handle current cases.
Public Service
Politics can be the next step for lawyers who’ve had enough of traditional lawyering. One can start in the district attorney’s office by being elected into the post, after which a state attorney general post becomes the next big step. Lawyers can also opt to join the US Department of Justice or can hope to be appointed by the President of the United States to the US Attorney’s Offices. Other posts in the arena of politics are also available for the law degreeholder. However, experience, whether in court or in other areas of public service, coupled with a level of popularity is needed.
Legislation
Attorneys in the legislative sectors work closely with senators and other members of the legislature in the formulation of laws. Legislative attorney do research and even drafts of bills that may be enacted. Law degreeholders in this arena are exposed to the political factors as well and may eventually become part of significant events in history.
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A legal brief is a summation of a case or legal argument that is presented in court. It should be factual while remaining concise, and direct to the point. Legal writing classes in first year and moot court competitions teach law students some of the basics of drafting legal briefs. However, some cases in the real world have floundered due to poorly written legal briefs. Here are a few tips to guide legal practitioners, and refresh the memories of some, in writing a good legal brief.
KISS
Keep it short and simple. Courts usually have a set of rules that govern brief-writing. The Supreme Court has one that has been in effect since January 1, 1990. When fighting a federal appeal case though, grab a FRAP, not the coffee drink, but a handbook of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. These handbooks enumerate everything from page margins to length of the brief that should strictly be followed by the brief writer.
Questions Presented
Drafting the questions is a tremulous task. Questions that obviously point toward your favor is not presenting the facts clearly. Master the art of formulating sentences that are neutral-sounding but have subtle hints of the side you are arguing for.
Drop the prose
Law speak as we all know is heavy with prose and other jargon. Facts are crammed in a breath that painfully lasts like a five-line paragraph. Remember that facts should be presented clearly. Take note of the reader’s attention span and patience.
Statement of Fact
All lawyers know that all facts that are put in the brief should be those that can be found on the known record of the case. This consistency with known facts preserve the credibility of the whole brief, and can help you win your case. Other facts, though, can be presented with caution if they are relevant and in a descriptive light instead of a defensive manner.
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Aside form the jargon that baffles those who are not law degree holders, law firms are rife with locutions regarding the hierarchy inside these institutions. Here are some common terms used by law firms.
Billable hours
The bane of existence by all practicing lawyers. Simply put, one gets paid by the hour of services rendered. Sometimes, associates are ranked by their billable hours, though this is not done formally. The more hours you put in on working a case, the more you could bill a client.
Pro Bono
Literally translating to “for the good of the public,” pro bono hours are actually required by the American Bar Association for each lawyer. Though the ABA requires 50 hours, state bars may recommend fewer hours of pro bono service. The more free hours of legal service a law firm gives, the more chances they can be ranked higher and chosen by the best students from the top law schools.
Terms of hierarchy in law firms
Paralegal
Paralegals have the knowledge and the expertise to be employed in the legal industry but are not bar passers, nor have they completed law degrees. Paralegals perform legal research, prepare legal documents, and can offer legal advice when conferring with clients provided that they are properly supervised by an attorney. However, in the US, paralegals may choose to be certified or registered with the National Association of Legal Assistants or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations to improve their chances of employment.
Summer Associate
These are interns from law schools who are employed by law firms over a period of three months the summer. Eventually, if their performance impresses the law firm, they may be invited to stay on as associates of the firm.
Associate
Once you have been hired by a law firm, you can now start with the title of associate. This is usually the entry-level position for lawyers and is further categorized as junior associate and senior associate.
Partner
This is the position every greenhorn associate dreams of attaining in as little time as possible. An equity partner owns part of the law firm and shares in the total profits made.
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Law schools base their decisions on the exams, GPA, LSAT, recommendation letters, personal statement law school essays and recommendation letters to assess an applicants worth. The undergraduate courses that you have tackled can help drive you on the path toward a legal career. Extracurriculars tell more about the applicant, and they can be good topics for writing the personal statement law school essay as well. Law schools look for applicants exhibiting the potential to be a lawyer, and they look at the extracurriculars for the skills needed to be one.
