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⭐️How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement

Check the application of every school to which you’re applying, but in general, you should follow these guidelines.

I prefer a one-line header. Put your name on the left, your LSAC number in the middle, and the words “Personal Statement,” followed by a page number, on the right. It looks like this:

In case you’re not comfortable with Word headers, I’ve made a correctly formatted .docx file with a one-line header.  Click here to download the sample text, then substitute your information for the placeholders.

You can also put all the information on the right-hand side, in three lines, like this:

If you use a three-line header on the first page, you may want to use a shorter header—name, page number—on subsequent pages.

The Essay Body

• Don’t give your essay a title.
• Use twelve-point, Times New Roman font (an eleven-point font is fine too if the application doesn't specify)
• Use one-inch margins all around.
• Double-space your essay.
• Left-align or justify your essay.
• Add half-inch indentations to each paragraph.
• Don’t add an extra return between paragraphs.
• Use one space after periods.

I’ve implemented this formatting in the personal statement format sample .

Learn about our admissions consulting and editing services .

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4 Law School Personal Statement Examples + Analysis and How-to

Law school personal statement analysis by CEG Law School Admissions Specialist Amy Stein.

Dissecting a few law school personal statement examples is an excellent way to start off your law school essay writing process. You’ll better understand how to write a law school personal statement by reading some examples (like those below) that got their writers into their dream law schools. 

To set you up to write a strong law school essay, we’ll provide brainstorming exercises and content outlines to help you show your best side in your personal statement while directly addressing what law schools are looking for, and questions you may have such as how long a law school personal statement should be and what kind of law school personal statement structure to use. Each of the law school personal statement examples below take slightly different approaches to their structure.

Let’s dive in.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are law schools looking for, law school personal statement example #1, law school personal statement example #2, law school personal statement example #3, law school personal statement example #4, how to write a law school personal statement, three-step law school personal statement writing process, further tips to revising your law school personal statement.

We’ll dive into detail in our How-to section below after we analyze some law school personal statement examples, but as you read, keep in mind that in your personal statement, there are a few key qualities to make sure to demonstrate with your story and writing:

As you look through the personal statements below, notice the different ways each essay demonstrates those three qualities. Also, pay attention to how each author chose a topic/approach that allowed them to demonstrate

How their personal values/background/story/accomplishments connect to their desire to attend law school

How they’ll contribute to the diversity of a law school (note that “diversity” is used in the broad sense here—not just diversity of race, but of thought, experience, point of view, etc.)

How they’ve already developed some of the skills necessary to being a good lawyer

We’ll talk about these things more in the How-to section after the example personal statements.

Note: Below we’ll present a successful law school essay in full, and following that we’ll break the essay into sections, with in-depth analysis piece by piece so you can best understand how to craft your own essay.

Many students do not apply directly to law school after graduating from college; admissions committees are familiar with seeing essays from so-called returning students.  This essay from a student who worked for a number of years before applying to law school demonstrates effectively how her career in the medical field led her to want to become a lawyer.

Full example personal statement:

Ever since I was a little girl, I thought that I wanted to work in the medical field. To me, those who did were superheroes. As I grew older, I began to pursue my desire to be in the medical field so that I too could one day be a superhero. When I started my healthcare career a few years ago, I was eager and optimistic. Unbeknownst to me, the field would come to drastically change, and I would uncover disheartening truths about the healthcare industry that would make me question my ambitions. In 2020, the world began to battle COVID-19, and healthcare hasn’t been the same since. By personally working on the front-line during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became quite apparent to me that the healthcare system is broken. This pandemic has shed light on just how inadequate the public health industry is. The unfortunate truth was revealed that healthcare is, at its core, a business. Providers in the private sector are often faced with the dilemma of wanting to treat a patient who truly needs their help but being limited by the rules and regulations of the corporation they work for. Even the widely utilized COVID-19 test requires insurance at most private companies. If a patient does not have medical insurance, they are forced to pay exorbitant amounts for this necessary, potentially life-saving test. Despite the fact that providers and staff are empathetic to the patient’s situation, unless the patient is able to pay the business, there is not much they can do to help. Furthermore, burnout has reached new heights among healthcare professionals in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the high patient volume that many clinics are seeing, patients are often turned away at the door due to a lack of resources and staffing. The demand placed on medical personnel during this pandemic has surpassed the expectations placed on them in the past, causing an unfortunate decline in patient care. Medical providers are asking for help from a system that will not answer their call. The healthcare industry has not only failed its providers, but it has proven to be ineffective in its ability to give adequate care to patients with nowhere else to turn. I believe that unless action is taken toward improving such an overwhelmed industry, the patients and medical providers are going to suffer. It is this new outlook on the healthcare industry that has motivated me to pursue a career in health law. I want to work to fix this fragmented, unjust system. I want to protect the patients’ and providers’ rights. Medical providers should not be forced by their employers to turn patients away because of their socioeconomic status. And, patients should not feel as though they have nowhere to turn when they are in desperate need of help. Studying health law will give me the tools necessary to construct public policy that can address the fundamental issues that are plaguing the healthcare industry today. It will allow me to  defend policies that promote greater access to more affordable and higher quality healthcare. It will also give me the opportunity to protect providers from any legal liabilities they might be subjected to due to the regulations placed on them by their employers. I know that I have what it takes to succeed in this pursuit of an education and eventual career in health law. My background in the study of biology and my direct work with patients and providers will bring a unique perspective to my future law school community, as well as the legal profession. By pursuing an education in health law, I intend to enter a profession that aligns with the interest and knowledge I have discovered and developed through real world experience. By being involved in health law, I will be able to accomplish things in healthcare I had not even imagined when I began my journey in healthcare years ago. I believe it will give me an opportunity to ensure patients receive quality care at a level that is unencumbered by the rules and regulations of the business that is healthcare. A career in health law is the solution to ensuring that a patients’ inalienable healthcare rights are respected, and that the medical providers can administer the care they know to be medically necessary. I know that as a future proponent  of health law, I can and will become the superhero I had once hoped to be.

Paragraph-by-paragraph analysis:

Paragraph One: Introduction

Ever since I was a little girl, I thought that I wanted to work in the medical field. To me, those who did were superheroes. As I grew older, I began to pursue my desire to be in the medical field so that I too could one day be a superhero. When I started my healthcare career a few years ago, I was eager and optimistic. Unbeknownst to me, the field would come to drastically change, and I would uncover disheartening truths about the healthcare industry that would make me question my ambitions.

This is a solid setup for the essay’s narrative—the writer lets the admissions committee know from the outset that she has had a significant career before applying to law school. The reader immediately knows about the author’s background and passion for healthcare. The last sentence detailing the writer’s disillusionment with healthcare foreshadows her desire to go to law school. The superhero analogy is one that resonates, especially in a post-COVID world in which those in the medical field were frequently referred to as superheroes.

Paragraph Two: Background/Preparation

In 2020, the world began to battle COVID-19, and healthcare hasn’t been the same since. By personally working on the front-line during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became quite apparent to me that the healthcare system is broken. This pandemic has shed light on just how inadequate the public health industry is. The unfortunate truth was revealed that healthcare is, at its core, a business. Providers in the private sector are often faced with the dilemma of wanting to treat a patient who truly needs their help but being limited by the rules and regulations of the corporation they work for. Even the widely utilized COVID-19 test requires insurance at most private companies. If a patient does not have medical insurance, they are forced to pay exorbitant amounts for this necessary, potentially life-saving test. Despite the fact that providers and staff are empathetic to the patient’s situation, unless the patient is able to pay the business, there is not much they can do to help.

While it has become relatively common in recent years for students to submit essays detailing how they have personally been impacted by COVID, the broad perspective that the author provides is something that an admissions committee would find impressive. First, she worked on the front lines during the pandemic, which inherently lends credibility to her statements. She nicely highlights the inherent dichotomy between the kindness and compassion of front-line workers and the business aspects of medicine, and how the former impacts the latter. This paragraph also provides further effective background information, so the reader is starting to understand why she wants to leave the medical field and pivot to law school.

Paragraph Three: Expanded Background + Values

Furthermore, burnout has reached new heights among healthcare professionals in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the high patient volume that many clinics are seeing, patients are often turned away at the door due to a lack of resources and staffing. The demand placed on medical personnel during this pandemic has surpassed the expectations placed on them in the past, causing an unfortunate decline in patient care. Medical providers are asking for help from a system that will not answer their call. The healthcare industry has not only failed its providers, but it has proven to be ineffective in its ability to give adequate care to patients with nowhere else to turn.

Here, again, the dichotomy between compassionate medical care and business concerns is highlighted.  It acknowledges the almost insurmountable problems faced by providers—“Medical providers are asking for help from a system that will not answer their call.”  This is not only good writing (a foundational legal skill), but it also continues the setup of why the author wants to go to law school.

Paragraph Four: Pivot/Bridge to Law

I believe that unless action is taken toward improving such an overwhelmed industry, the patients and medical providers are going to suffer. It is this new outlook on the healthcare industry that has motivated me to pursue a career in health law. I want to work to fix this fragmented, unjust system. I want to protect the patients’ and providers’ rights. Medical providers should not be forced by their employers to turn patients away because of their socioeconomic status. And, patients should not feel as though they have nowhere to turn when they are in desperate need of help. Studying health law will give me the tools necessary to construct public policy that can address the fundamental issues that are plaguing the healthcare industry today. It will allow me to  defend policies that promote greater access to more affordable and higher quality healthcare. It will also give me the opportunity to protect providers from any legal liabilities they might be subjected to due to the regulations placed on them by their employers.

There’s a nice initial payoff and pivot here—as readers, we see the dots connecting her shift into health law, based on her experiences in the opening section. Her interest in improving conditions for both providers and patients reflects a good grasp of the field and understanding of broad policy issues. Being able to spot issues in this way demonstrates that she has the analytical skills that she will need to succeed in law school. Again, her passion for the subject comes through. She has painted a very clear picture of herself as a thinker and healthcare advocate; this leads one to believe that she can easily transfer these skills to a career as a legal advocate.

Paragraph Four: Further Pivot/Bridge to Law

I know that I have what it takes to succeed in this pursuit of an education and eventual career in health law. My background in the study of biology and my direct work with patients and providers will bring a unique perspective to my future law school community, as well as the legal profession. By pursuing an education in health law, I intend to enter a profession that aligns with the interest and knowledge I have discovered and developed through real world experience.

Effective as it is, much of this essay has discussed the policies that have made the student want to go to law school, rather than directly discussing her attributes. This is actually the most personal paragraph in the essay, and yet the reader feels that they have learned much about who the student is in the preceding paragraphs.

Paragraph Six: Conclusion

By being involved in health law, I will be able to accomplish things in healthcare I had not even imagined when I began my journey in healthcare years ago. I believe it will give me an opportunity to ensure patients receive quality care at a level that is unencumbered by the rules and regulations of the business that is healthcare. A career in health law is the solution to ensuring that a patients’ inalienable healthcare rights are respected, and that the medical providers can administer the care they know to be medically necessary. I know that as a future proponent  of health law, I can and will become the superhero I had once hoped to be.

This student wants to use her prior career to help her in her future career as a lawyer—the essay provides a clear roadmap of where she has been and where she wants to go. Her reasons for wanting to go to law school will make compelling sense to the admissions committee. She touches on her background in biology and her interest in helping both patients and providers. She ties the essay together nicely by referring back to the superhero analogy from the opening (a technique often referred to as “bookending”), and one is left with the impression that she will easily transition from being a medical superhero to a legal one.

Unlike other graduate schools which ask you to prepare a statement of purpose that focuses on your past academic experiences and what your areas of intellectual interest will be if you are accepted to the program, the law school statement of purpose is much more focused on you as an individua l—what aspect of your character or past experiences will help you become a successful law student and ultimately a successful lawyer?  

The essay does not have to be overly complicated—a simple, clear piece of writing that gives a sense of who you are, what your values are, and why you want to be a lawyer is an effective path to take. On a technical level, a grammatically correct, well-edited piece is critical since writing is an essential skill for potential lawyers. Substantively, the piece should tell a story about who you are and what matters to you—what are you passionate about? 

The essay below is a nice example of this approach.

Law school essay example:

Filotimo . This little eight-letter, four-syllable word eludes explanation. I can’t quite put my finger on an exact definition, and neither can Google Translate or any Greek-American dictionary or translator. Nevertheless, I will do my best to define it: filotimo is a Greek word that embodies the foundational Greek principles of honor, duty, dignity, hospitality, and warmth. Living through the values of filotimo means being selfless and helping others, not in expectation of reward but in the fulfillment of a sense of duty and virtue. Prior to even knowing such a word existed, these were the values I grew up with in the Greek-American community and the pillars with which I have unconsciously structured my life. The root of my passion for filotimo comes from my parents: two natives of a small island in the Cycladic cluster of the Aegean Sea, Andros. Every summer, we vacation to Greece to relax and reunite with family on our breaks off from school. Andros is my home away from home. But in the endless summers I spent soaking in the sun and strolling through the towns, I often blissfully got swept up in the winds of oblivion, ignorant to the urgent state of affairs in my little hometown, as I was clouded by my youthful naïvité. The island was in a financial slump, not only because of the notorious country-wide recession, but also because of the island’s ongoing struggle to allure a tourist crowd and make enough during the summer months to support the locals for the entire year. With every passing summer, I slowly became more aware of the unstocked shops that no longer sold my favorite Greek chocolates, and I noticed the pharmacy disappear on one corner of the agora while the butcher shop disappeared on the next. The community and the people I grew up with who gave life to the island were packing their bags and boarding up their buildings to find jobs elsewhere. What once was my hometown’s steady breath was now a vanishing gasp for air. While others gave up, my parents took this crisis as a call to action. As board members of the Andros Society of USA, a Greek-American organization devoted to forging a community of Andriotes across the United States, they kick-started fundraising efforts and charity galas to raise money and help the locals in their time of need. Through their selflessness and passion for filotimo, they inspired me to be a part of the effort towards reconstructing the island and giving back to a cause that hit close to home. I have sold numerous raffles and ads for our society’s journal, consistently promoted and raised awareness on social media platforms, and, above all else, invested countless hours towards creating a better future for my home away from home. At our last gala alone, I was a major player in the effort that raised over $30,000 to fund medical supplies for the island’s only hospital. I have devoted myself to doing everything I can to help others, both abroad, through the Andros Society’s major philanthropic efforts and locally, through my church community, to give back to soup kitchens and natural disaster relief programs. Essentially, choosing a career in law satisfies not only my passion for academia but my drive for helping others and putting the values that I was raised with into practice. Whether it’s being the person who will stand up for a small Greek community in the middle of the Aegean or the person who will stand before a court in the state of New York to defend a client or a company, filotimo is what I put into practice in everything I do. For these reasons, I am confident that my dedication to contribute towards a greater good and my passion for living by the values of filtotimo will be invaluable in my future as an attorney.

Choosing to organize the essay around a Greek word that embodies ideas and principles that are important to the author is significant on multiple levels—she lets the reader know from the outset how important her identity as a Greek-American is to her; she also highlights the personal qualities that are important to her and that she believes she embodies. This is a little different than some of the other essays we see where the reader sets up a roadmap of why they want to go to law school. This author’s approach is refreshing and makes the reader want to continue reading to find out where her filotimo journey will take us.

She continues the journey by describing how her parents are immigrants, making her a first generation American, which is of interest to admissions committees. There is a nice contrast between her idyllic summers in Andros and her growing understanding of the economic hardship the country was facing.

