sample law school personal statement

Want to know how to arrange your ideas for an excellent law school application essay? Read on to learn these important essay writing tips:

Every lawyer knows how to structure something around a central point. You can show just how good you are at this through your application essays. Nothing beats an essay that is coherent and tightly bound around a central theme. Here are tips on how to do this:

Arranging admission essay ideas into an outline

An outline will be your best friend when you are writing an essay. An outline works because it breaks down your essay into smaller parts, making it easier to write. You can brainstorm for ideas and come up with an outline in minutes, and this can guide you into making the rest of the essay. Think of an outline as the scaffolding to the house you are planning to build. Once you have made the framework filling in all the gaps will be easy to do. For the most basic outline, divide the essay into introduction, body, and conclusion. Experts advise hooking the reader with an eye-catching opening line. This could be anything from an interesting quote to a question—anything that grabs the attention of the reader gives your essay a bigger chance of being read from start to finish. To ensure that the essay has a cohesive theme, make sure that the body paragraphs relate to the introduction.

Other essay writing tips for a more effective flow of ideas

Aside from brainstorming and creating an outline, for a more effective flow of ideas, write and rewrite your essay, making sure that one paragraph flows freely into the next and the whole experience is not punctuated by wrong spelling or a grammatical mistake. You will find that rearranging paragraphs will make the essay a more interesting read, and you can only do this if you reread and edit until the essay looks just right. Do not be surprised if it takes you a number of days to come up with a law school application essay that reads just right. It is a fact that not all good writers can come up with an admission-worthy essay in just one sitting.

Related questions:

1. Should I use an essay when writing my law school admission essay?

2. How many words should I write for my law school admission essay?

3. How does brainstorming help me make my essay?

Want to write an excellent law school admission essay? Read on to learn how to make an essay that will get you to the law school of your dreams.

Your law school admission essay should be impeccable. One of the main things you must remember is that you cannot put everything in your law school essay. You may have done all the preparatory work, taken all the exams, and done all the extracurricular activities needed to make yourself a good law school candidate. You can list all these down in another part of your application. When it comes to the essay, knowing what to include and what to leave out is extremely important.

What not to include in your law school entrance personal statement

The first thing to remove from your law school entrance personal statement is anything that is negative, such as the details of a bad last semester or your personal faults and flaws. A law school admissions essay is not the right place to air out dirty laundry. Be sure to write with confidence. Talking about how inferior you feel compared to other more competent applicants will not draw pity points from the admissions panel. Also avoid using a life history approach to your essay. Rather than giving a chronological blow by blow of your life from the time when you were in diapers to your college days, choose an engaging story from your own life and structure your essay around that. Finally, avoid making lists. A list of your accomplishments can be found in another part of the application and is bound to bore the socks out of every member of the panel if you include it in your essay.

Other things to keep in mind when writing application essays

Other things to keep in mind when writing application essays include being concise, making the essay sound personal with the use of personal anecdotes, and making sure that any grammatical or spelling errors are not left behind. Also maintain an air of modesty in your essay. A piece that is full of presumptions such as statements of how the school cannot do without a man of your talents and abilities is bound to ruffle some feathers and will likely get your essay in the trash pile.

Related questions:

1. How many times should I rewrite my essay?

2. How do I know which to include in my essay?

3. Who can help me polish my law school application essay?

Contrary to popular belief that law school students immediately go to law firms and practice law after graduation, there are actually quite a number of various positions that law school graduates apply for. From legal and corporate research to socio-political activism, here is a list of some of the fields and industries that law school graduates can work in:

Legal research, consultancy, and analysis

Though the knowledge gained in law school is valuable, most students feel the need to immerse themselves further in the legal realm before they apply their knowledge and litigate in courts. One good way to do this is to work as a legal researcher or legal consultant. Doing so will enhance the law school students’ work experiences while adding to their knowledge on legal matters.

Public administration and policy-making

It’s common for law school graduates to run for office after gaining much experience and knowledge on the legal aspects involved in holding government positions, such as policy-making. Most politicians hire law school graduates to be part of their staff to help them craft speeches, conceptualize and formulate policies, and even to lobby for bills. Working in this field is ideal for those who specialized in constitutional laws.

Corporate and professional industries

Especially for law school graduates who specialized in finance and taxation, companies and corporations hire law students because of their knowledge on taxation and revenue laws. Every large-scale company needs an attorney to take care of whatever legal issues that the company may fac, may it be labor-related or regarding income and revenue.

Non-profit and civic organizations

The types of law school graduates who go to work for non-profit and civic organizations are usually those who specialized in labor laws, human rights laws, environmental laws, and family law. For some law students, their law school education is best put to use by working in non-government organizations and civil society organizations dedicated to advancing human rights and bringing attention to social issues. The legal knowledge that law school graduates possess is valuable to such organizations because they provide the necessary information to hold socio-political entities accountable and pursue structural changes.

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In addition to passing the entrance exam and submitting a well-crafted personal statement, admission into law school also requires applicants to submit at least two letters of recommendation. If you’re at a loss as to what these are and whom to get them from, read on to find out the answers to these top two FAQs regarding letters of recommendation.

