Law school is an intensive academic experience that demands significant dedication of time. Demonstrate your grasp of this institution by drawing connections between its unique programs, notable faculty, and community involvement to your career goals and personal experiences.
An effective law school essay relies on storytelling. Use your essay to present a clear vision of why and what you wish to achieve from law school, then explain its relevance within that.
1. You’re ready to learn
Law school is all about learning and assimilation of information. You will read hundreds of legal cases and discuss them in class with professors and peers; therefore it is crucial that you demonstrate you can manage both studies as well as extracurricular activities without falling behind academically.
This essay does an effective job illustrating this point with its anecdote about the author attending a protest and seeing prison lights flicker in response to crowd chanting, driving her desire for law school as she wanted to assist those she saw at that moment and protect them.
Notable here is that although she does a commendable job highlighting her desire to aid those in need, it would have been much clearer had this been tied directly into her desire to attend law school. By discussing how experiences relate to future goals it would make it much simpler for the reader to comprehend why she seeks admission and will make a great lawyer.
Another key component of this essay is how it emphasizes leadership qualities, an essential aspect of becoming a lawyer. Students often participate in class discussions or lead presentations as part of their courses, so demonstrating your ability to participate and contribute should be highlighted by either recounting an experience that illustrates your leadership capabilities or using the “montage” approach to weave together different parts of your life into an organized narrative that supports your career goals.
2. You’re passionate
Law school enrollment rose for the first time since 2008 in 2018, creating an increasingly competitive applicant pool. To stand out from your rivals and secure a spot in a program that best matches your legal career needs, crafting an engaging “Why Law School?” essay may help your application.
An effective “Why Law School?” essay allows you to demonstrate both your in-depth research and thoughtful connection with an institution. To achieve this goal, it is important that both academic and extracurricular factors in choosing law schools be addressed, in order to avoid becoming overly preoccupied with one aspect. You might emphasize diversity commitment or special programs which meet your goals while not overemphasizing one factor over another – just make sure not overstating them!
Example of an excellent application This applicant describes her dedication to combatting human trafficking by offering legal aid to victims in need. She describes how her previous work experience prepared her for this field, and shows she understands both academic and personal components of a law school’s mission.
This applicant does an outstanding job describing her achievements and their role in setting her up for success in law school. Her descriptive details create a vivid, engaging narrative that keeps the reader’s interest. Without becoming boastful or arrogant, she describes her experiences and efforts with humility while still coming across as effective.
3. You’re a good writer
As a law school student, you will spend considerable time writing. From casebooks to legal documents, your writing will be utilized both academically and professionally. Therefore, being a good writer is essential for success – this means translating complex ideas into simple language while reading widely about a particular topic is helpful; practice your craft regularly while receiving feedback from peers is equally essential for growth.
Some may consider themselves natural writers; however, writing is more than simply fluency and vocabulary; practice makes perfect. One way to improve is to set aside time each day to write. Starting out, write in an uninhibited stream-of-consciousness style where your thoughts come out; later you can come back edit later. Receiving feedback from others – particularly on application essays – will also be invaluable as this can help identify errors or areas for improvement.
If you are applying to law school, one key component of your application will likely be submitting a personal statement as part of your application. An effective personal statement that demonstrates both your skills and interest for law should help secure admissions decisions. It’s therefore essential that this essay demonstrates both.
An effective personal statement will demonstrate your suitability for law school. A powerful opening statement should set the scene, then develop from there with details regarding academic, extracurricular and personal experiences; all while emphasizing your interest in serving others through law. Aiming to show that law school attendance is part of your well-rounded life goal will demonstrate this effectively.
4. You’re a good communicator
Law is an industry that demands strong communicators both verbally and in writing. Lawyers must convince clients, judges and juries of their side of the story and explain complex legal concepts clearly to all audiences – essential skills in any successful legal career – so showing these abilities through your application essay will make an impressionful statement to an admissions committee.
This example illustrates how an author uses vivid details to draw the reader into an engaging first-person narrative, while showing great attention and knowledge of their audience by telling a compelling and relevant tale. Furthermore, they take responsibility for early errors – an integral component of any personal statement.
This student does an incredible job at weaving disparate experiences into an engaging narrative for their law school personal statement. They employ a montage structure – an outline style which allows writers to write about multiple parts of their lives while connecting the dots between each of them – to bring her experience together in a manner which makes sense.
She provides evidence from her time working on the front lines of COVID-19 as an impactful example to demonstrate why she wishes to switch careers and move from medicine into law. This provides a solid platform from which she can discuss why she wants to transition out of medicine into legal studies.
Students should also consider how their academic and extracurricular paths will intersect in law school. By detailing which clinics, courses, or student organizations meet your legal goals you can demonstrate that you have done their research and that you will make an effective contribution to the law school community.
5. You’re ready to be challenged
Law school can be challenging if you’re unprepared. Exams often feature written and multiple choice questions that may prove too much for those not used to answering long essay-type essays and questions for hours at a time. To demonstrate your resilience against such challenges, weaving strong examples into your narrative shows admissions committees that you have the grit necessary to push through tough times when necessary and that if accepted into their program you would make an effective attorney.
One way of doing this is to show that you possess the necessary skills required for law practice, specifically your ability to weave a captivating tale. Lawyers tend to be adept communicators, making storytelling an integral component of their job. You can demonstrate this skill by explaining how both personal and professional experiences have prepared you for legal work.
As we saw in an essay we reviewed earlier, the writer used her experience attending a protest to examine her motivations for becoming a lawyer and how it will benefit her community as an attorney. Finally, she explained why her chosen law school provides the ideal environment to achieve these goals – making a powerful case for her candidacy.
Spending the time to brainstorm and craft an impactful law school personal statement can make a significant impactful statement for your application success. Before finalizing it, be sure to seek feedback from trusted friends or mentors with knowledge in writing essays; their constructive criticism will allow you to refine both content and structure of narrative for an impressive finish.