As is typical in most law school statements of purpose, the first couple of paragraphs are used to set up the core idea in the essay. The next two paragraphs nicely detail what she did to help others—following the example set by her parents. Although these activities are not directly related to law, they do demonstrate a desire to help others and her ability to organize and mobilize others, both of which are skills of an effective lawyer.

This essay helped the author successfully apply to law school, but there are some ways the essay could be made even stronger: While this essay gives an excellent picture of who the applicant is as a person, it could more clearly draw the parallel between the experiences described and her reasons for wanting to attend law school. For example, she mentions her passion for academia in the last paragraph but that is not tied to anything else in the essay. While she does say she will stand up for people in court the way she stands up for her town, she could have drawn a clearer parallel between her passion for helping those in her community and whom she wishes to help as a lawyer. This would further help the admissions committee to see where her interests as a lawyer lie.

This essay was also written by a student with significant work experience prior to applying to law school.  As in the other essay by a returning student (Example 1, above), it does an excellent job of explaining what the prior career entailed and how the experiences she gained in that career are what encouraged her desire to be a lawyer working in the field of family law. This is a powerful story that is well told and would clearly grab the attention of the admissions committee.

Below, we’ll offer paragraph-by-paragraph analysis again.

Paragraph One: Intro via narrative experience

In January 2021, I spent nearly six hours sitting in Bliss County Family Court with one of my clients, a single mother of a toddler, while her abusive, estranged husband sat across the room. It was the day of their custody hearing, and my client had been agonizing for weeks about whether she would be granted sole custody of her daughter. I reassured her and reminded her that she was her child’s only caregiver and provider — and with good reason, on account of her husband’s alcoholism and physical and emotional abuse.

Lawyers are storytellers—whether you are trying to convince a judge or a jury that your client should win, or trying to negotiate with an adversary to get the best deal for your client, it is often the attorney with the most convincing story who wins. Admissions officers know this, so if you can demonstrate strong storytelling skills in your essay, that will make a strong impression because the reader will believe that you will be able to transfer those skills to your law student experience. This six-line paragraph does such an excellent job of laying out the client’s difficult situation without being melodramatic. It also clearly shows the student’s role in assisting and reassuring her. It is a very effective start to the story.

Paragraph Two: Narrative continued

When my client asked me to accompany her to the courthouse, I told her I would only be able to wait with her, because as a non-lawyer I did not have any authority to speak on her behalf. She understood, and I realized she wanted me there as a moral support. She was afraid her husband would try to manipulate her into some informal custody arrangement, and she thought that as long as I was there, he would not approach her, and she would not be tempted to acquiesce to his hypothetical demands. She was right, and the outcome of the hearing was in her favor. I was happy for my client and relieved that her daughter would remain in the right hands. And although I was glad that I could be of help to my client, I felt frustrated that I could not advocate further for her that day.

This paragraph does a really nice job of developing the narrative, especially by illuminating the author’s feelings and core values driving her decision to attend law school. Again, she clearly and effectively conveys her client’s concerns and the reasons why she wanted her there. More significantly, the student also conveys her frustration at the limitations of what she could do to help the client. This is the next step in laying the foundation for why she wants to go to law school.  

On paper, my role as a case planner for a child welfare agency is about checking boxes: assessing the condition of the child’s home; checking for suspicious marks or bruises; requesting medical and educational records; and making referrals for community-based services. In reality, the job is all that plus more: waiting with parents in courthouses, welfare offices, and schools; grocery shopping with a family struggling to make ends meet; reading mail to an illiterate mother; hugging a crying toddler; discussing the importance of safe sex with a rebellious teenager; listening to the many trials and tribulations of primarily low-income people of color dealing with generational trauma; trying to support and advocate for them in any way I can; and feeling defeated when I can only do so much for them within the confines of my position.

This paragraph continues what she had done in the prior one but through a broader lens—laying out what she can do for her clients overall and again the limitation of the position because she is not a lawyer.  This development from the specific to the general continues to tell her story in a very effective way.

I value being a point of contact for the families I have served over the past two and a half years. I believe it is meaningful work to direct a person asking for help to a resource or organization that can better support them. But I dream of a future where, when a 12-year-old tells me she wants her aunt to adopt her, I can help them on that journey. Or when a mother asks me for advice on how to respond to her abusive ex’s petition for visitation with their children, I can formulate a plan with her and advocate for her in front of a judge. Or when an undocumented parent asks me for legal assistance, I can confidently provide it to them rather than give them information for Legal Aid and hope for the best. These exchanges are real, and they reaffirm my intent to practice family law every day.

This paragraph does a really nice job of recognizing and honoring her work with families; it says much about her character that she so clearly values the opportunity that she was given, which is an important characteristic for a lawyer. She also clearly demonstrates how this social work position was the first step in a journey. The examples she gives shows the admissions committee that she has thought through very carefully the reasons why she wants to become a lawyer and what she plans to do with her legal education.  This kind of reflective approach will make this essay stand out.

Paragraph Five: Conclusion

My desire to pursue family law did not begin with my work in child welfare. It first occurred to me when I was a freshman journalism student with a vague interest in law, and it was a future I could envision for myself. On the cusp of graduating, I found an opportunity to work in child welfare through the nonprofit Fostering Change for Children. I spent July 2018 with my cohort in an intensive child welfare training at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and subsequently started my role as a case planner. This work is challenging, at times grueling, and emotional; yet above all else, it is restorative and fulfilling. Nowadays, I view family law as a vehicle to be a stronger and more effective advocate for resilient children and the parents and caregivers who work within their capacities every day to keep those children safe and healthy. I believe that an education at XXX Law and an opportunity to participate in the school’s Child Welfare Clinic would build on the strengths I have developed in my current role and provide a pathway to become the advocate I strive to be.

Remember, an important part of the essay is to let the Committee know more about you. This paragraph shares more of her history and interest in the family law field. It specifically references the Child Welfare Clinic at the school to which she is applying. Referencing specific courses or clinics or academic centers that the school offers shows the reader you have done your homework and figured out why their school is a good fit for you, rather than just submitting a generic essay. 

When I first moved to the Deep South, I was applying for a visual anthropology MA program. Armed with a DSLR and VideoMic Pro, I documented the local Black Lives Matter movement in North Carolina. But social justice work quickly drew me in, and within a few weeks, I turned from an observer into a participant. Within four months, I found myself standing arm-in-arm in a crowd of activists, surrounded by riot gear police and the National Guard, demanding change during the Charlotte Uprising following the shooting of Keith Scott. I remember marching past the towering Mecklenburg County Jail to see the long rows of rectangular cell windows. Dozens of cell lights began to flicker. The inmates seemed to be saying that they knew we were out there fighting for their rights. After that moment, I decided to dedicate my life to concrete, practical approaches to criminal justice reform through law and advocacy, insteading of pursuing visual anthropology. As a documentarian and organizer in Asheville, I worked deeply within anarchist circles to execute and document acts of civil disobedience, like police station sit-ins, demonstrations outside city officials’ homes, and road blockades. I not only learned that water-based sunscreen is preferable to oil-based sunscreen (it’s easier to clean out of your eyes if you get pepper sprayed), I also learned that having radical politics can alienate a lot of people, including those you’re trying to help.  For example, it was difficult for our “affinity group” (the building block of anarchist organizations) to collaborate with moderate black organizations in order to make improvements to the police department because many anarchist organizers I worked with wouldn't compromise their radical beliefs. This was incredibly frustrating for me. I remember one morning calling my dad, who runs a nonprofit, and mentioning the difficulty I faced. With a laugh, he told me he's spent the last 30 years of his career compromising. Footnote: I grew up volunteering for my father and stepmother’s nonprofit, which serves primarily youth of color in South Florida. I first witnessed the impacts of mass incarceration on family members by working directly with these kids (many with incarcerated parents): from teaching them acting, to accompanying them when they visited their imprisoned parents, to interviewing them about their personal stories. During this phone call with my dad I realized that he and my step-mom have to compromise often in order to effectively help people. This was a turning point for me.  My affinity group couldn’t surmount challenges we faced because we refused to work within the city’s legal framework for ideological reasons. But navigating the legal system is often necessary to help those impacted by the justice system or to work to reform it. This is why I want to attend law school. As a future public defender or lawyer working on reformative policy, the lesson in compromise I learned organizing will better equip me to work with judges and prosecutors in the courtroom or to write effective policy that reconciles the goals of seemingly disparate interest groups.  Columbia Law School is the perfect place to prepare me for this challenge. Columbia’s unique social justice curriculum (classes like “Lawyering for Change,” the “Racial Justice Litigation Workshop,” and the “Law and Organizing for Social Change Externship”) will pair well with my statistical research and programming background when creating innovative, data-backed policy solutions to criminal justice problems. In fact, scholarship by Columbia’s Philip Genty into the collateral damage of the criminal justice system on families very closely relates to the kind of independent research I hope to engage in and publish in the Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Building upon my volunteer work with the Children of Inmates program in South Florida, where I interacted with children of men facing life sentences, and my work canvassing for voter rights restoration for those with felony convictions, I am eager to participate in the “Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic” where I can develop my skills in and understanding of litigation-based solutions to federal prisoner confinement and innocence claims. Because, to family members of inmates, those also impacted by the criminal justice system, criminals are much more than just flickering lights. Word Count: 696

Tips + Analysis

Connect where you’ve been to where you’re going. Ideally, your personal statement helps readers 

A) to understand some core aspects of who you are and 

B) to see how part of your personal story and experiences have set you up for the next step in your path: law school. Specifically, how certain aspects of your experiences and subsequent world view connect with the type of law you hope to pursue. 

Doing this allows a reader both to feel more connected to you personally and to understand your deeper motivations—things they can’t get from your transcripts or test scores. Notice how, in the essay above, the author’s experiences in the body paragraphs directly set up the legal focus at the end of the essay, and why the author and Columbia belong together. Speaking of which…

Show why you + [X law school] belong together. It’s a great idea* to show that A) you’ve done your homework on the program and B) that you and that particular law school fit together perfectly in values and focus. Spend time researching the school, its professors, its classes, and its mission, and demonstrate why those things fit with your goals and focus. This paragraph should change for every school you are applying to. (*Unless  you’re applying to a school with a separate essay prompt directly asking why you are applying to that particular program, in which case, avoid repetition).

From the examples above, you’ve probably noticed that there’s no single way to structure and write a law school personal statement, but that they do share certain key characteristics. Writing a personal statement for law school is fairly similar to writing a personal statement for an undergraduate application, with two big distinctions:

Stylistically, you want your law school personal statement to be more direct and less poetic. UC Berkeley Law has a few savage paragraphs of advice ominously addressed “from a past admissions committee member” that nicely summarize the stylistic approach one should take in a law school personal statement (and what not to do). 

Your concluding paragraph for your law school personal statement should be like a tiny “Why This School" statement, IF the school doesn’t have a separate “Why This School” essay. There are three reasons why this is important. 

First, it allows you to end your personal narrative by directly connecting to the school. It’s like answering the “So what?” of your story and bringing it full circle. 

Second, it helps you demonstrate interest in the school. 

And third, it shows that you are prepared and have done your research.

Writing a law school personal statement can seem more difficult than it needs to: The goal of the essay may not feel super clear, or maybe you’re unsure if you’re striking the right balance between getting personal and telling the reader why you’re awesome. The guide below will help. 

Writing your law school personal essay generally follows three main steps: topic selection, structure, and revision.

So below, we’ll explore:

Finding your topic.

Structuring your content.

Revising the details. 

Step One: How To Find A Great Topic for Your Law School Personal Statement

The best topics for a law school personal statement allow you to address four different areas: 

Your personal background and outstanding accomplishments that have driven your desire to attend law school

How you’d contribute to the diversity of a law school (note that “diversity” is used in the broad sense here—not just diversity of race, but of thought, experience, point of view, etc.)

Experiences you’ve had and obstacles you’ve overcome

Why the school is particularly suited for your career goals (but again, if the school asks for a separate essay on why you want to attend that law school, don’t repeat yourself)

Important note: If you have a unique background or are from an underrepresented population, and your experiences feel central to your personal story, we’d generally recommend saving that content for your diversity statement if the law school requires one, and focusing on another central story in your personal statement, unless you can write about it in a way that doesn’t sound repetitive. 

Another important note: You don’t need to think about why that school is particularly suited for your career goals (factor #4) when picking a personal statement topic. You can write that section afterward, by researching the school and connecting details of what the school offers to your narrative/experiences/interests/passions.

Here is an example outline of a law school personal statement (example 4, above) with a topic that hits these four goals. Notice that each of these sentences can be expanded to become a paragraph of the essay:

While applying for Visual Anthropology MA programs, I documented Black Lives Matter groups and protests. 

But I was pulled into social justice work and I found myself working as a community organizer for a racial justice campaign in an anarchist community in Asheville, North Carolina [#2 diverse and unique]. 

But we had a hard time making a difference because many folks in our affinity group were alienating the people of color we were trying to serve because of their radical politics [#3 obstacles]. 

I was only able to see the solution to this obstacle by drawing on my previous experience working in nonprofits [#1 measurable impact]. 

Through this, I learned the importance of compromise when trying to affect change [#3 overcoming obstacles], and so I want to go to your law school and study Critical Race Theory and criminal justice policy reform [#4 Why Us section] so that I can better affect change by working within the system.

Step Two: How to Structure Your Law School Personal Statement

Below, we’ll discuss two structural approaches for your law school personal statement: narrative structure, and montage structure.

Which will work best for you depends on your answer to this question:

Do you feel you have faced significant challenges and obstacles in your life, and/or is your application to law school driven by specific, chronological experiences?

If “yes”, try narrative.

If “no”, try montage.

Narrative structure for a law school personal statement

Here’s a commonly used narrative structure (used in screenwriting) that you can easily adapt for your law school personal statement. You’ll find it used in the law school personal statements above. Basic narrative structure is as follows:

Status Quo: How life was before some important catalyzing event.

Inciting Incident/Status Quo Change: Something happened that changed everything.

Raise the stakes: Other things happened that made things worse or more intense!

Moment of Truth: A key event or decision that led to a resolution of the primary conflict.

Outcome/New Status Quo: Ways that life is (and you are) clearly different from the beginning.

Now look back to that example outline in the previous section. Notice how each of those five sentences hit each of these plot points, like a micro-story. Each can be expanded to build out an essay that will maintain a clear, logical flow.

Some helpful tips:

Focus on your actions in response, not the challenges/obstacles. Your reader cares about the obstacles. Kind of. But what they really care about are the actions you took in response, the things that show your values, growth, and insight. 

Here’s another, even simpler way to think of narrative structure : 

Something happened in my life

I did something about it

I learned something from the experience/s. 

To think of this in concrete terms, each of these three steps should each comprise about 1/3rd of the essay (depending on if a school has a separate section for “Why That School”, or if you need to include it in your personal statement). Many people make the mistake of only focusing on the first 1/3rd. But law schools are most interested in hearing about the second and third parts—what did you do, who have you become, and how does this drive your desire to become a lawyer?

Haven’t Experienced Any Big Challenges In Your Life? Try montage structure

If you haven’t experienced many big challenges in life, or you don’t feel that there are clear chronological experiences that drive your interests in law, there is a different structure for the law school personal statement we call montage structure that doesn’t rely on a central conflict to tell your story. It involves writing about different parts of your life in a way that uses your career goals as a focusing lens or thematic thread, tying those seemingly disparate experiences together.

