Albany Law School is known as the only law school found within the Capital Region of New York, and is the nation’s oldest independent school of law. Founded in 1851, Albany Law was also the very first law school in the US to publish a student-edited law review, the Albany Law School Journal. Albany has produced countless alumni who have gone on to become successful and distinguished players in their field, such as former president William McKinley, and US Supreme Court Justices David Brewer and Robert H. Jackson. More information about course and program offerings and the application process can be found at Albany Law School’s admissions page.
The American University Washington College of Law or WCL is located in Washington D.C. and is known internationally for its strong programs in the field of human rights law and public interest work. The Washington College of Law was established in 1896 and is the home of The Business Law Brief and The American Jurist, two student publications which have both been recognized and awarded by the American Bar Association. WCL is known for its focus on public interest law, and provides grant money for students working in the public sector through the Equal Justice Foundation. For more information on the program offerings at WCL, visit the school’s official website at www.wcl.american.edu and the admissions page.
The Appalachian School of Law or ASL is a non-profit law school located at Virginia which was established in 1994 as a tool to jumpstart economic development in the region. ASL offers a three-year Juris Doctor degree program and is known for their focus on leadership and community service. Proof of their dedication to community service is the program’s graduation requirement for students to complete 25 hours of community service per semester. The Juris Doctor curriculum at ASL also emphasizes alternative dispute resolution and professional responsibility. More information about ASL’s Juris Doctor program, as well as the application process and requirements can be found at ASL’s admissions page.
After writing an impressive personal statement law school, getting accepted into law school, studying the legal profession, and then finally earning your law degree, you might come to that point when you’re thinking that you don’t want to practice law. This is altogether not an uncommon dilemma faced by recent law school graduates, after they’ve had three of four grueling years in law school.
The good thing about this is that, aside from practicing law, there are many other things that you can do with your law degree. When you study law, you learn many skills that you can use to your advantage in other careers. Law school teaches you how to think analytically, conduct extensive and comprehensive research, write concisely and clearly, distinguish between philosophical clutter and relevant facts, and present your ideas persuasively. You can go into non-traditional legal careers, which are fields that do not require you to have a law degree, but having one is a definite advantage.
Pursue education careers.
Because you already know much about law, why not pursue a career in teaching law? This way, you can even choose a specialization and you’d only have to deal with a particular aspect of the law. You can teach undergraduate courses such as business ethics, criminal justice, environmental policy, anthropology, legal studies, law and psychology, law and society, law and history, and law and economics. Of course, before you can teach these specialized branches of the legal system, you may be required to undergo further studies. The Master of Laws (LL.M.) program and the Doctor of Juridical Science (in the US) are some of the advanced study programs in law school.
Get into environmental careers.
There are many environmental careers that you might want to consider going into. You can become an environmental advocate, environmental consultant, environmental policy analyst, environmental protection specialist, hazardous waste management consultant, technological program hazards specialist, safety and occupational health specialist, or coastal zone resources manager. Some companies (especially oil companies) employ people knowledgeable on the legal issues relevant to the environment to make sure that they do not violate any of them.
Try your hand at management and administration careers.
Your law degree will give you advantage over other applicants in management and administration positions such as unclaimed property administrator, emergency management specialist, management analyst, program analyst, foundation executive, elections administration officer, and grants management specialist. Having a law degree gives you the advantage of knowing the legal issues and policies associated with companies and corporations, giving you an edge over other applicants for the position.
Delve into media and entertainment careers.
The media and entertainment industry will always be a dynamic, fun, and challenging field to work in. This industry provides you with various options and you might want to try being a law correspondent, legal editor, legal newspaper publisher, literary agent, legal publisher account representative, sports agent, or acquisitions editor for publishing houses. Your skills in reading a significant volume of text and researching through several sources definitely make you qualified to work in companies focusing on the media.
Try other careers.
With your law degree, there are many other careers and industries that you can look into. These include real estate, criminal justice and law enforcement, financial services, human resources and employment, insurance and risk management, journalism, and research. The key here is to know your interests and skills, and choose a path that will give you the most fulfillment and happiness. The fact that you have completed 4 years in your undergraduate degree and 3 or more years in law school already says a lot about your determination and capabilities.
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If you want to get accepted into a law school, then you have to craft a very good personal statement. A personal statement law school gives you the chance to distinguish yourself from the other candidates. It is very important that you cite excellent reasons for wanting to attend law school. Below are 5 of the best reasons why people want to get a degree in law. See if these reasons apply to you and then use them in your personal statement if you feel that such reasons are going to help make your personal statement stand out:
I’ve done some research on both legal and non-legal careers and have decided that a law degree is right for me.
When you’ve already done research regarding your options, then this means that you have more or less a good idea of what you’re entering into. Deciding to go into law school after you have considered other alternatives is good because this means that you’ve probably seen that going into law fits your interests and skills better than other programs.
I’ve worked in a legal organization and loved what I had to do.
This is an excellent reason for wanting to go into law school. When you’ve already worked at a legal organization, then you have observed the work of lawyers and have liked what they do. Getting an internship at a law firm while in college or after you graduate is a good way for you to prepare for law school.
I attended some law school classes and doing so made me more interested in becoming a lawyer.
If you’ve already seen what happens inside law school classes and you liked what you saw, chances are, you really want to go to law school. This is better than just reading books about law because you have experienced being part of the classroom and have seen what going to law school entails.
I’ve interviewed different lawyers and I think I would love doing what they do.
Getting the real deal from attorneys is great because this means that the information you have about the profession comes from someone credible. It would be good for you to ask many lawyers about what they do and their experiences, both the good and the bad.
I’ve always read what I can about law and I want to help people resolve their legal problems.
Reading books about law and knowing what you can about the profession makes you aware of what being a lawyer requires. If you’ve dealt with case studies and had a few law courses during college and the experience only increased your desire to be a lawyer, then it’s a good sign that you may be right for the profession.
Aside from these top five reasons for wanting to get a law degree and becoming an attorney, there are other possible reasons you can cite in your personal statement. The key here is to include genuine reasons that can help convince the readers about you deserving a slot at their law school.
Although being a lawyer offers better employment opportunities in the public and private sectors and higher compensation packages, stating that these are your reasons to go to law school may be in bad taste. The admissions committee members may not look at your application favorably. Perhaps, you can mention that these reasons did come to your mind in your decision to go to law school but that these are only secondary and merely represent the add-ons to being a lawyer.
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