Law School Personal Statement

Personal Statement‍

When thinking about your Personal Statement, you should think of it like a template. For each school, you should explain specifics of why you want to attend ... and those specifics will change from school to school.

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For example, say I wrote "I wish to pursue a career in Family Law" in my Personal Statement. For one school, I might write a separate Why X School that includes specifics such as "I will benefit from attending the school's annual conference on family law, and the Domestic Violence Practicum, Externship Program, and a Family Law Field Clinic will expose me to the thought leaders of the constantly evolving laws in family law."

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However, another school might not allow me to write an entire Why X School essay. For that school, I might customize the Personal Statement to include similar details customized for that school.

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Please note: You must do research on your specific area of interest on each school's website.

Specific Law Clinic (s)
Relevant Law Centers
Opportunities to Serve on Relevant Legal Journals
Relevant Student Groups

Possible Externship with a law firm employer
Possible Internship with judges and attorneys within the legal system

Practice with advocating in court / moot courts / mock trial competitions

Specific courses on that area of law

Pro bono work / community service work

Mentorship programs / Inns of Court program
Any areas of special assistance for students, for example, legal research, legal writing, advocate training, public speaking, bar exam study support
Career planning

Personal Statement Components

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The following are the basic components that I look for in a Personal Statement. Please note that this is not an outline.

I. Conveying a Passion for a Particular Policy Matter and/or Issue

A. What is the interest?

B. What gave rise to this interest? Explain your motivations, and ideally tie to your personal background.

II. Law School Decision - General Interest in Law

A. What brought you to the decision to go to law school?

B. What do you hope to achieve in the legal profession?

III. Why You Would Be a Good Lawyer - Compelling Reasons (you don't have to have all of these below!!!)

A. Real-life experience that can be applied to working with clients

B. Real experience working in a law firm

C. Aspects of your education / degree that will give you an advantage as a lawyer or in your field

D. Aspects of your personality (for example, mediating in family disputes)

E. Demonstrated ability to show empathy and/or work with different people from different backgrounds

F. A cultural background that would allow you to work effectively with a certain distinct set of clients that are usually underserved

I look for elements in the Personal Statement that directly ties to the individual law school. You can develop your Personal Statement for one school, and then plan to alter it (carefully) for each school. You will have to be careful about submitting the right essay to the right school.

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Law School Skills and Traits

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Below is a list of skills and traits that law schools look for. We will need to provide examples of these in the resume, essay(s), and hopefully recommendations.
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Applicable skills
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Research
Review documentation or contracts
Read & keep current with regulations or institute practices
Write - for example, if you write large reports or short summaries as part of a job
Communications (meaning, regularly keep people informed)
Present to others (by this I mean, stand up and speak, ideally presenting some sort of information)
Negotiate
Advocate for others (or for yourself)
Debate or defend decisions / ability to present a different side to an argument / ability to add to a discussion
Leadership of Team and/or Teamwork
Ability to work with a variety of different clients / types of people / Ability to listen
Ability to manage multiple assignments

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Traits that make you a good fit for the legal profession

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Logical
Honest & ethical, including upholding client privacy
Detail-oriented / Careful & precise
Analytical / Able to understand and synthesize information to what is most important
Compassionate
Resilient and calmness during high-pressure situations
Ability to persevere (I'd also say having an optimistic attitude is a lawyerly trait)
Proactive
Creative
Intellectually curious & enthusiastic about learning new things
Problem-solver (related to the above four)
Community-minded and/or able to network with others
Strong work ethic

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Texas Law Optional Statement 1: Any Information that Your Application would be Incomplete Without

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Prompt: Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the J.D. program and contribute to the University community and the field or profession.

May not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

Texas Law Optional Statement 2: Experience Engaging with Ideas with which You Disagree

Prompt: Civil dialogue and reasoned debate over contested ideas are core values both for the practice of law and in legal education. In light of this, Texas Law is interested in learning about experiences you may have had engaging with ideas with which you disagreed, and how such experiences have impacted you.

May not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

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1-3 Gap Statements

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Undergraduate Performance

If your academic performance for one or more academic terms was markedly different from that of others, please explain. Please make any other comments about your college transcript(s) or your preparation for college that you believe will help the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application.

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Standardized Test Performance

Candidates sometimes seek to establish that their academic potential is inaccurately reflected by standardized tests or that one LSAT or GRE score is more representative than another. If you believe this to be true in your case, please explain.

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Resume and/or Education Gap

If there are any gaps in your résumé or education, please provide further explanation.

HLS: Statement of Purpose & a Statement of Perspective

2 pages max, double-spacing, one-inch margins, and a font size that is comfortable to read (no smaller than 11 point).
We expect every applicant to use at least one full page for each Statement.
Please place (a) the name of your Written Statement (i.e., either “Statement of Perspective” or “Statement of Purpose”) in the document’s header, left-aligned, and (b) your full name in the document’s header, right-aligned.
Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future?
Statement of Perspective: The Admissions Committee makes every effort to understand who you are as an individual and potential Harvard Law School student and graduate. Please share how your experiences, background, and/or interests have shaped you and will shape your engagement in the HLS community and the legal profession.

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Yale Law: Personal Statement / 250 word / Optional Essay

two double-spaced pages, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "Personal Statement" in the header.

250 word: write about an idea or issue from their academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to them. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; this is an opportunity for readers to learn more about how you would engage intellectually in the Law School community.

The 250-word essay should be double-spaced, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "250-Word Essay" in the header.

Optional Essay: one page double-spaced, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "Optional Essay X" in the header (X should be the number of the question selected; e.g. Optional Essay 3). The prompts for the optional essay are as follows:

- Option 1: The Law School has a strong tradition of public service and encourages its students to contribute to the community in a wide variety of ways. Describe a community that has been particularly meaningful to you. Discuss what you have gained from being a part of this community and what you have contributed to this community.
- Option 2: The Law School encourages its students and alumni to be leaders, innovators, and changemakers across many different sectors. Describe one of your most important accomplishments and explain why it is important to you. Discuss how you demonstrated leadership, helped innovate, and/or drove change as part of that accomplishment.
- Option 3: The Law School values determination and resilience and recognizes that these traits are critical to success at the Law School and in the legal profession. Describe a significant challenge, disappointment, or setback that you have faced. Discuss how you approached this experience and what you learned from it.
- Option 4: In order to succeed at the Law School and in the legal profession, you must be able to have discussions across difference and be open to changing your mind. Describe a time when you changed your mind on an important topic after discussing it with a person with whom you disagreed or learning additional information. Discuss what you learned from this experience.

Addenda: Applicants may submit addenda to their application if any are necessary for a full representation of their candidacy. These addenda may include, for example, explanations related to transcripts or test scores, including a history of under-performance on standardized tests. It is not necessary to include any addenda, and many applicants do not include any.

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