To build a montage outline, pull out a piece of paper and draw three columns on it.

Step One: In the first column, write down your career focal point (for example, corporate contract law).

Step Two: In the second column, write down the top three or four values and/or skills that you think will be important for the type of law that you’d like to go into (for example, the ability to read logically complicated texts).

Step Three: In the third column, write down as many experiences you’ve had as you can that illustrate each of those values or skills (for example, taking tons of classes in philosophy, writing a mathematics thesis, or being a programmer).

Structuring this type of essay involves thinking about your essay backwards : you first get clear on your career focal point (which you’ll put toward the end of the essay), then figure out the skills and values that fit that career, then you brainstorm experiences in your life in which you’ve already exhibited those skills and values.

In your essay, you will connect these three things (your experiences, the values/skills/insights they illustrate, and how they set you up for your chosen career path) by talking about your experiences, then the values and skills you gained from them, then your career focal point where these skills will be useful. The reason you want to write it in this order is so that you surprise the reader more as you continue to answer “so what?” to the information you are giving the reader. The paragraphs can function like this:

Paragraph 1:

I had experience A.

Specific details of experience A that illustrate/taught me lessons and values.

So what? (As in, insight you gained, ideally ones that surprise the reader a bit.)

Paragraph 2:

I had experience B.

Details of experience B that illustrate/taught me lessons and values.

Probably 1-3 more paragraphs like that (depending on your word count limits).

Then, a clear transition, that says roughly:

“These lessons/values/skills/insights above will be important in my law studies.”

Then your final conclusion paragraph:  

Essentially “This is why your law school will be perfect for preparing me for my practice in this type of law.”

A note on the power of “so what?”

The idea of answering “so what?” is both to show your reader that you can reflect deeply on your life experience and to connect this life experience to your future law study.

Here are two variations on how to structure a montage approach to a law school personal statement:

Pick one skill or lesson and then illustrate 3-5 ways that you gained or learned it.

Pick 3-5 values/skills/lessons and then illustrate how you gained or learned each.

A few tips:

Make your connections unusual and your values specific. There are lots of other people who are going to be describing how their student government experience developed their value for “leadership” or how that nonprofit internship instilled in them the value of “wanting to help people.” These values are also a little bit vague, so you’d want to refine them. But showing the reader how you learned to “compromise on policy while maintaining your values” while managing a political campaign or “learning when it’s actually healthier to quit” when training for a marathon are slightly unusual connections that can not only help you stand out but will show some depth to your personality. #dontbebasic

Don’t rehash your resume. If you’re going to offer details from an experience that you listed in your resume, then make sure that they are not already listed in that resume. We’d even go one step further and argue that, if the resume already communicates, implicitly or explicitly, that you have that skill or value, then don’t use that as a paragraph in your personal statement . For example, if you won a debate competition and listed it on your resume, don’t talk in your personal statement about how it strengthened your public speaking skills—that’s already really obvious. However, if you talked about how your debate experience taught you the importance of trust, that has potential to be an interesting and unusual connection.

Law School Personal Statement Example Structures

Here is a simple outline structure for a law school personal statement example:

Paragraph 1: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. -> How this connects to what I want to study.

Paragraph 2: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. -> How this connects to what I want to study.

Paragraph 3: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. -> How this connects to what I want to study.

Paragraph 4 ("Why This School" section): Here are the things at your school that will help me study this.

Alternatively, you could wait to connect your lessons to what you want to study for the end. This creates a kind of “surprise!” effect, where all of your experiences and values suddenly explode with deeper meaning once you reveal the type of law you want to study:

Paragraph 1: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. 

Paragraph 2: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. 

Paragraph 3: The experience I had -> The lesson I learned or skill I gained. 

Paragraph 4: How these three lessons/skills connect to what I want to study.

Paragraph 5 ("Why This School" section): Here are the things at your school that will help me study this.

Here is more detailed information on how to use montage structure, as well as an example essay. (Although it uses an undergraduate applicant’s essay, the structural principles are the same.)

Regardless of which structure you choose, the conclusion paragraph (the "Why This School" section) will be the same, with minor differences to fit what comes before it in the body.

Step 3: How to Revise Your Law School Personal StatemenT

For revision, work big to small:

Is this the right overall topic/approach? (Unless you have very little time before deadlines, don’t be afraid of exploring new topics/jettisoning ideas)

Is this the right structural approach?

Are these the right/strongest examples?

Are the details effective?

Last stage: grammar/mechanics/word count.

This big-to-small approach is the best way to ensure you don’t waste time tweaking language in sentences that you end up chopping completely anyway. 

Try connecting the beginning of the essay to the end of the essay in a thematic or symbolic way. This is a literary technique called “bookending” (used in some of the examples agave) that provides a sense of closure to the reader. 

An example from the personal statements above: Example essay 4 begins with a story about being at a protest and watching the lights of the local prison flicker in response to the crowd’s chanting. The middle of the essay talks about a challenge faced, a lesson the writer learned, and then why a particular law school is suited for the writer’s goals. And then the writer ends the essay by saying that the whole reason the writer wants to go to law school is to help those prisoners flickering their lights on the night of that protest. This technique brings the whole essay full circle.

Pro tip : You can experiment with bookends after you’ve already written the essay. We’ve worked with applicants who waited until the very end of the writing process to create a bookend.

Read the essay out loud to someone. This is the best way to check for sentence flow and structure.

The best people to ask for feedback on your law school personal statement:

A law school admissions consultant. Because they will have the full wraparound expertise.

Someone who has gone to law school. Because they will have a better idea of what a law school is looking for.

Someone with writing experience. Because they will be able to help you refine your content/structure/phrasing.

Someone who knows you well. Because they may be able to pinpoint details you are missing and should include.

If you’d like to contact us about support on your law school applications, you can contact us here .

Take care, and best of luck.

Amy Stein received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. She also holds a Masters Degree in Higher Education Leadership Policy Studies from Hofstra University. She has a lifelong passion for teaching and has been teaching legal writing for almost 25 years. Seeing her students succeed is one of her great joys in life. Because of her many years as a legal academic, she is very familiar with the law school admissions landscape. She also has significant experience working privately with students seeking admission to top-ranked educational institutions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

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Law School Personal Statement: The Ultimate Guide (Examples Included)

Learn how to write a law school personal statement for top schools like yale, including law school personal statement examples and topics.

AN EXCELLENT LAW SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT CAN HELP COMPENSATE FOR A less competitive UNDERGRADUATE GPA OR LSAT SCORE

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: why does the law school personal statement matter, part 3: what should a law school personal statement do, part 4: law school personal statement brainstorming, part 5: how to write your law school personal statement, part 6: law school personal statement examples, part 7: frequently asked questions.

The law school admissions process can feel confusing, scary, and overwhelming. Questions like “What LSAT score do I need?” , “How many law schools should I apply to?,” and “Do law school rankings matter?” likely weigh on your mind.

But amid all the uncertainty, there’s one thing we know for sure: the two most important components of your law school application are your undergraduate GPA and your LSAT score.

That means you should spend as much time as you’re able improving those two things. If you’ve already graduated from college or are about to graduate, you should focus on improving your LSAT score as much as you reasonably can. But while those two statistics are invariably the most important factors affecting the success of your law school admissions cycle, they aren’t the only factors admissions committees consider.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the third-most important part of your application: your law school personal statement.

Because your LSAT and GPA carry so much weight, you shouldn’t begin thinking about your personal statement until you have already taken the LSAT. But while you wait for your scores, you can turn your attention to the essay.

Before we get into the step-by-step guide, we’ll offer some general framing thoughts about the law school personal statement. While many people applying to law school are already strong writers with backgrounds in the humanities, social sciences, public policy, or journalism, they often forget the components of good storytelling as soon as they sit down to write their essays.

Remember that the tone of your law school essays isn’t the same tone you’ll use in a legal brief. Law schools are admitting the whole person. An artificial intelligence can handle legal research; only you can display the kind of narrative understanding of your own background and your own future that a good future attorney needs.

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A quality personal statement—a short essay in which you articulate who you are and why you want to go to law school—allows an admissions officer to understand your motivation to attend law school, and the reasons why you want to attend their school, specifically.

As admissions committees decide between students who have similar stats (i.e., GPAs and LSAT scores), they might turn to a tiebreaker: the personal statement. An effective law school personal statement can mean the difference between a letter that begins with “Congratulations!” and one that starts “We regret to inform you...”

In 2018, law school enrollment soared for the first time in nearly ten years. And the number of applications has continued to rise since then, with the 2020–2021 cycle bringing a 13 percent increase in applications compared to the previous year—the largest applicant pool of the past decade.

While the competition to get into a top law school has grown stiffer, students from these programs have less collective debt than their peers at lower-tier schools. A strong personal statement is one major way to push you beyond your scores and into the top 5, 10, or 14 programs , giving you a shot not only at a top-notch education with less debt, but also a flourishing career in the years after.

The personal statement also matters because lawyers have to write, and they have to come up with creative arguments to support a variety of claims. If you can’t make a case for yourself, how can a law school trust that you’ll defend tenants’ rights or argue successfully on behalf of a major corporation?

Your personal statement can demonstrate that you’re not only a rigorous, clear thinker but also a pristine writer, so make sure you don’t leave any typos for an eagle-eyed admissions committee to nitpick over.

Lastly, a strong set of law school essays demonstrates that you aren’t just going to law school by default. Unlike, say, medical school, law school has no undergraduate prerequisites, making it a generic possibility for many students who don’t know what to do next but want a respected career. Offering specificity, passion, and context for your application assures programs that you can make the most of these three years, and that you’ll represent them well as an alumnus or alumna.

(Suggested reading: How to Write an Amazing Law School Diversity Statement )

Your law school personal statement should tell the admissions committee something about you outside of your academic qualifications or work experience.

The personal statement is an opportunity to showcase your personality, reflect on the experiences that led you to apply to law school, and demonstrate how you will make a great addition to the school’s incoming class.

Meeting our students

Throughout the course of this post, we’ll provide examples from students who have gone through this process so you can see the writing process in action. These examples are either real essays that have been slightly adjusted for anonymity or are composites based on real students who have had success applying to T-14 (top-tier) schools.

Tucker: Tucker is from North Carolina and studied at UNC. He has bits and pieces of political experience, most notably working on a state representative’s successful campaign. He wants to return to North Carolina after law school to work as a public defender or return to politics.

Teresa: Teresa is a first-generation Nigerian immigrant who went to a large technically-focused state school, studied mechanical engineering, and ultimately decided a strictly technical career is not her forte.

Deepika: Deepika graduated with a 4.0 from a state school close to home. She studied premed, but toward the end of her undergraduate career decided med school wasn’t for her. In the last year, she’s worked for a local law firm as a paralegal and wants to become an attorney, preferably ending up at a big firm in New York City.

Pavel: Pavel did well as an undergraduate at Michigan, winning the collegiate national debate title along the way. He doesn’t know what kind of law he wants to practice, but right now he’s most interested in the work of prestigious non-profits like the ACLU.

Eric: Eric attended Morehouse, a historically Black college, and spent his undergraduate years studying American history while also getting involved in local Atlanta politics. He’s originally from rural Alabama, and moved to Baltimore after Morehouse to teach high schoolers for two years.

Victor: Victor, a Dallas native, took advantage of his liberal arts education at Harvard. He pursued an interdisciplinary major, Social Studies, and earned good but not fantastic grades in the competitive concentration. He did everything possible on campus: performed with an improv troupe, did work-study in the admissions office, attended weekly religious group meetings. When he graduated, it wasn’t obvious what he would do. He entertained offers from banks and consultancies alike, and he took his time before applying to law school, working in local government and attending a graduate program in France first.

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Before you begin writing, you should spend time brainstorming ideas. Because law school personal statement prompts are almost always broad—e.g. “Why do you want to go to law school?”—applicants often feel uncertain about how to proceed. Either you have too many ideas, or no clue what to write. First, let’s look at a strategy you can use if you don’t know where to start.

Grab a notepad, and answer the following questions:

What’s a time—a year, a summer, a month, even a day—that helped define who you are today?

What are your fondest memories from college?

When did you first think about becoming a lawyer?

What’s the hardest thing you’ve experienced?

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?

What cause do you care about most? When did you first begin to care about it?

What qualities do you associate with the law? When did you first begin to think about the law in those terms?

Who’s had a significant impact on you? What’s an important experience you had with that person?

What’s a Big Idea that changed the way you think? How did you encounter it (i.e. in school, with a friend, through religion, etc)?

What is definitely not on your resumé but is still an important part of who you are?

Feel free to ask yourself additional questions. The more ideas, the better.

Another way into your PS is to ask what qualities make a good lawyer, and how you embody those qualities. Here are a few to get you started, though this is by no means a comprehensive list.

A commitment to justice or the rule of law

A passion for a particular policy matter or issue (e.g. climate change, religious freedom)

A strong ability to communicate, verbally or in writing

Critical thinking skills and a facility for argumentation

A creative approach to problem-solving

Before moving from the idea-generation phase to the writing phase, take some time, whether it’s a few hours or a day or a week to step away from the process. This next step is best done when removed from the context of your brainstorming.

Focusing your ideas

Here are some of the topics that our students came up with:

Working on a local election campaign

Losing faith and deciding to leave the church he grew up in

Making environmental documentaries during his film coursework

Her senior product design engineering lab

Grandmother teaching her how to cook as a child

Interning for a civil/environmental engineering firm focused on renewables

Interning for a human rights non-profit

Growing up in Slovakia

The route to becoming the collegiate national debate champion

Being on the swim team in college

Her favorite painting, which is by a Sudanese refugee who immigrated to the United States

Working at a local law firm

Moving from a rural environment to a major city

Studying abroad in Oxford

Personally facing police injustice

Living and studying in France

Working underneath the mayor of a major city

Turning around his college improv troupe

Once you’ve generated a list of ideas, choose the one that most compellingly answers ALL of the following questions:

Why go to law school?

Before applying , let alone writing your personal statement, you should be crystal clear on why applying to law school is the logical next step for your ambitions and career.

This matters because admissions committees see too many law school applications from people who just need another step—a credential, a degree to top off their BA in English and render them more employable, or a place to hide out for three years. Explaining how a law degree will help you achieve your professional goals is crucial.

What personal strengths do I have that are not apparent in the rest of my application?

The admissions committees get two windows into your personality and life beyond the numbers: your personal statement and your letters of recommendation . Since, at the very least, you know what context your professors and/or other recommenders have on your professional and academic life, you can also deduce which aspects of yourself they might miss out on that an admissions officer would find compelling. The personal statement is a great place to highlight those.

Why do I want to attend this school specifically?

You should be able to articulate the reasons why a particular school appeals to you. Does the school have a strong reputation for your intended specialty (e.g., public interest law, constitutional law, intellectual property law)? Is there a specific faculty member with whom you want to conduct research? Is there a student organization on campus that can benefit from your expertise and leadership?

The more you’re able to tailor your personal statement to each school, the greater your chances of admission. This requires thorough research: look at the school’s website, reach out to current students and faculty members, and go on a campus tour if possible.

How do I embody the qualities of a good lawyer?

Your personal statement shouldn’t just tell a story of your own past, present, and future. In an ideal world, it’ll also speak to one or more of those intangible qualities that we listed above, or that you came up with in conversation with attorneys or professors. An admissions committee should be able to read your essays and think, “Yes, I see how this person will fit right into our larger legal world, because they’ll have to call on these qualities every day.”

