The Charleston School of Law or CSOL was founded in 2003, and is one of the only two law schools found in South Carolina. Charleston Law dedicates itself to producing intellectually competent lawyers with high moral character. The school is host to three student publications that aim to provide a venue for students, law practitioners, lecturers, and legal professionals to discuss topics pertaining to human rights, current social issues, and legal academics: the Charleston Law Review, Federal Courts Law Review, and MALABU, or Maritime Law Bulletin. More information about the school’s course offerings can be found at www.charlestonlaw.org, with information on application procedures listed at the website’s admissions page.
CUNY Law, or the City University of New York Law School, was established in 1983 and specializes in public interest law. As the school’s motto aptly states, Law in the Service of Human Needs, the City University of New York Law School offers a curriculum that is designed to imbibe in students the passion and desire to become lawyers who will serve the disempowered and disadvantaged members of society. The clinics and concentrations that the school offers include International Women’s Human Rights, Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Economic Justice Project, and Community and Economic Development. You can find the full list of courses and clinics offered at CUNY Law at their website, www.law.cuny.edu and information on applications at their admissions page.
The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is the law school branch of Cleveland State University located in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally established in 1897 and named Cleveland Law School, the institution merged with the John Marshall School of Law in 1946, and since then has adopted the name Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The school offers a JD degree, five dual degree programs, and LL.M. programs. The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is also known for being the very first evening law school in Ohio, and one of the nation’s first law schools to accept minorities and women in their academic community.If you’re interested in applying to Cleveland-Marshall Law, check out the school’s admissions page to get the lowdown on the processes and requirements.
Founded in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law or Campbell Law is one of the graduate schools of Campbell University and is located in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The school offers a JD-MBA program, as well as the JD-MTIM (Masters in Trust and Investment Management) degree. The JD-MTIM degree is offered to students in association with Campbell University’s Lundy-Fetterman School of Business. The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law aims to produce lawyers who not only possess professional competence, but also social compassion and moral conviction. To know more about the application requirements and procedures, you can visit the school’s official website at www.law.campbell.edu or their admissions page.
The Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law first opened its doors in 1892, and is one of the oldest existing law schools in the US. The Backus School of Law is the law school of Case Western Reserve University and has produced a long line of successful lawyers and politicians who have served in the local and federal government. The school offers several dual-degree programs such as JD-MBA, JD-MSSA (Social Work), JD-MD, JD-MPH (Public Health), and JD-MA in Bioethics. Case Western Reserve Law also offers the LL.M. in U.S. and Global Legal Studies Program. To know more about the school’s course and program offerings, visit their website at www.law.case.edu and the school’s admissions page.
Chapman University School of Law, or commonly referred to as Chapman Law, is a private, non-profit law school established in 1995 and is located in Orange, California. Chapman Law is one of the graduate schools of Chapman University, and offers combined degrees such as JD-MBA, JD/MFA in Film and Television Production, and LL.M. degrees in Prosecutorial Science and Taxation. Chapman Law emphasizes ethics and good citizenship in their legal instruction and training — an aspect of teaching that the institution deems is essential in producing competent lawyers. The school is also a member of the American Bar Association, as well as the Association of American Law Schools. For more information on Chapman Law, you can visit their website at www.chapman.edu/law/ and the school’s admissions page.
Boston College Law School or BC Law was founded in 1929 and is one of the graduate schools of Boston College in Newton, Massachusetts. BC Law is known for its programs in the fields of social justice, human rights, and public interest law. The school is also known for having a highly selective admissions process. The school’s list of notable alumni include US senator John Kerry, Michael S. Greco, former president of the American Bar Association, and countless other prominent lawyers who have become ambassadors, senators, congressmen, judges, and justices. For information on BC Law’s courses, programs, and application requirements, visit the school’s official website at www.bc.edu/schools/law/ or the school’s admissions page.
The Boston University Law School or BU Law is a branch of Boston University which was founded in 1872 by a group of lawyers, educators, jurists, and law teachers with the aim of making quality legal education available to anyone with merit. BU Law offers joint degrees such as JD-MBA, JD-MPH, and JD-MA, in association with the other graduate schools and colleges of Boston University. The faculty at BU Law uses the Socratic method of teaching, which encourages interactive, intellectual dialogue between students and lecturers. To see the complete listing of the programs and courses offered at BU Law, check out the school’s official website at www.bu.edu/law/, and the school’s admissions page.
Brooklyn Law School or BLS was established in 1901 by Norman P. Heffley and William Payson Richardson, with the aim of making legal education accessible and available to women, immigrants, and the less privileged members of society. Located at the heart of New York City, Brooklyn Law School boasts of a diverse student body and a multi-faceted academic community. The school offers joint degrees in association with other colleges and academic institutions; JD-MBA with Baruch College, JD-MA in Political Science with Brooklyn College, JD-Masters in Urban Planning with Hunter College, and tons more. You can find the complete list of courses and programs that BLS offers at www.brooklaw.edu, and more about the school’s application process at their admissions page.
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.
Photo Credit : David Silverline
Personal statements can get you into the law schools of your choice. When only one slot is up for grabs and the admissions committee is deliberating on which of the students to take, you could be chosen if you’ve prepared your personal statement well. So other than knowing what information to include in your essay, know, too, what major mistakes to avoid.
Mistake 1 – Saying you’re applying to law school with earning big bucks as your motivation
While earning is one of the rewards in a legal career, avoid letting the admissions committee think that you are all about money. By doing so, you will create a negative first impression of yourself. This impression can result in a feeling among admissions committee members that you are one of the last people to be considered for admission into a law school.
So, say that you want to provide legal service or to promote justice in your city or community. Explain the ideal reasons why you want to become an attorney. After all, money as your motivation can fail you and make you less persevering to surpass great obstacles.
Mistake 2 – Enumerating your experiences and achievements in your undergraduate education
There is nothing more dull and unappealing than reading a list of an applicant’s college awards, successful projects, and high grades. Such details in law school personal statements are a turn off because, for one, the details fail to show an applicant’s humane side. Also, the admissions committees look for a well-written narration of an applicant’s perseverance in overcoming obstacles and in achieving goals. Finally, the list of an applicant’s achievements are already written in his or her resume and to cite similar details in a personal statement is just being redundant.
So, outline the information you will include in your personal statement and write it as interestingly as possible. Include details about how you prepared for a contest you won or how you faced big challenges in school. These pieces of information reveal to the admissions committees how you will persevere as an attorney.
Mistake 3 – Exaggerating or fabricating personal information
It is true that law school personal statements are the last resort to get into the universities of your choice. But as you write your essay, avoid creating a better version of yourself. The members of the admissions committees are experts and can recognize fabricated data. So, just present yourself as you are and explain how you overcome your weaknesses.
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