Extracurricular Activities
Participation in community or non-government organizations
Active participation in non-government or community organizations championing various causes can help you get into law school. If you have a strong belief in a certain cause, it can even help shape your career towards a specialization like environmental law, gender and equality law, or even taxation law. However, join these organizations not because you want to put something on your resume, but because you share the same beliefs that they uphold.
Positions held
The ability to throttle an organization or at least play a part in its major planning can make one a viable candidate for a slot in law school. Law schools look for people who have strong leadership and organizational qualities.
Writing stints
Contributing to the local or school paper or journal can also be of value when applying for law school. Having exemplary writing skills can help one draft an impressive personal statement law school essay – skills that many law schools would like to see honed for the next few years.
Debaters
Communication skills harnessed by experience in debate and speech are also what law schools like to see in applicants. A lawyer needs to be able to communicate ideas clearly in his or her trade. Work experience as broadcast media practitioners can also fare favorably with admission panels of law schools.
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A law review is a journal or paper edited and distributed by students of a particular law school. Law reviews are staffed by students of a law school and features articles penned by law professors, judges, and law practitioners. The law review is the avenue for academic publishing of articles related to the judicial system. Students can also publish articles called “notes” or “comments” in law reviews.
What types of law reviews are there?
Law reviews basically cover a wide range of issues regarding the law but there are some law schools that publish reviews about specific topics. These satellite journals or specialty law journals offer a more concise focus on issues concentrating on one type or branch of law.
Who can join a law review?
Law students vie for positions in law reviews and law journals in their respective schools. Flagship law reviews most often use writing competitions to screen members. Student in their first year of law school can join and if picked, write those case notes and comments that come out during the school year. Senior student soften hold the editor positions while those younger are assigned to staff positions.
Why is it important to join a law review?
Law reviews and journals serve as platforms for legal discourse in the academic level. Though articles done by a student can hardly influence any major legal decision in the field of law, such articles can be cited to be of great integrity as these are usually well-researched.
Having the name of your law review as a bullet in one’s resume is a good bait to reel in prospective employers. Law firms are on the look out for candidates with the best credentials, and membership with a law review or journal signifies that the candidate possesses exceptional qualities.
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US Supreme Court justices have been a source of inspiration and instruction for most law students. Here’s a look back on three famous judges turned justices who have left their mark on the face of the country’s judicial process.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Chief Justice Holmes, who authored The Common Law, is an icon that pushed others toward proper legal thinking. Holmes went to Harvard for his undergraduate then participated in the American Civil War. After being wounded in battle, Holmes returned to Harvard to take up law.
After a year of teaching at Harvard Law, he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and became notable for his bold reasoning. President Roosevelt nominated him for the US Supreme Court Chief Justice position which he won on December 8, 1902.
Chief Justice Holmes defended and made clear the scope and limitations of the freedom of speech, and he became the proponent for most of the liberties enjoyed by all up to the present.
Benjamin Cardozo
Chief Justice Benjamin Cardozo was nominated to the US Supreme Court in 1932 by President Hoover following the death of Chief Justice Holmes. Cardozo entered Columbia Law School in 1889. Cardozo practiced law until he joined the Supreme Court of New York in 1914. His nomination to the post in the US Supreme Court by President Hoover was unanimously seconded by everyone.
Cardozo produced treatises that have become valuable texts for the study of jurisprudence: The Nature of the Judicial Process, The Growth of the Law, and The Paradoxes of Legal Science.
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia has been made famous for his scathing wit and argumentative styles. Scalia studied law in Harvard and was even the Notes Editor of the Harvard Law Review. He taught at Stanford, Georgetown, and University of Chicago while dabbling in a political career as a public servant. Presently, the second most senior Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, Scalia has made a lot of distinctions in his colorful career.
Scalia believes that the Constitution is a legal document that should be the basis for many of the rulings in court, not as a living organism that can be interpreted for the benefit of others. This textualist and conservative approach somehow challenges law students to view the Constitution for the most succinct approach. Scalia has authored a new book called Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, which is is endorsed by The Federalist Society.
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