How our students applied these principles

Teresa’s desire to be a lawyer is tied to her background in engineering. She wants her future career to be technical, but she sees real appeal in the skills that practicing law would employ, which has her thinking that a career in IP law could be a good fit. When she writes her essay, she wants to make sure she refers to her engineering expertise. Her idea to write about her experience on a product design engineering team survives this scrutiny.

It also demonstrates a fascination for creative problem-solving, and one can easily see how an engineer could turn her analytical mind toward the law.

Tucker, as we mentioned, was politically active throughout college, but much of that activity was informal, so he found it hard to capture in his resume or elsewhere. He wants to use his personal statement to highlight some of that passion, so he’s chosen to write about his Appalachian roots through the lens of the local candidate he worked with and how they relate to his advocacy. This topic also shows off Tucker’s passionate commitment to a whole constellation of causes and paints a clear picture of how he might use his law degree—to return home to North Carolina to address major systemic issues like poverty, racism, and the opioid crisis.

If you feel like you still have a few winners after narrowing on those criteria, you still have to pick just one. The final selection should be a combination of all the above lessons, while also asking yourself, “Which of these can tell the best story?” At the end of the day, great personal statements tell a story, and some of your ideas probably map more easily to that reality than others. If the idea doesn’t yield a story, it may not be your best. Kill it.

These questions may serve as a litmus test for whether an idea can turn into a good tale:

Do you have a story and not just a topic? In other words, can you reference a specific anecdote (a day, a summer)? Could you, if pressed, write a scene, with characters and images to illustrate your larger narrative?

Is yours a story no one else could tell? If there were other people who did your exact same jobs, or attended your exact same university, could they come up with the same essay?

Is there a natural tension or conflict present?

Did you change at all from the beginning to the end of the relevant time period? How? Was it a surprise?

In telling this story, will you sound like yourself, or is there a risk that you’ll have to write robotically or flatly?

Whichever idea you choose, you should be able to answer yes to at least one of these questions.

To that end, while Deepika felt at first that her time at a local law firm melded naturally with her desire to go to law school, the emotional arc she identified in how moved she was by the painting and the emigré narrative of the artist felt an easier story to tell, not to mention a more unique one (law schools read a lot of essays about being a paralegal).

Similarly, Pavel was torn between writing about his debate experiences or interning with an NGO, but his version of the former gives more insight into who he is and how he’s changed and grown, which means he’ll be able to tell a better story.

Eric, for his part, opted to tell a story that was personally gut-wrenching but which drew a very clear connection between him and the law: the moment a police officer wrongfully arrested him for “loitering.”

And Victor made a bold choice: he didn’t really choose. Instead, he decided to use several of his experiences as canvas in a larger, quilted story about his passions and sense of self.

Before you dive into writing the best personal statement the admissions committee has ever seen, it’s often useful to create an outline. An outline will keep your ideas organized and help you write more efficiently.

Here’s one path you could follow as you outline:

First paragraph: Lead with the anecdote or story

It may be tempting to write straight away about the importance of the legal system or why you’re excited about a particular school, but beginning with your narrative draws readers in more effectively. In addition to hooking readers, an essay that tells a story will be more memorable than one that feels focused entirely on listing your readiness for or interest in studying the law. To drive this home further, every applicant has an interest in studying the law. Pinning that interest to a story only you can tell will make your application all the more memorable.

How do you know what the right anecdote is? Remember how our litmus tests above asked about scenes? A story is a story—rather than an idea or a topic—if it can be populated with vivid descriptions of the characters and setting. Can you recall the smell of the damp room where you sat when it was announced that your boss has won the state senate seat? How did you feel on the first day of your new teaching job in the Texas border town? What was the weather like? How big was the space? Who else was there? Did someone say something particularly memorable?

Another way to check for your anecdote is to think about what growth or change you’re trying to demonstrate through the essay. What was the beginning of that growth or change? What, in other words, was the inciting incident that kicked off your epiphany or transformation?

This opening anecdote or personal hook is the place our only you litmus test matters most. No one else should be able to tell this story the way you can tell this story. Your personal views, history, and perspective will color what details pop out.

Tucker chose to open with a beautiful, personal reflection on the place that shaped him. It both sets the stage with narrative finesse, literally demonstrating place and space, but also gives us an inciting incident that spurred Tucker’s new relationship to his hometown.

Note also that Tucker’s opening is not explicitly or even obviously related to the law. Take a look:

I did not know that my home town was a small one until I was 15 years old. Growing up, I thought I lived in the big city, because Greensboro has skyscrapers—isn’t that the dividing line between the big city and not? It’s also the first town that appears on interstate signs in North Carolina once you get on I-40, headed west from Durham. I figured if the interstate thought we were important, why shouldn’t I? So when I went to Rochester, New York in tenth grade for a student conference with my friends at school, I proudly announced that I was from Greensboro to the first person who asked, only to have her, a Bronx resident, respond, “Uh, where?” It was then that I learned one thing it could not claim to be was “the big city.”

Eric also set a scene in vivid, visceral, painful detail. Because his story was so intense, he didn’t limit himself to just one paragraph at the start. He took his time, the way a lawyer would, laying out every component of what happened to him when he was wrongfully arrested, and demonstrating everything he witnessed as part of the process. This sets him up to level a layered and specific critique of the system that was responsible for his arrest.

After less than four minutes of waiting on the front lawn of my private property for my uncle to arrive, I was arrested and forced into a squad car without a reason for my arrest. As he tightened the cold handcuffs on my wrists, the arresting officer asked my age. Perplexed, I informed him I was eighteen years old. “Great,” he exclaimed, as he slammed the door in my face while he exchanged smiles with his partner. Oblivious, I waited in the back seat, as he drove down the block, anxiously awaiting an explanation for my arrest. Less than thirty seconds after forcing me in the car, the police officer jumped out of the car, pursued an unsuspecting boy riding his bike in the neighborhood, aggressively pulled him from his moving bike, and placed him in handcuffs. After throwing the boy in the back seat with me, the cop sped off—leaving the boy’s bike behind on the sidewalk to be stolen. The caravan of police proceeded to rampage the area arresting more young men walking through the neighborhood.

On the ride to the police station, I repeatedly asked the officer the reason for my arrest. After a few minutes of ignoring my questions, he said he arrested us for loitering. After arriving at the police station, the cops expressed their disapproval of my choice of clothing. At that moment it was clear that I was profiled based on my appearance alone.

A couple of hours later, my mother arrived and demanded my release. When releasing me, the cops repeatedly apologized to my mother insisting that they did not know they had a “good kid.” The whole experience left me wondering how many people, besides the ones I witnessed, are wrongfully arrested or wrongfully convicted, due to their appearance, ignorance, and lack of access to quality legal advice and representation.

Lastly, let’s look at Victor’s essay, which took an unconventional approach. He didn’t begin with a specific anecdote, but he did take on the voice of a storyteller.

The house is quiet—its residents have been asleep for some time now. In a modest room on the second floor, only faint specks of moonlight peek through the window blinds. A few of these beams land on a small, round face, his eyes glittering in the darkness. Although he retreated to his bedroom hours ago, sweet slumber eluded him. This was not the first time: for as long as he could remember, he would lie awake when he should have been in repose, his mind excitedly flitting from one thought to the next. He pictured distant lands, from Spain with its beautiful language and world-renowned cuisine, to his parents’ mother country of Ghana, where farmers journeyed for miles to sell their wares in vibrant cities teeming with life. He also loved superheroes, and he sometimes imagined himself launching into the sky like Superman, sailing through the air as quickly as possible to help a family in need. At this late hour, when the sun had not yet nudged above the horizon and his loved ones were just beginning to dream, he was obsessed with the world not as it was, but as it could be.

Victor knows that someone might read his application and wonder about his seeming lack of focus. By opening here, he demonstrates that his diversity of interests is a core part of who he is, and that he wasn’t a waffler or a flip-flopper but, rather, a curious person by nature.

Body paragraphs: Convey who you are

You should try to accomplish the following in your body paragraphs. They don’t—and probably shouldn’t—happen in this order, with each of the below points being assigned to a paragraph. But as you write, you ought to be able to pull off each of the following.

Connect the narrative to a thesis. Only after you’ve told the story should you articulate your thesis, your “here’s why I am applying to law school/want to be a lawyer/care about the law.”

Teresa accomplished this beautifully. She opened with a personal anecdote about her father’s annual “Design Days,” days in which the family would make physical things, and which spurred in her a love of creating with her hands. It’s not obvious what that has to do with the law at first, which is part of what makes it a great opening. By the third paragraph, she links it brilliantly to her legal preoccupations, and, in doing so, explains why a former engineer is applying to law school.

But the reality for many creators in America is that their work is under threat. The chief protection for many fledgling creators, whether they’re scientists or engineers or musicians or writers, is the legal system. Patent trolls aim to trounce startups; large institutions create environments unfriendly to more nascent artists. In between them stand good lawyers ready to defend the individual artist, scientist, inventor. While the American intellectual property system is not void of imperfections, it remains true that copyright and patents can and should protect the creations of every person who experiences the same precious sense of creativity my father introduced me to every November 1.

Articulate what kind of lawyer you hope to be. You might have a sense of what sort of law you want to practice, whether it’s being a defense attorney or general counsel for a big corporation. But that’s not what we’re talking about. Go back to the qualities you came up with in the brainstorming phase. What values and ideals does your life so far reflect, and what do those have to do with the kind of legal career you hope to have? This doesn’t have to take up too much space. Deepika neatly and simply explains:

I want to apply my desire for more legal experience specifically to the problem of migration.

Connect the personal to the professional. Don’t leave your opening personal anecdote out to dry. Even something that has ostensibly nothing to do with the law, like, say, Deepika’s choice to write about the artist, will need to say something about your own commitment to pursuing the law.

Remember, though, that by this point, you’ve defined what exactly the law means to you , which should help you connect your personal story to the legal profession. You don’t need to draw a through line from your grandmother’s illness to late nights as an associate lawyer working off your school debt. But you can connect your presence throughout your grandmother’s illness to the continuity of care that you’ll give your clients when they sue nursing homes for negligence.

Take a look at how Tucker does that at the end of his personal statement, which has spent most of its time in the terrain of the personal, but turns toward the professional as it closes.

The Appalachian conversation is necessarily a legal one. As some Carolinians line up along racial boundaries, many good lawyers are working to combat the mass incarceration of minority populations, while other good lawyers champion free speech for even the most maligned activists. When free speech intertwines with debates about white nationalism and the South's history, impact litigators argue multiple sides to arrive at good legal judgments that do not stop at popular opinion. As my own mayor was maligning the presence of refugees, Virginia immigration lawyers were ensuring that local migrants were educated about their rights and responsibilities. The rigor in pursuit of justice that legal conversation applies has an immense role to play in these heated debates.

In particular, the conversation about race can go deeper here at home than most are willing to take it. One issue that has faced recent attention in the highest courts is equal representation in the electorate. Studying at Harvard will train me to ensure that existing civil rights are protected. It will teach me about the viewpoints informing present discussions of how civil rights are defined and advocated for. While race, gerrymandering, and voter ID laws are contentious issues on a national scale, both recent attention and my deep roots in the region have made it clear to me that North Carolina is a place where the legal conversation needs to be carried further. I want to attend Harvard to acquire the skills, legal context and history, and education to do this work in my home.

Don’t lose your sense of story. Often, when we reach the middle of the essay, we’ve grown tired and are eager to start summarizing our resumé.

Remember that you still need to maintain the narrative propulsion that you introduced by kicking off with an anecdote or personal hook. Another way of saying this is that you need to remain present throughout the body paragraphs. As with the whole essay, ask, with every paragraph: am I the only person who could have written this? Or could one of my fellow interns at the Goldman Sachs legal program have come up with the same take?

Victor does a great job of maintaining his commitment to the storyteller’s voice, even in the middle of his essay, as he’s showing off his professional accomplishments. Witness his use of character and dialogue here:

“I hope you have had no issues settling into life here… Now, on to business. What’s wrong with this city?” the Mayor asked softly, rapidly twirling his pen in the process. Needless to say, I was floored; it was my third day in public service, and I could not think of a weightier question, one with tremendous implications for the large city where I’d taken a job. Although I felt under-qualified for such a task, he was confident in my ability to review the city’s finances from a completely blank slate. A week later, we ruminated over innovative approaches to topics ranging from how to name our city a “sanctuary city” to solving the region’s major infrastructure issues. While there were clear legal frameworks for operating within each of these spaces, we also had substantial freedom to propose what we wished.

As we refined our proposals, I realized that laws gave us the framework necessary to think critically about what was possible, but they rarely led to a clear conclusion about how to proceed. Final decisions would come as a result of deliberations with relevant internal and external parties, discussions with our counterparts in nearby cities and regions, vetting particular approaches with members of our staff and even state Senators, and checking our conclusions against the advice offered by legal counsel. No one group could act unilaterally, and our contributions were but a small piece of a larger policymaking apparatus.

Demonstrate change and growth over time, and remember that it’s not the same thing as flip-flopping. Two key components of a compelling story are conflict and resolution. Something, in other words, has to change between the beginning and the end. The middle is a great place for that to happen. You can think of it the way fiction writers think about plot: a set of events alongside a set of emotional shifts. The events incite the emotional shifts.

Deepika does this by addressing her former interest in medicine, and explaining how it gradually shifted to an interest in the law. She doesn’t pretend that she’s always wanted to be a lawyer. It’ll be obvious from her transcripts and extracurriculars that her interests lay elsewhere . Making this change part of her narrative is a good choice:

I was spending the summer working for a public health nonprofit based in Kenya, exploring a future career in medicine, and I’d used my weekend to visit a gallery with some local friends. Despite growing up in a family that appreciated art deeply, no one had equipped me for a moment where a painting could bring me so immediately to tears. Agnostic to the artist’s story, which I got only after he saw my reaction to his work, the painting itself was just such a guttural and emotional work. Something about how directly he’d translated his own trials into the medium flew straight through me. The name of the piece was “Resurrection,” and it was scratched from a discarded advertisement board that he had repurposed. The faceless figure told a story of a life plagued by violence, that violence rendered on the work itself with haphazard scratching and peeling of the paint. I was breathless seeing what he had gone through, and thinking of how that had made its way onto the “canvas.” We talked for a while, swapping our very different stories of moving countries. After, I said a sincere thank you, and I left.

By the end of that summer semester, I was sure that medicine was not the career for me. But I didn’t immediately know where to put all my passion. In a moment of serendipity, I was able to experience firsthand the value of the legal world and see attorneys in action by working as a paralegal. The hands-on legal experience I received there was ultimately vital to my decision to practice law, but I return to that summer in Nairobi as a real clarion call to do something different.

Conclusion: Tie it all together

After telling a story and spending time articulating your goals more clearly, a concluding paragraph can leave the reader with an understanding of who you are and why you’re applying—the best result you can hope for from a good personal statement.

There are a number of ways to think about an ending, which can be the toughest, and most easily clichéd part, of any essay.

First, let it happen naturally, rather than forcing it. We recommend not stressing about the ending until you’ve written your way to it. An essay that ends in exactly the spot you thought it would when you began it risks sounding cliché.

Second, declarative statements often make for clichéd endings. Things like “and that’s why I want to become a lawyer” or “and I’ll use these skills every day in my life as an attorney” can sometimes work, but often read as default options. If everyone can come up with that ending, it might not be a good one.

For Tucker, it works. He writes:

I want to attend Harvard to acquire the skills, legal context and history, and education to do this work in my home.