What are letters of recommendation?

Letters of recommendation are documents secured usually from previous professors and lecturers,  which serves as complementary documents to your law school personal statement. Letters of recommendation are used by admissions committees to gauge the intellectual capacities and academic skills of applicants. These also serve as backing proof of the self-evaluation you give in your law school personal statement. Letters of recommendation allow admissions committees to know more about you by getting the perspective and opinions of the people you’ve worked with.

Just like in other graduate schools, letters of recommendation are usually part of the basic requirements of getting into law school. These, along with your transcripts and personal statement, will be the admissions committees’ preliminary basis for considering your application. Some law schools provide a template for how your letter of recommendation should be written, while some let applicants structure their own. The main thing to remember in letters of recommendation is that they should detail your personal and professional traits as well as the writers’ experiences in working with you.

Who should you get to write them?

Again, this would vary depending on the law school you’re applying to. Some law schools provide key reference persons, such as your professors and lecturers in undergraduate schools, while some will require you to get a letter of recommendation from someone you’ve worked with professionally. Some may even require a combination of both. If the law school did not give specific references, it’s still wise to get recommendation letters from previous professors. You get plus points if you get them from instructors you were close with or got good grades from, because they are the ones who will most probably give a glowing evaluation of you and your work.

A legal career has its own versions of ups and downs. Lawyers have the advantage of getting high salaries, wearing designer suits, and working in high-end offices. However, they still have to work hard to advance their positions in private law firms and public litigation. Lawyers usually stay up till morning to study and prepare cases. With these in mind, it is just enough that lawyers get decent paychecks. If you are considering a career in the legal industry, read the following so you’ll know what to expect.

Salary range of a lawyer

Salaries of lawyers are determined by a number of factors. Their experience in the legal profession is just one of these. Based on the September 2008 PayScale report, fresh law school graduates who are just starting their careers in the legal profession earn an average of $50,000 per year. After 10 years, a graduate’s salary increases as much as $30,000. After twenty years of leaving law school, a graduate can earn as much as $100,000 annually.

A lawyer’s specialization also plays a role in his or her salary. A lawyer for corporate affairs can earn at least $85,000 annually. This, so far, is the highest earning specialization for lawyers. Graduates who specialize in litigation and appeals, on the other hand, can earn as much as $75,000 per year. Real estate lawyers can have an annual income of $74,000.

The workplace of lawyers is also a consideration. Government lawyers can earn at least $91,000 per year. Lawyers handling hospital legal concerns earn about $83,000. Those who are working for non-government organizations can have a median salary of $54,000.

Jobs of law school graduates

Law school graduates can opt not to practice law. As a matter of fact, they can get positions in various industries. Graduates can qualify for jobs focused on litigation, insurance defense, and education. Finance and media industries also offer positions for law school graduates. Top level and mid-level positions in these industries can also be offered to lawyers. However, their job offer can be determined by their pre-law school job experience, legal specialization, years of experience as a lawyer and law school academic standing.

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Sample law school personal statements are one of the best tools for writing your own application essay. They won’t write your statement of purpose for you, but they’ll give you ideas you may not have come up with on your own. But while sample law school personal statements are all over the Web, not all of them are actually helpful. In fact, many people still commit common mistakes after reading a dozen admission essay samples. It’s your job to know what sets bad sample law school personal statements apart from the good ones. Here are some things you should watch out for.

Sample law school personal statements with spelling and grammar mistakes

Law is a field where the smallest verbal slip can send your whole argument down the drain. Admissions panels expect you to have a good grasp of grammar and get your point in a clear and concise manner. Even with a perfect LSAT score, a less-than-perfect application essay can give away your weakness. Sample law school personal statements with grammatical slips, typos, and other technical mistakes are probably written by amateurs and may not be very reliable.

Sample law school personal statements with weak introductions

According to the University of California at Berkeley, law school officials can make their judgment only seconds into your admission essay. This means that your introduction can make or break your entire application. Sample law school personal statements should hold your interest longer than the first paragraph. Watch out for words like “worthwhile,” “meaningful,” and “dynamic”—these words are empty and don’t really say much. Instead, narrate your experience and show them what makes it worthwhile, meaningful, or dynamic.

Sample law school personal statements with opinions

The Boston College guide puts it best: Your admission essay should be an image of you. Law school personal statements are a statement of purpose, not a position paper. Avoid sample law school personal statements that start with opinions or discussions of current issues. Instead of offering your take on various social issues, tell them how such issues have affected you and influenced your decision to study law.

Sample law school personal statements with legal jargon

Some sample law school personal statements use legal terms just for the sake of doing so. Law schools aren’t impressed with jargon; after all, it’s their job to teach you that. Your academic ability is measured by your LSAT and transcripts, not your knowledge of Latin phrases. If you have to talk about a legal experience, don’t be afraid to speak in your own language.

Remember, not all sample law school personal statements will give you a viable statement of purpose. It’s still your job to screen sample law school personal statements to see which ones can actually help. After all, law school personal statements are not just about how well you write, but also how well you can defend your point—no matter how small.

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