This simple sentence works because so much of Tucker’s essay has involved literary writing and reflection on place. A declarative statement won’t hurt him here. It’s also a gentle, nice touch to end on the words “my home,” since his essay has been about what it means to belong to a particular stretch of land.

Third, consider ending on an image or with a call-back to where you began the essay. This is one of the most organic and satisfying ways to conclude any piece of writing.

Deepika’s essay, for instance, opens on a painting done by a refugee artist, and then zooms out to discuss her own life story. But she brings the personal statement full circle by returning to the inciting image:

Recalling that artist’s story both in his own words and by seeing “Resurrection,” I understood what a privilege it is to have a legal system that can uphold freedom of expression, and one that also makes way for new futures for immigrants like my parents year after year.

To that end, I want to apply my desire for more legal experience specifically to the problem of migration. In addition to the real personal transition that this artist’s work opened for me, this decision feels an important one now more than ever as the current administration angles toward, I believe, increasingly harmful and inconsistent implementations of immigration policy to the detriment of young children who could one day paint a Resurrection II.

Victor’s essay pulls off a similar circular structure. He began with a third-person portrait of himself as a young boy, dreaming voraciously of all that he wants to discover in the world. He closes with a portrait of who he is now, a polymath of sorts who has begun to make some of those discoveries but who needs the law to help him go further:

Two decades later, that little boy staring up into the darkness has become an adult, but his penchant for moonlit dreaming has never waned. In fact, those dreams are now accompanied by a set of experiences with the potential to carry such visions forward into a life of impact and service to others. After having the opportunity to explore a variety of roles, I cannot think of a better long-term career with which to realize my unique ambitions at the intersection of business, public policy, and community activism than legal practice. Whether I provide pro bono advice to city government, serve as counsel to an international company, or represent my community as a public servant, a career in the law is my chance to fly into the fray and create something once thought unthinkable for collective benefit. My thoughts may never rest long enough to ensure an immediate night’s sleep, but I might finally obtain a deeper peace through advocacy and service.  

After you’ve finished the first draft of your law school personal statement

First, congratulations! Writing the first draft of your personal statement is no small feat. But the work has just begun! Your personal statement should undergo several revisions before submitting. Some tips for revising:

Read your essay aloud. By doing so, you will notice small typos and wording issues, as well as larger issues with form, that you wouldn’t otherwise. Reading aloud shifts the way your brain consumes the work, sometimes to great effect. It also helps you get a sense for how much an essay has your voice. You should sound like yourself when you read your essay aloud.

Ask for feedback. You should have a peer, professor, or admissions advisor read your essay. The core question to ask them to evaluate is, “Do you have a good sense of who I am and why I want to attend law school after reading this?” If the answer is no, revisions are necessary.

For big changes, rewrite instead of editing. This one can be a bit of a pain after investing all the time you have, but if you decide to make a large change in form or content, start again with a blank page. It can be tempting to preserve your existing structure and just slot in the changes where they fit, but you’ll end up with a more cohesive and coherent final product if you start anew.

You needn’t trash everything you wrote, of course. Print out a hard copy of your original, keep it on the table beside you, and open a clean doc. Rewriting from scratch whatever you do keep rather than performing a simple copy-paste will ensure you end up with one essay at the end, rather than two spliced together.

Below are the law school personal statements produced by the students we’ve followed throughout this guide, all well another successful personal statement example, all based on the writing process we just walked through.

Law school personal statement example 1

Here’s Tucker’s Harvard Law School personal statement.

That student conference, as well as the handful of other opportunities I had to travel in high school, was my first inkling that, for many people, the Blue Ridge Mountains were not a known part of the very big world I grew up aching to see more of. Because even before I realized that Greensboro was no major landmark, I still wanted to explore beyond it. My mother taught French and Spanish and was always eager to ensure I realized there were places beyond my backyard. I was also exhausted by the idea of graduating college and returning home to work in Greensboro, where, at the time, jobs were not always plentiful and hobbies were few. But, for financial reasons, college was not my long-dreamt-of exodus. I went to the University of North Carolina, which, while an hour away, certainly belongs to the same chunk of Carolina as Greensboro.

In Chapel Hill, I loved long drives. My road of choice was Mount Sinai Road. It winds down the banks of Old Field Creek, bridging the gap between Durham and I-40. It's the start of the route I took back to High Point to visit my family, and it's where I rode my bike during Chapel Hill summers. It was on Mount Sinai that I first realized how attached to this region I am.

Along Mount Sinai’s twists and turns, you can get a real sense of what North Carolina is and can be. There’s a deep agrarian heritage and rolling hills that hide the sun from their most intimate holler. Along these roads live a people who do not mind being heard, as their “These are God’s roads, so don’t drive like hell” sign would have you know. Most of all, though, Mount Sinai was one of many places over the last 25 years in Appalachia that taught me how much this land means to me. I recognize the grasses and the trees and the architecture and the people in a way that I could not possibly know another place, and that knowledge has rooted me in a way that I did not expect as a child at a student conference in Rochester, New York.

As I realized how distinctly Appalachian my own personal history is, I started to see similar connections in my family. I learned of our family struggles with substance use and of my mother's father’s affinity for our Confederate heritage. I learned I'm only a few generations removed from the McCoys of Hatfield-McCoy fame. I learned that the not-so-rosy Appalachian existence was not a storybook reality but a familial one. However, I also learned of my grandfather's sense of adventure and of the unique sense of play my father was gifted with as a child by being able to spend so much time outside in the crick. I learned that my grandmother once modeled for the rail photographer O. Winston Link and that my great uncle once threw a snowball at Elvis.

In the last year, I also saw Appalachia couched in a larger national context, especially as I tried to reckon with my home place from afar while living and working abroad last summer. I intimately knew the people, “the poor, white, rural voters,” being bandied about as political caricatures on television. As the opiate crisis worsens, a national spotlight is being thrust on my neighbors in West Virginia. As commentators wonder how much historical context justifies the presence of Confederate monuments, attention turns to Charlottesville. My home place, my Appalachia, is becoming a topic of a much larger conversation about how to support the plight of the rural American while not also succumbing to the part of that population that longs for an unequal, racist past. I believe my voice adds to that conversation. So, I took to door-knocking for Representative Edward Mitchell, knowing that the first impact I might have could be a political one. I don’t want to stop there. The law can open even more doors.

What works about Tucker’s essay, among many things:

Writing. Tucker writes fluently and smoothly, especially when he’s thinking about place and the world that shaped him. The images, the roads, and local vocabulary like “the local holler,” all contribute to the strength of his writing. Even if sentences don’t come to you naturally, you can shortcut your way to a great personal statement by including vivid descriptions of your surroundings.

An authentic connection to the law. Tucker lingers in the personal for quite a long time in this essay, and he does so because he knows he can make that confident transition: “The Appalachian conversation is a necessarily legal one.” It’s so deftly argued that we don’t even realize he’s been sculpting an argument all along, using his personal experience as a case study.

Law school personal statement example 2

Another example, a Yale Law School personal statement, this time from Teresa:

November 1 is my favorite day of the year. When I was growing up, my father would call it “Design Day.” I think he liked the alliteration. He loves woodworking, and he would spend the early fall amassing natural treefall from the woods behind our house in anticipation of November 1. Every year, he’d spend the day making things, small and large, whether a bird with a bandsaw or a new coffee table. He first invited me out into the garage when I was seven. I still wonder why he felt the imperative to concentrate so much of his hobby time into that one day, but I think he understood pinning it to a date would make it somehow more special, even if it was an arbitrary one.

Over the years, in that garage, and especially as an early teen, I learned how valuable it was to create something, to make a thing you call your own. That same feeling was reborn as a senior at Purdue University. As part of my studies in mechanical engineering, my classmates and I were required to join one of myriad senior design teams. The topics ranged from designing our own delivery drones to creating various nanotechnology applications. I eventually decided to work on a project designing new flatpack shelters that could be deployed in disaster areas with improved durability and sustainability, because I was excited by the real-world applications of my studies helping others. I saw not only my own progress first-hand, but also the development of others’, and, yet again, again the intrinsic value of a made thing.

The crux of my shift from wanting to be a maker myself to instead wanting to lend my voice to their defense was seeing Dr. Everett Simpson in action. Dr. Simpson, himself a lawyer, now teaches engineering ethics but spent the spring semester consulting all of the projects with patentable work on their IP obligations and rights. The care with which he approached the issues, but especially our interactions, opened my eyes to a world in which I might leverage my technical expertise as an advocate rather than an engineer, a combination I find so appealing.

It’s thanks to those interactions with Dr. Simpson, backed by my father’s own creativity from day one, that has led me to apply to Yale Law School. Knowing that your program in IP law is a strong one and being especially excited by the research that Professor Yochai Benkler is doing on the intellectual commons, I am confident that after three years at Yale, I will be positioned well to train as an advocate for those creators near and far.

What’s great about Teresa’s essay:

Multiple life stages. Teresa, like Deepika, has been fully committed to another discipline at one point in her life. Instead of defensively explaining why she’s moving into law now, she uses her past experience as a “maker” to explain that her previous engineering life naturally and inevitably brought her to the law. She tackles this intersection from both a personal and a professional standpoint, moving from her father to Dr. Simpson with ease.

“Why us?” Teresa’s “Why us?” addendum at the end of the essay is neat but strong. She clearly knows more about the school than what a simple Google search could yield. Referencing Dr. Benkler, whose appointment is in economics, isn’t an obvious choice for a law school candidate, but indicates that she’s grasped her field from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

Law school personal statement example 3

Here’s another full-length law school personal statement example, from Deepika:

He lives in Nairobi now. He was not born there: He grew up in Sudan, along the Nile. On a few separate occasions, he was dismissed from his studies for his political involvement, a reality I can know about but find hard to internalize. After a few efforts to pursue his practice in Sudan he left Khartoum for Benghazi. I don’t know his name. What I do remember is how it felt to see his paintings for the first time.

What we can admire from Deepika’s essay:

An unlikely take on the personal. Many applicants feel that a personal story must involve them shedding blood on the page. Deepika doesn’t get enormously vulnerable here. She doesn’t talk about Big Traumas that happened to her; in fact, she feels like she’s been pretty lucky, all told. But she does talk about a personal connection to art, and that is quite a strong window into who she is.

Ending. Deepika’s return to the painting at the end of her essay makes the whole essay feel natural, and indicates an authentic relationship to questions of immigration. It also tells us that she’s thought about what her commitment to immigration policy could change in the world, that she’s got a fully formed view of society.

Law school personal statement example 4

Here’s Eric’s Columbia Law School personal statement:

After less than four minutes of waiting on the front lawn of my private property for my uncle to arrive, I was arrested and forced into a squad car without a reason for my arrest. As he tightened the cold handcuffs on my wrists, the arresting officer asked my age. Perplexed, I informed him I was eighteen-years-old. “Great,” he exclaimed, as he slammed the door in my face while he exchanged smiles with his partner. Oblivious, I waited in the back seat, as he drove down the block, anxiously awaiting an explanation for my arrest. Less than thirty seconds after forcing me in the car, the police officer jumped out of the car, pursued an unsuspecting boy riding his bike in the neighborhood, aggressively pulled him from his moving bike, and placed him in handcuffs. After throwing the boy in the back seat with me, the cop sped off—leaving the boy’s bike behind on the sidewalk to be stolen. The caravan of police proceeded to rampage the area arresting more young men walking through the neighborhood.

During this experience and others similar to it, I was most uncomfortable with the feeling of being helpless and not well-informed about my rights. I did not like that my lack of knowledge prevented me from defending my rights and the rights of others. This experience was just one of the many instances where I witnessed a person in power abuse their authority to trample the rights of people who were not knowledgeable of their rights and did not have the resources necessary to access legal advice. My ignorance of my rights during these types of experiences was frustrating and also frightening. Being at the mercy of an apparently ethically unsound figure of authority who seemed to make arbitrary and capricious decisions, that could greatly impact my life, was very unsettling.

Witnessing grave miscarriages of justice has inspired me to equip myself with the tools necessary to fight unjust situations. These experiences have definitely fostered my desire to educate and advocate for those disadvantaged individuals and communities.

My experiences in the Columbia Law School Law Clinic reaffirmed my interest in advocating for socioeconomically challenged individuals and communities. During my time in the law clinic, I have been exposed to a plethora of pro bono opportunities and organizations. Some of the causes I’ve been able to dedicate my time to include: assisting an innocent man, who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for eighteen years, with his exoneration; helping asylum seekers, who face the threat of being killed in their home country because of their sexuality or regional violence, through the asylum application process; assisting disabled and elderly Hurricane Sandy victims gain access to much needed food benefits; and assisting small business owners with filing their organizational documents with the state. Coming from a socioeconomically challenged background myself and being able to assist with matters that I can empathize and sympathize with has made me yearn for more knowledge that would better equip me to help indigent people in need of legal assistance.

After deeply scrutinizing legal field, working towards great causes in Columbia’s Law Clinic, and actively seeking various opinions about law school and the legal field, I believe law school is the next logical step for me to fulfill my aspirations to advocate for socioeconomically disadvantaged people on a more substantive level. I know I will be a great lawyer and be a positive agent of change. I fight tirelessly towards causes that I strongly believe in; and as a result I put forth great work that reflects the amount of effort expended.

I am sure that at the Columbia University School of Law I will be able to access a quality legal education that will challenge and prepare me for my future as an advocate for the more vulnerable members of society. I know that Columbia Law School will provide an intellectually nurturing environment that offers a bounty of experiential learning opportunities that are beneficial to my preferred learning style, and continue to surround me with individuals that will contribute to my growth and push me to strive for more. Columbia Law will also allow me to utilize my unique perspective, experiences, and skills to continue to make valuable contributions to the Columbia University community in and outside of the classroom.

What we can learn from Eric’s essay:

A clear tie between the personal and the professional. Eric chose to write about an extremely vulnerable moment in his history, one that might be an intuitive choice these days as we become more used to public conversations about the “grave miscarriages of justice” Eric writes about but which, a few years ago, might have seemed like a risky choice. By going there, and by linking it to his professional career so clearly, he gives us a memorable essay and tells us that he will be working to correct that injustice for many years to come.

Descriptions of prior professional work. Eric clearly articulates what he got out of his work at the Law Clinic, enumerating his involvements without making them seem too flat. He then draws a neat line between those experiences and what he wants out of law school at the same institution.

Law school personal statement example 5

Below is Victor’s University of Chicago Law School personal statement:

The summer before my freshman year of college, I worked for a law firm in my hometown as an assistant case manager. It was my first real job, and we were tasked with following up on the results of a settlement which promised compensation to individuals injured by cigarette use. Many of the claimants in the suit were not involved with the original case, but a wrinkle in the law meant that those who had not initially issued a claim could still stand to receive reparations. During that time, I witnessed the devastating impact of tobacco use on countless lives, and I was given an opportunity to think creatively about how to defend their claims. Whether it was by recovering medical records that could credibly tie cigarette use to the onset of disease, or looking back decades to find proof of a claim under the original settlement, we worked tirelessly to help grant our clients restitution. It was seldom a straightforward process, yet we did our best even when key details were sparse.  

Four years later, I joined a major corporation as a full-time legal analyst working directly for the management team of one of its nascent commercial arms. At first, I expected to focus on regular meetings of the Board of Directors and related tasks, such as scheduling in accordance with regulatory requirements, setting the annual agenda, and performing discrete analyses consistent with the Company’s ongoing legal needs. However, I was quickly assigned more abstract projects, rooted in questions such as “Where could the Company open a foreign branch?” and “How would proposed changes in regulation adversely impact the Company’s overall business?” When I joined the Company, I viewed the laws set by regulatory agencies as fixed mandates, but I soon learned that these laws were subject to considerable negotiation and amendment. The Company’s business model and its evolution raised legitimate questions about which functions the private sector should be allowed to perform, and my time there opened my eyes to the myriad potential organizations have to directly or indirectly shape the laws that govern their work.

“I hope you have had no issues settling into life here… Now, on to business. What’s wrong with this city?” the Mayor asked softly, rapidly twirling his pen in the process. Needless to say, I was floored; it was my third day in public service, and I could not think of a weightier question, one with tremendous implications for the large city where I’d taken a job. Although I felt under-qualified for such a task, he was confident in my ability to review the city’s finances from a completely blank slate. A week later, we ruminated over innovative approaches to topics ranging from how to name our city a “sanctuary city” to solving the region’s major infrastructure issues. While there were clear legal frameworks for operating within each of these spaces, we also had substantial freedom to propose what we wished. As we refined our proposals, I realized that laws gave us the framework necessary to think critically about what was possible, but they rarely led to a clear conclusion about how to proceed. Final decisions would come as a result of deliberations with relevant internal and external parties, discussions with our counterparts in nearby cities and regions, vetting particular approaches with members of our staff and even state Senators, and checking our conclusions against the advice offered by legal counsel. No one group could act unilaterally, and our contributions were but a small piece of a larger policymaking apparatus.

Two decades later, that little boy staring up into the darkness has become an adult, but his penchant for moonlit dreaming has never waned. In fact, those dreams are now accompanied by a set of experiences with the potential to carry such visions forward into a life of impact and service to others. After having the opportunity to explore a variety of roles, I cannot think of a better long-term career with which to realize my unique ambitions at the intersection of business, public policy and community activism than legal practice. Whether I provide pro bono advice to city government, serve as counsel to an international company, or represent my community as a public servant, a career in the law is my chance to fly into the fray and create something once thought unthinkable for collective benefit. My thoughts may never rest long enough to ensure an immediate night’s sleep, but I might finally obtain a deeper peace through advocacy and service.  

What Victor does well:

Chronology. It’s not always the right call, but sometimes the best way to tell the story of yourself is to begin at the beginning, during your dreamy childhood days, and trace it up till now. This works in part because Victor is such a passionate writer, and in part because he remains in that storytelling mode throughout. This essay would fail if it were a series of monotonous descriptions of each stage of Victor’s life. But we feel like we are sitting across from him at a coffee shop and listening in on his professional reflections.

Tackling a diverse career path. Victor makes use of the plurality of work experiences he’s had, knowing that his resumé is fuller and he is older than many of his peers. He turns that into an advantage, in the way Teresa leverages her engineering background and Deepika addresses her roots in medicine head-on.

Law school personal statement example 6

Here’s another Yale Law School personal statement, this one written by a student named Michael.

“All of you men are alike!” a woman exclaimed from the back of the nursery. “Get away from my baby girl!” Rattled, I placed the yellow crayon next to the picture of the Easter Bunny I had been helping four-year-old Gabriela color. I smiled softly, thanked Gabriela for her time, and made my way to the opposite side of the room. Her mother deserved the ease.

When I first began volunteering with the Foster Center for Domestic Violence, I was skeptical I could be effective. As a young black male in the center, I served as a reminder of the physical harm, emotional turmoil, and ongoing legal entanglements ex-partners had inflicted on victims. The women in the center had initially responded to my presence with passive animosity or fear. Nevertheless, given time, I knew I would be able to help families in the center heal; I had years of experience successfully defying stereotypes.

In my childhood and adolescence, I attended safe schools. By day, I studied in clean classrooms with devoted teachers and classmates; by night, I fell asleep to the symphony of gunshots, helicopters, and sirens. Each day after school, my backpack crammed with seminal American novels and a dense chemistry textbook, I commuted home to my East Oakland 'hood, glancing over my shoulder and quickening my pace in areas I knew to be dangerous. One afternoon, as I raced away from a group of my “brothers,” I found myself empathetic. How could I be upset at their malice? This was our norm.

Surviving as a black male in my community left little time for ambition or altruism, but this did not deter me. In my junior year of high school, I turned my attention to the societal ailments, problems seemingly devoid of practical solution, which plagued the black community. Examining my life, I recognized that I owed my commitment to success and concern for others to my family. My family had provided the structure and support that too many of my brothers had lacked. Seeking to help families in my community recover and regroup, I began volunteering at the Foster Center.

Initially, I helped conduct workshops for the victims and recreational activities for the children, but as I spent more time at the center, I became interested in addressing domestic violence on a deeper level. At Howard University, my pre-law curriculum inspired me to confront the issue’s complexity. I pioneered a college-based effort, Foster University, that enlisted my brothers in the endeavor to deter domestic violence. More than five hundred students have participated in our programs to raise awareness of domestic violence through bold discussions. Following the initiative’s success in Washington, D.C., I began helping student leaders implement the program on campuses at other institutions. At the same time, I sought to encourage my peers to engage in the active pursuit of thorough and practical solutions to all social justice issues, especially domestic violence. I developed a second initiative to introduce legal writing to my undergraduate community while simultaneously satisfying my desire to develop solutions to the problems I had encountered. My interests in law and domestic violence led me to opportunities that fueled this desire even further. My impact had become tangible, but I still wanted to do more.

In the summer before my junior year, I interned at the Domestic Violence Division at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, where I assisted prosecutors with their caseloads and interviewed victims. The experience exposed me to the legal inefficiencies that had contributed to the frustration of the women at the Foster Center. Well-intentioned but shortsighted rulings destroyed families and unenforced orders of protection proved meaningless. Further, I was dismayed by the endless accounts of repeat offenders. As is too often the case, the legal system was failing those who most needed its protection.

By attending Yale Law School, I will prepare to work to heal at-risk families and our inadequate legal system. I will learn to address the institutional failures that frustrated Gabriela’s mother and the other women at the Foster Center. Yale Law School’s Beshar/Lehner Gender Violence Clinic and Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women's Rights will help me develop a contextual understanding of the social and legal complexities necessary for the change I envision. Furthermore, the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic will teach me to harness existing resources to empower victims of abuse and address a range of issues that plague marginalized populations. I no longer flee from my brothers. But my empathy is not enough. As an advocate and attorney, I will enlist the help of my brothers and sisters to reform broken institutions and enhance our community.

What we can learn from Michael’s personal statement:

A clear focus on a specific issue, and why it matters to him. Michael articulates clear reasons why working to prevent domestic violence and improving his community are important to him. He backs this up with directly relevant professional and volunteer experience, dating back even to high school.

“Why us?” Like Teresa, Michael has clearly done his homework about the law school he’s applying to. Naming specific programs and resources that he wants to be a part of demonstrates that Yale is a strong fit for the issues he wants to tackle as a lawyer.

How long should a personal statement be for law school?

Many universities won’t specify, but most others say between a page and a half and two pages double-spaced, which comes out to around 500 words.

What law school personal statement topics are off-limits?

Just about anything can make a good personal statement, as long as you adhere to the advice above.

One exception worth noting: you shouldn’t use your personal statement to talk about a low GPA or LSAT score. If you do feel you have a compelling context for one or both of those, you should submit a separate addendum focused on that, rather than waste valuable space in your personal statement.

Should I write a separate personal statement for each school?

While it’s okay to use the same narrative across applications, each essay should be tailored specifically to the school to which you’re applying. Make sure to triple-check that you didn’t refer to the wrong school at any point in your application.

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on law school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into law school using his exclusive approach.

THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.

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How to write a law school personal statement + examples.

Reviewed by:

David Merson

Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University

Reviewed: 3/18/24

Law school personal statements help show admissions committees why you’re an excellent candidate. Read on to learn how to write a personal statement for law school!

Writing a law school personal statement requires time, effort, and a lot of revision. Law school statement prompts and purposes can vary slightly depending on the school. 

Their purpose could be to show your personality, describe your motivation for attending law school, explain why you want to go to a particular law school, or a mix of all three and more. This guide will help you perfect your writing with tips and examples.

The Best Law School Personal Statement Format

Unfortunately, there’s no universal format for a law school personal statement. Every law school has a preference (or lack thereof) on how your personal statement should be structured. We recommend always checking for personal statement directions for every school you want to apply to. 

However, many law schools ask for similar elements when it comes to personal statement formats. These are some standard formatting elements to keep in mind if your school doesn’t provide specific instructions: 

• Typically two pages or less in length 
• Double-spaced 
• Use a basic, readable font style and size (11-point is the smallest you should do, although some schools may request 12-point) 
• Margins shouldn’t be less than 1 inch unless otherwise specified 
• Left-aligned 
• Indent new paragraphs 
• Don’t return twice to begin a new paragraph 
• Law schools typically ask for a header, typically including your full name, page number, LSAC number, and the words “Personal Statement” (although there can be variations to this) 

How you format your header may be up to you; sometimes, law schools won't specify whether the header should be one line across the top or three lines. 

This is how your header may look if you decide to keep it as one line. If you want a three-line header, it should look like this on the top-right of the page: 

 Remember, the best law school personal statement format is the one in the application instructions. Ensure you follow all formatting requirements!

For the best personal statement advice, get comprehensive law school application consulting from one of our expert counselors.

How to Title a Personal Statement (Law) 

You may be tempted to give your law school statement a punchy title, just like you would for an academic essay. However, the general rule is that you shouldn’t give your law school personal statement a title. 

The University of Washington states, “DON’T use quotes or give a title to your statement.” Many other schools echo this advice. The bottom line is that although you're writing your story, your law school statement doesn't require a title. Don't add one unless the school requests it.

How to Start a Personal Statement for Law School 

Acing the beginning of your personal statement is essential for your narrative’s success. The introduction is your chance to captivate the admissions committee and immerse them in your story. As such, you want your writing to be interesting enough to grab their attention without purposefully going for shock value.

So, how do you write a personal statement introduction that will garner the attention it deserves? The simplest way to get the reader involved in your story is to start with a relevant anecdote that ties in with your narrative. 

Consider the opening paragraph from Harvard Law graduate Cameron Clark’s law school personal statement : 

“At the intersection of 21st and Speedway, I lay on the open road. My leg grazed the shoulder of a young woman lying on the ground next to me. Next to her, a man on his stomach slowed his breathing to appear as still as possible. A wide circle of onlookers formed around the dozens of us on the street. We were silent and motionless, but the black-and-white signs affirmed our existence through their decree: BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

The beginning lines of this personal statement immediately draw the reader in. Why was the writer lying on the road? Why were other people there with him, and why was a man trying to slow his breathing? We're automatically inspired to keep reading to find out more information. 

That desire to keep reading is the hallmark of a masterful personal statement introduction. However, you don’t want to leave your reader hanging for too long. By the end of this introduction, we’re left with a partial understanding of what’s happening. 

There are other ways to start a personal statement that doesn't drop the reader in the middle of the action. Some writers may begin their law personal statement in other ways: 

• Referencing a distant memory, thought, feeling, or perspective
• Setting the scene for the opening anecdote before jumping in 
• Providing more context on the time, place, or background 

Many openings can blend some of these with detailed, vivid imagery. Here's a law school personal statement opening that worked at the UChicago Law : 

“I fell in love for the first time when I was four. That was the year my mother signed me up for piano lessons. I can still remember touching those bright, ivory keys with reverence, feeling happy and excited that soon I would be playing those tinkling, familiar melodies (which my mother played every day on our boombox) myself.”

This opening references a distant memory and feeling, mixed with vivid imagery that paints a picture in the reader's head. Keep in mind that different openers can work better than others, depending on the law school prompt. 

To recap, consider these elements as you write your law school personal statement’s introduction: 

• Aim for an attention-grabbing hook 
• Don’t purposefully aim for shock value: it can sometimes seem unauthentic 
• Use adjectives and imagery to paint a scene for your reader 
• Identify which opening method works best for the law school prompt and your story
• Don’t leave the reader hanging for too long to find out what your narrative is about
• Be concise 

Writing a law school personal statement introduction can be difficult, but these examples and tips can help you get the attention your writing deserves.

How to Write a Law School Personal Statement

Now that you’re equipped with great advice and tips to start your law school statement, it’s time to tackle the body of your essay. These tips will show you how to write a personal statement for law school to captivate the admissions committee. 

Understand the Prompt

While many law schools have similar personal statement prompts, you should carefully examine what's being asked of you before diving in. Consider these top law school personal statement prompts to see what we mean: 

• Yale Law School : “The personal statement should help us learn about the personal, professional, and/or academic qualities an applicant would bring to the Law School community. Applicants often submit the personal statement they have prepared for other law school applications.”
• University of Chicago Law : “Our application does not provide a specific topic or question for the personal statement because you are the best judge of what you should write. Write about something personal, relevant, and completely individual to you.”
• NYU Law : “Because people and their interests vary, we leave the content and length of your statement to your discretion. You may wish to complete or clarify your responses to items on the application form, bring to our attention additional information you feel should be considered, describe important or unusual aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, or tell us what led you to apply to NYU School of Law.”

Like all law personal statements, these three prompts are pretty open-ended. However, your Yale personal statement should focus on how you’d contribute to a law school community through professional and academic experience and qualities. 

For UChicago Law, you don’t even need to write about a law-related topic if you don’t want to. However, when it comes to a school like NYU Law , you probably want to mix your qualities, experiences, and what led you to apply. 

Differing prompts are the reason you’ll need to create multiple copies of your personal statement! 

Follow Formatting Directions 

Pay extra attention to each school's formatting directions. While we've discussed basic guidelines for law school personal statement formats, it's essential to check if there is anything different you need to do. 

While working on your rough drafts, copy and paste the prompt and directions at the top of the page so you don't forget. 

Brainstorm Narratives/Anecdotes Based on the Prompt

You may have more wiggle room with some prompts than others regarding content. However, asking yourself these questions can generally help you direct your personal statement for any law school:

• What major personal challenges or recent hardships have you faced? 
• What was one transformative event that impacted your life’s course or perspective? 
• What are your hobbies or special interests? 
• What achievements are you most proud of that aren’t stated in your application? 
• What experience or event changed your values or way of thinking? 
• What’s something you’re passionate about that you got involved in? What was the result of your passion? 
• How did your distinct upbringing, background, or culture put you on the path to law school? 
• What personal or professional experiences show who you are? 

Keep in mind that this isn't an exhaustive list. Consider your personal and professional experiences that have brought you to this point, and determine which answers would make the most compelling story. 

Pettit College of Law recommends you "go through your transcripts, application, and resume. Are there any gaps or missing details that your personal statement could cover?” If you've listed something on your resume that isn't further discussed, it could make a potential personal statement topic. 

Do More Than Recount: Reflect

Recounting an event in a summarized way is only one piece of your law school personal statement. Even if you’re telling an outlandish or objectively interesting story, stopping there doesn’t show admissions committees what they need to know to judge your candidacy. 

The University of Washington suggests that “describing the event should only be about 1/3 of your essay. The rest should be a reflection on how it changed you and how it shaped the person you are today.” Don’t get stuck in the tangible details of your anecdote; show what the experience meant to you. 

Beth O'Neil , Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at UC Berkeley School of Law, said, "Applicants also tend to state and not evaluate. They give a recitation of their experience but no evaluation of what effect that particular experience had on them, no assessment of what certain experiences or honors meant." 

Consider What Qualities You Want to Show

No matter what direction you want to take your law school personal statement, you should consider which qualities your narrative puts on display. Weaving your good character into your essay can be difficult. Outwardly claiming, "I'm a great leader!" doesn't add much value. 

However, telling a story about a time you rose to the occasion to lead a group successfully toward a common goal shows strong leadership. "Show, don't tell" may be an overused statement, but it's a popular sentiment for a reason. 

Of course, leadership ability isn't the only quality admissions committees seek. Consider the qualities you possess and those you'd expect to find in a great lawyer and check to see the overlap. Some qualities you could show include: 

• Intelligence 
• Persuasiveness 
• Compassion 
• Professionalism 

Evaluate the anecdotes you chose after your brainstorming session and see if any of these qualities or others align with your narrative. 

Keep Your Writing Concise

Learning how to write a personal statement for law school means understanding how to write for concision. Most prompts won't have a word limit but ask you to cap your story at two pages, double-spaced. Unfortunately, that's not a lot of space to work with. 

Although your writing should be compelling and vibrant, do your best to avoid flowery language and long, complicated sentences where they’re not needed. Writing for concision means eliminating unnecessary words, cutting down sentences, and getting the point quickly.  

Georgetown University’s take on law school personal statements is to “Keep it simple and brief. Big words do not denote big minds, just big egos.” A straightforward narrative means your reader is much less likely to be confused or get lost in your story (in the wrong way). 

Decide the Depth and Scope of Your Statement 

Since you only have two (or even three) pages to get your point across, you must consider the depth and scope of your narrative. While you don’t want to provide too little information, remember that you don’t have the room to summarize your entire life story (and you don’t have to do that anyway). 

UChicago Law’s advice is to “Use your discretion - we know you have to make a choice and have limited space. Attempting to cover too much material can result in an unfocused and scattered personal statement.” Keep the depth and scope of your narrative manageable. 

Ensure It’s Personal Enough 

UChicago Law states, "If someone else could write your personal statement, it probably is not personal enough." This doesn't mean that you must pick the most grandiose, shocking narrative to make an impact or that you can't write about something many others have probably experienced. 

Getting personal means only you can write that statement; other people may be able to relate to an experience, but your reflection, thoughts, feelings, and reactions are your own. UChicago Law sees applicants fall into this pitfall by writing about a social issue or area of law, so tread these topics carefully.

Mix the Past and Present, Present and Future, Or All Three 

Harvard Law School’s Associate Director Nefyn Meissner said your personal statement should “tell us something about who you are, where you’ve been, and where you want to go.” 

Echoing this, Jon Perdue , Yale Law School's Director of Recruiting and Diversity Initiatives, states that the three most common approaches to the Yale Law School personal statement are focusing on: 

• The past: discussing your identity and background 
• The present: focusing on your current work, activities, and interests 
• The future: the type of law you want to pursue and your ideal career path 

Perdue said that truly stellar personal statements have a sense of “movement” and touch on all or two of these topics. What does this mean for you? While writing your law school personal statement, don’t be afraid to touch on your past, present, and future. However, remember not to take on too much content! 

Keep the Focus On You 

This is a common pitfall that students fall into while writing a law school personal statement . UChicago Law cites that this is a common mistake applicants make when they write at length about: 

• A family member who inspired them or their family history 
• Stories about others 
• Social or legal issues 

Even if someone like your grandmother had a profound impact on your decision to pursue law, remember that you’re the star of the show. Meissner said , “Should you talk about your grandmother? Only if doing so helps make the case for us to admit you. Otherwise, we might end up wanting to admit your grandmother.” Don’t let historical figures, your family, or anyone else steal your spotlight. 

Decide If You Need to Answer: Why Law? 

Writing about why you want to attend law school in general or a school in particular depends on the prompt. Some schools welcome the insight, while others (like Harvard Law) don't. Meissner said, “Should you mention you want to come to HLS? We already assume that if you’re applying.”

However, Perdue said your law school personal statement for Yale should answer three questions: 

• Why law school?

Some schools may invite you to discuss your motivation to apply to law school or what particular elements of the school inspired you to apply. 

Don’t List Qualifications or Rehash Your Resume 

Your personal statement should flow like a story, with an identifiable beginning, middle, and end. Simply firing off your honors and awards, or summarizing the experiences on your resume, doesn’t tell the admissions committee anything new about you. 

Your personal statement is your opportunity to show how your unique experiences shaped you, your qualities, and the person you are behind your LSAT scores and GPA. Think about how you can show who you are at your core. 

Avoid Legalese, Jargon, And Sophisticated Terms 

The best law school personal statements are written in straightforward English and don't use overly academic, technical, or literary words. UChicago Law recommends avoiding legalese or 

Latin terms since the "risk you are incorrectly using them is just too high." 

Weaving together intricate sentence structures with words you pulled out of a thesaurus won’t make your personal statement a one-way ticket to acceptance. Be clear, straightforward, and to the point. 

Don’t Put Famous Quotes In Your Writing 

Beginning your law school personal statement with a quote is not only cliche but takes the focus off of you. It also eats up precious space you could fill with your voice. 

Revise, Revise, Revise 

Even the most talented writers never submit a perfect first draft. You'll need to do a lot of revisions before your personal statement is ready for submission. This is especially true because you'll write different versions for different law schools; these iterations must be edited to perfection. 

Ensure you have enough time to make all the edits and improvements you need before you plan to submit your application. Although most law schools have rolling admissions, submitting a perfected application as soon as possible is always in your best interest. 

Have an Admission Consultant Review Your Hard Work 

Reviewing so many personal statements by yourself is a lot of work, and most writing can always benefit from a fresh perspective. Get help from law school admissions consultants to edit your personal statements to perfection and maximize your chances of acceptance at your dream school!

How to End Your Personal Statement for Law School 

Law school personal statement conclusions are just as open-ended as your introductions. There are a few options for ending a personal statement depending on the prompt you’re writing for:

Some of these methods can overlap with each other. However, there are two more things you should always consider when you're ready to wrap up your story: the tone you're leaving on and how you can make your writing fit with your narrative's common thread. 

You should never want to leave your reader on a low note, even if you wrote about something that isn’t necessarily happy. You should strive to end your personal statement with a tone that’s hopeful, happy, confident, or some other positive feeling. 

Your last sentences should also give the impression of finality; your reader should understand that you’re wrapping up and not be left wondering where the rest of your statement is. 

So, what's the common thread? This just means that your narrative sticks to the overarching theme or event you portrayed at the beginning of your writing. Bringing your writing full circle makes a more satisfying conclusion.

Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion Examples

Evaluating law school personal statement conclusions can help you see what direction authors decided to take with their writing. Let’s circle back to the sample personal statement openings for law school and examine their respective conclusions. The first example explains the applicant’s motivation to attend Harvard Law. 

Sample Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion #1

“…Attorneys and legal scholars have paved the way for some of the greatest civil rights victories for women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and (people living with disabilities). At Harvard Law School, I will prepare to join their ranks by studying with the nation's leading legal scholars. 

For the past months, I have followed Harvard Law School student responses to the events in Ferguson and New York City. I am eager to join a law school community that shares my passion for using the law to achieve real progress for victims of discrimination. With an extensive history of advocacy for society's most marginalized groups, I believe Harvard Law School will thoroughly train me to support and empower communities in need. 

Our act of civil disobedience that December day ended when the Tower’s bells rang out in two bars, hearkening half-past noon. As we stood up and gathered our belongings, we broke our silence to remind everyone of a most basic truth: Black lives matter.” 

What Makes This Conclusion Effective 

Although Harvard Law School states there's no need to explain why you want to apply, this law school statement is from an HLS graduate, and we can assume this was written before the advice changed. 

In his conclusion, he relates and aligns his values with Harvard Law School and how joining the community will help him fulfill his mission to empower communities in need. The last paragraph circles back to the anecdote described in his introduction, neatly wrapping up the event and signaling a natural end to his story. 

This author used these strategies: the motivation to attend a specific law school, stating his mission, and subtly reiterating what his acceptance would bring to the school. The next example conclusion worked at UChicago Law: 

Sample Personal Statement for Law School Conclusion #2

“Songs can be rewritten and reinterpreted as situation permits, but missteps are obvious because the fundamental laws of music and harmony do not change.

Although my formal music education ended when I entered college, the lessons I have learned over the years have remained close and relevant to my life. I have acquired a lifestyle of discipline and internalized the drive for self-improvement. I have gained an appreciation for the complexities and the subtleties of interpretation. 

I understand the importance of having both a sound foundation and a dedication to constant study. I understand that to possess a passion and personal interest in something, to think for myself is just as important.”

What Made This Conclusion Effective

This law school personal statement was successful at UChicago Law. Although the writing has seemingly nothing to do with law or the author's capability to become a great lawyer, the author has effectively used the "show, don't tell" advice. 

The last paragraph implements the focus on qualities or skills strategy. Although related to music, the qualities they describe that a formal music education taught her mesh with the qualities of a successful lawyer: 

• A drive for self-improvement 
• The ability to interpret information 
• The ability to learn consistently 
• The ability to think for herself 

Overall, this essay does an excellent job of uncovering her personality and relating to the opening paragraph, where she describes how she fell in love with music.

2 Law School Personal Statement Examples From Admitted Students

These are two law school personal statement examples that worked. We'll review the excerpts below and describe what made them effective and if there's room for improvement. 

Law School Personal Statement Example #1

This is an excerpt of a law personal statement that worked at UChicago Law : 

“The turning point of my college football career came early in my third year. At the end of the second practice of the season, in ninety-five-degree heat, our head coach decided to condition the entire team. Sharp, excruciating pain shot down my legs as he summoned us repeatedly to the line to run wind sprints. 

I collapsed as I turned the corner on the final sprint. Muscle spasms spread throughout my body, and I briefly passed out. Severely dehydrated, I was rushed to the hospital and quickly given more than three liters of fluids intravenously. As I rested in a hospital recovery room, I realized my collapse on the field symbolized broader frustrations I felt playing college football.

I was mentally and physically defeated. In South Dakota, I was a dominant football player in high school, but at the Division I level, my talent was less conspicuous. In my first three years, I was convinced that obsessively training my body to run faster and be stronger would earn me a starting position. The conditioning drill that afternoon revealed the futility of my approach. I had thrust my energies into becoming a player I could never be. As a result, I lost confidence in my identity.

I considered other aspects of my life where my intellect, work ethic, and determination had produced positive results. I chose to study economics and English because processing abstract concepts and ideas in diverse disciplines were intuitively rewarding…Gathering data, reviewing previous literature, and ultimately offering my own contribution to economic knowledge was exhilarating. Indeed, undergraduate research affirmed my desire to attend law school, where I could more thoroughly satisfy my intellectual curiosity…My efforts generated high marks and praise from professors, but this success made my disappointment with football more pronounced.

The challenge of collegiate athletics felt insurmountable. However, I reminded myself that at the Division I level, I was able to compete with and against some of the best players in the country…After the hospital visit, my football position coach—sensing my mounting frustrations—offered some advice. Instead of devoting my energies almost exclusively to physical preparation, he said, I should approach college football with the same mental focus I brought to my academic studies. I began to devour scouting reports and to analyze the complex reasoning behind defensive philosophies and schemes. I studied film and discovered ways to anticipate plays from the offense and become a more effective player. Armed with renewed confidence, I finally earned a starting position in the beginning of my fourth year…

‍I had received the highest grade on the team. After three years of A’s in the classroom, I finally earned my first ‘A’ in football. I used mental preparation to maintain my competitive edge for the rest of the season. Through a combination of film study and will power, I led my team and conference in tackles…The most rewarding part of the season, though, was what I learned about myself in the process. When I finally stopped struggling to become the player I thought I needed to be, I developed self-awareness and confidence in the person I was.

The image of me writhing in pain on the practice field sometimes slips back into my thoughts as I decide where to apply to law school. College football taught me to recognize my weaknesses and look for ways to overcome them. I will enter law school a much stronger person and student because of my experiences on the football field and in the classroom. My decision where to attend law school mirrors my decision where to play college football. I want to study law at the University of Chicago Law School because it provides the best combination of professors, students, and resources in the country. In Division I college football, I succeeded when I took advantage of my opportunities. I hope the University of Chicago will give me an opportunity to succeed again.”

Why This Personal Statement Example Worked

The beginning of this personal statement includes vivid imagery and sets up a relevant anecdote for the reader: the writer’s injury while playing football. At the end of the introduction, he sets up a fantastic transition about his broader frustrations, compelling us to keep reading. 

The essay's body shows the writer's vulnerability, making it even more personal; it can be challenging to talk about feelings, like losing your confidence, but it can help us relate to him. 

The author sets up a transition to writing more about his academic ability, his eventual leadership role on the team, and developing the necessary qualities of a well-rounded lawyer: self-awareness and confidence. 

Finally, the author rounds out his statement by circling back to his opening anecdote and showing the progress he’s made from there. He also describes why UChicago Law is the right school for him. To summarize, the author expertly handled: 

• Opening with a descriptive anecdote that doesn’t leave the reader hanging for too long 
• Being vulnerable in such a way that no one else could have written this statement 
• Doing more than recounting an event but reflecting on it 
• Although he introduced his coach's advice, he kept himself the focal point of the story 
• He picked a focused event; the writer didn’t try to tackle too much content 
• His conclusion references his introduction, signalling the natural end of the story 
• The ending also reaffirms his passion for pursuing law, particularly at UChicago Law 

Law School Personal Statement Example #2 

This law school personal statement excerpt led to acceptance at Boston University Law. 

“She sat opposite me at my desk to fill out a few forms. Fumbling her hands and laughing uncomfortably, it was obvious that she was nervous. Sandra was eighteen, and her knowledge of English was limited to “yes” and “hello.” While translating the initial meeting between Sandra and her attorney, I learned of her reasons for leaving El Salvador. She had been in an abusive relationship, and though she wasn’t ready to go into detail just yet, it was clear from the conversation that her boyfriend had terrorized her and that the El Salvadoran police were of no help…Eventually, Sandra was given a credible fear interview. The interviewer believed that she had a real fear of returning to El Salvador, and Sandra was released from detention with an Immigration Court hearing notice in her hand. She had just retained our office to present her asylum case to the Immigration Judge.

I tried to imagine myself in Sandra’s shoes. She hadn’t finished high school, was in a completely new environment, and had almost no understanding of how things worked in the US. Even the harsh New England winter must have seemed unnatural to her. Having lived abroad for a couple of years, I could relate on some level; however, the circumstances of my stay overseas were completely different. I went to Spain after graduating from college to work in an elementary school, improve my Spanish skills, and see a bit of the world…I had to ask hundreds of questions and usually make a few attempts before actually accomplishing my goal. Frustrating though it was, I didn’t have so much riding on each of these endeavors. If I didn’t have all the necessary paperwork to open a bank account one day, I could just try again the next day. Sandra won’t be afforded the same flexibility in her immigration process, where so much depends on the ability to abide by inflexible deadlines and procedures. Without someone to guide her through the process, ensuring that all requirements are met, and presenting her case as persuasively as possible, Sandra will have little chance of achieving legal status in the United States…

Before starting at my current position at Joyce & Associates, an immigration law firm in Boston, I had long considered a career in law. Growing up, I was engaged by family and school debates about public policy and government. In college, I found my constitutional law courses challenging and exciting. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until I began working with clients like Sandra that I became convinced that a career in law is the right choice for me. Playing my part as a legal assistant in various immigration cases, I have been able to witness how a career in immigration advocacy is both intellectually stimulating and personally fulfilling. I have seen the importance of well-articulated arguments and even creativity in arguing a client’s eligibility for an immigration benefit. I have learned that I excel in critical thinking and in examining detail, as I continually consider the consistency and possible implications of any documents that clients provide in support of their application. But most importantly, I have realized how deserving many of these immigrants are. Many of the clients I work with are among the most hardworking and patriotic people I have encountered…

‍I am equally confident that I would thrive as a student at Boston University, where I would be sure to take full advantage of the many opportunities available. The school’s Asylum and Human Rights Clinic and Immigration Detention Clinic would offer me invaluable experiences in various immigration settings…Given my experiences in an immigration firm, I know that I would have much to offer while participating in these programs, but even more to learn. And while I find BU’s immigration programs to be especially appealing, I am equally drawn to the Boston University experience as a whole…I hope to have the opportunity to face those challenges and to contribute my own experiences and drive to the Boston University community.”

This statement makes excellent use of opening with an experience that sets the writer's motivation to attend law school in motion. We're introduced to another person in the story in the introduction before the author swivels and transitions to how she'd imagine herself in Sandra's shoes. 

This transition shows empathy, and although the author could relate to her client's struggles on a more superficial level, she understood the gravity of her situation and the hardships that awaited her. 

The author backpedals to show how she's cultivated an interest in law in college and explored this interest to know it's the right choice for her. The conclusion does an excellent job of referencing exactly how BU Law will help her achieve her mission. To recap, this personal statement was effective because: 

• She started her personal statement with a story 
• Although the writer focuses on an event with another person, she moves the focus back to her 
• The author’s statement shows qualities like empathy, compassion, and critical thinking without explicitly stating it 
• She connects her experiences to her motivation to attend law school 
• This statement has movement: it references the author’s past, present, and future 
• She ends her statement by explaining in detail why BU Law is the right school for her 

Although this personal statement worked, circling back to the opening anecdote in the conclusion, even with a brief sentence, would have made the conclusion more impactful and fortified the common thread of her narrative.

How to Write Personal Statement For Law School: FAQs

Do you still have questions about how to write a personal statement for law school? Read on to learn more. 

1. What Makes a Good Personal Statement for Law School? 

Generally, an excellent personal statement tells a relevant story, showcases your best qualities, is personal, and creatively answers the prompt. Depending on the prompt, a good personal statement may describe your motivation to attend law school or why a school, in particular, is perfect for you. 

2. Should I Write a Separate Personal Statement for Each School? 

Depending on the prompts, you may be able to submit the same or similar personal statements to different schools. However, you’ll likely need more than one version of your statement to apply to different schools. Generally, students will write a few versions of their statements to meet personal statement instructions. 

3. How Long Should My Personal Statement Be? 

Personal statement length requirements vary by school, but you can generally expect to write approximately two pages, double-spaced. 

4. What Should You Not Put In a Law School Personal Statement? 

Your personal statement shouldn’t include famous quotes, overly sophisticated language, statements that may offend others, and unhelpful or inappropriate information about yourself. 

5. What Do I Write My Law School Personal Statement About? 

The answer depends on the prompt you need to answer. Consider your experiences and decide which are impactful, uncover your personality, show your motivation to attend law school, or show your impressive character traits. 

6. Does the Personal Statement Really Matter for Law School? 

Top LSAT scores and high GPAs may not be enough, especially at the T-14 law schools. Due to the high level of competition, you should take advantage of your personal statement to show why you’re an excellent candidate. So yes, they do matter.

Writing A Law School Personal Statement is Easy With Juris

Writing a personal statement can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. Juris Education is committed to helping you learn how to write a law school personal statement with ease. We help future law school students develop their narratives, evaluate writing to ensure it’s in line with what law schools expect, and edit statements to perfection. 

A stellar personal statement helps you stand out and can help you take that last step to attending the law school of your dreams.

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How to Write a Law School Personal Statement

Many prospective law students can feel overwhelmed when faced with the task of writing a law school personal statement, one of the most subjective pieces of your law school application .

A good personal statement is interesting to read without needing to rely on shock value. It should have a conversational tone; it’s not there to show how many big words you know, but rather to offer insight into your character.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Why Are Law School Personal Statements Important?

Tips for picking a law school personal statement topic, law school personal statement faqs.

• How To Format Your Law School Personal Statement
• How To Write a Great Law School Personal Statement
• How To Edit Your Law School Personal Statement

Law School Personal Statement Example

What you should not do in a law school personal statement.

Law school personal statements are important because they can turn what would have otherwise been a certain rejection into an offer of admission.

They help admission committees get to know you in a way they couldn’t from other pieces of your law school application. And, hopefully, it also shows why a law degree is the next logical step for you.

When deciding what to write in your personal statement, do not make stuff up. Stick with what has really happened to you and how it affected you, and you will write a better personal statement than if you pretend.

Do Your Research

Read as many personal statements as you can. Discovering what has worked vs what doesn’t work is equally important.

Admission committees are very experienced at reading personal statements. They can quickly sniff out when something rings false.

Be Yourself

Admission committees utilize the personal statement portion of the application to learn about you and why you want to go to law school. Tell your story, and do not try to hide who you are.

Discuss Personal Stories with Friends and Family

Try getting feedback on your topic ideas from family or friends.  If they have been to law school, even better, but talking about your topic and learning how to articulate why you chose that topic for your personal statement will help you flesh out good ideas vs bad ideas. 

[ RELATED: LSAT Admissions Consulting ]

Try a Reflective Writing Exercise

You should get in the habit of being able to think deeply about how your interests and experiences relate to attending law school. Try writing a sentence or two for each of these prompts to get warmed up:

• What you’ve done
• Why you did it
• What it meant to you
• How it affected you

Then try writing a paragraph or more in response to these prompts:

• Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. Anything of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

The personal statement is an integral part of the law school application, and it is important that you not only take it seriously but also try your best to have fun with it. Many questions may be circulating in your head that you feel need to be answered before you start to write your personal statement. Let’s look at frequently asked questions applicants have about writing their personal statements.

How long are LSAC personal statements?

Some law schools ask for only five hundred words, while others allow for up to four pages double-spaced. However, most schools ask for a two-to-three-page (double-spaced) essay.

Law schools have personal statement length requirements for two reasons: (1) to test your ability to follow directions (keeping to the length requirement) and (2) to evaluate how well you write.

What can I expect from the personal statement prompt? 

Most law school personal statement prompts are pretty vague and give the applicant a lot of room to interpret it as they see fit. 

Personal statement prompts are usually a general question and contain a page or word limit; exact requirements will vary from one school to the next. If you have questions you should get in touch with the admissions office via phone or email.

How personal should my personal statement be?

Incorporating emotion into your personal statement could make it more interesting and easier to read, but if you overdo it you can sound like you’re whining, begging, or trying to write a sob story—which can, in turn, be perceived as disingenuous.

Admissions committees want to see passion, but they also want to see who you are. It is extremely important to be honest. Law schools can see right through feigned emotions. Remember, they’ve probably read hundreds of thousands of these, and it’s very easy for them to detect when people aren’t being authentic. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, open, and clear—but make sure it comes from the heart.

A law school personal statement does not mean a mandatory hardship story. While getting through a rough life situation can be a great place from which to pull material for your personal statement, it is not even close to the only way to write a stellar piece, especially if it means overstating reality or making up emotional lessons that weren’t really present.

The biggest key to the law school personal statement is to be honest. The story you want to tell about how you’ve gotten where you are today doesn’t have to be exciting or on a grand scale or heartbreaking, it just needs to show something important about you.

“If you write about your childhood in your personal statement, you must find a way to tie it to your adulthood.”

Should you discuss your decision to attend law school in your personal statement?

This topic is contentious. If the rest of your application does not clearly indicate why you are applying—say, for example, you have no legal internship or student group experience, majored in a subject unrelated to law, and spent the past five years working in a biology lab—then you should at least touch on your reasons for pursuing a law degree in your personal statement.

However, if your application already demonstrates why you are applying to law school—whether through your college extracurricular activities, your work history, or your coursework—then you are probably safe to submit a personal statement that does not directly mention your decision to attend law school.

How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement

Law school personal statements should be:

• Double-spaced, left-aligned
• In 11 or 12-point Times New Roman font
• Uses a single space after a period
• Contain page numbers
• Use one-inch margins on all sides
• Your LSAC number
• The words “Personal Statement”

Signatures and titles are not needed for law school personal statements.

How to Write a Great Law School Personal Statement

The trick to writing is getting that first word, sentence, or paragraph on the page; after that, everything can follow more easily. If you are having trouble starting your intro paragraph, start with the body of your essay. Saving the introduction or conclusion till the end is much easier for some people.

In each section of your essay, bring in references to who you are and how you will enhance the law school’s student body. Instead of just saying that you are diligent and compassionate, say that your experience training to run a marathon taught you the value of consistent hard work, and the time you spent volunteering with Habitat for Humanity showed you how important it is to empathize and help the under-resourced members of society. 

Find ways to make the things that you’ve done support your contention that you’ll bring something great to the law school.

Start with an Outline

Take your thoughts and organize them into an outline. Try to incorporate key attributes about yourself into your headings.

Remember that legal professionals place a high value on organization—a good personal statement is clearly organized and easy to follow—and since at least some of the people reading and evaluating your essay are legally trained, creating a good outline is crucial.

Personal Statement Intro Section

Starting a personal statement can be difficult and it may be easier for you to leave this section of your personal statement as the last thing you write. Use this section to introduce yourself, catch the attention of the reader, and set up your story.  

Tips for writing an introduction paragraph

• Avoid catchy openings like “from a young age” or “I have always wanted to…”
• Get to the point quickly
• Start with something interesting, relevant, and specific
• Think about what is inspiring you today
• Avoid exclamation points to emphasize your excitement

Personal Statement Body Section

The body of your personal statement should focus on the details of your story. Each paragraph should expand on your points and begin with a topic sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs.

Ending sentences for body paragraphs should wrap up your points and help transition the reader to the next body paragraph or the concluding paragraph.

In the climax of your essay, use concrete language and zoom in on the moment of transition.

For example, if you talk about your financial stress, which was caused by foreclosure and you didn’t have an attorney, which led to you getting sick, don’t say that you “experienced hardship” or that it  “took a toll” on your health. What was the hardship? What was the toll? Specific, concrete details give transition moments their power.

[ TIP: Vary your sentence length to keep readers interested ]

Personal Statement Conclusion Section

The conclusion section of your personal statement should re-emphasize and summarize your main points.  It should be concise and leave the reader with a greater understanding of who you are and why law school is the next logical step for you in your education.  

If you are having trouble, consider taking a break and asking for help .  

Overcoming Writer’s Block

We all suffer from writer’s block sometimes, and it can be particularly brutal when the stakes are high … like when you are trying to get into law school.

One way to cut through the blockage is to make a stream-of-consciousness list of word associations. Start with a memory (e.g., first grade), a person (e.g., grandmother), or a place (e.g., the beach), and then just write down every word that comes to mind for the next two to three minutes. Do not worry if the words that come to mind are absurd (e.g., tuna, rabbits, dominoes)—they are coming from somewhere, and one of them just might trigger a memory that makes you think, “Ah! That could have a place in this essay.”

This advice may sound a little silly and unguided, but that is precisely the point. When you are experiencing writer’s block, that is a sign that you are too “in your head”—that is, your conscious mind. You need to hop over from your left brain to your right, which is less judgmental and more creative.

How to edit your law school personal statement

Do not underestimate how crucial editing is to writing a good personal statement. Editing is about far more than correcting your spelling and punctuation. A hastily edited personal statement could very well be the thing that makes the difference between “Congratulations!” and “We regret to inform you…”.

Inspect the Structure

Your first goal should be to make sure that your personal statement is well organized. Return to the outline that you wrote and shift things around if necessary. Make sure each topic sentence inspires you to keep reading.

Copyediting

Run the spell-check, of course, but also read through on your own, very carefully. If your typo is a correctly-spelled but inappropriately used word, it won’t set off the spell-check. Pay attention to your use of commas, semi-colons, and other punctuation marks; consult a resource on English language mechanics if you have any doubts about usage.

[ TIP: Make sure that you mention the correct law school in the essay ]

Verify Personal Statement Is About You

Avoid including too much about “the world” and/or too little about yourself.  Look for these items throughout your personal statement.

• You have several sentences in a row describing life (or the universe, or society, or the world) in abstract terms.
• You spend a full paragraph talking about something or someone else without reflecting on your topic from your perspective.
• You get to the end of the personal statement and realize you do not know how what you have read reveals something significant about you as a person.
• You spot very few uses of “I” in your personal statement.

If any of these describe your current draft, look for ways of introducing yourself more frequently in it.

Get Feedback From Others

Once you’ve fully completed editing, ask several people whose writing skills you trust to look over your essay and offer suggestions. Ask them if they came away with a clear and cohesive sense of you as an individual. 

Incorporate Feedback

When you’ve gotten feedback from others, incorporate suggestions you find valuable into your rewrites. Repeat this as necessary until you get an essay that you’ve proud of… or until your application is due, whichever comes first.

Note: To maintain the integrity and authenticity of this project, we have not edited the personal statements, though any identifying names and details have been changed or removed. Any grammatical errors that appear in the essays belong to the candidates and illustrate the importance of having someone (or multiple someones) proofread your work.

Personal Statement

I don’t imagine the process of coming out as gay is easy for anyone. I can still remember the first time the words came out of my mouth. The person I told, my best friend, waited expectantly for the big news I had promised her over the phone. My heart began to beat faster. My palms were sweating. A million thoughts raced through my head. Here was something integral to my identity, something so deep it had taken me years to uncover. And I was about to tell someone who could either accept it, or turn away from me.

Fortunately, the experience in my case was a positive one, overall. Without fail, my closest friends and family told me they loved me, and would continue to do so. There were, of course, some people who did not accept me, and that hurt in ways that I can’t begin to explain. But the ones who really mattered embraced me, and coming out to them was an affirming experience. I knew even more than I had before that I had a network of people around me who cared for me and supported me.

When I was in college, I became involved in activities that affirmed my identity further. I organized on campus for things like a gay student union and gender non-specific bathrooms, and the groups I worked with had various levels of success with these projects. But [my undergraduate university] is a largely queer-friendly school in [a large metropolitan city], and so the activities felt somewhat sheltered. After organizing with these campus groups for a while, I branched out and began volunteering for organizations in the larger city ….

I had always known that not everyone’s experience of coming out as gay was as positive as mine, but it was when I became involved with these organizations that I began to see just how cruel the world could be to LGBTQIA [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual] people. I met thirteen-year-olds who had been abused and thrown into the street because they were gay. I met trans women who had been discriminated against for their identities by bosses and landlords. I met drag queens whose daily experience involved street harassment and the threat of bodily harm. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by people who were struggling every day to meet their basic needs like food and shelter because of their identities.

I also began to learn from people who were older than me, who had slept on the Chelsea Piers, and lived through the plague of HIV and AIDS. I learned about intersectionality, the varied forms that oppression can take and where they meet in an individual’s life. I learned of how mainstream organizations like HRC [Human Rights Campaign] and those involved in the fight for marriage equality often jettison the most vulnerable members of queer struggle in order to achieve what they consider the “greater good”—like the exclusion of transgender people from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the ‘90s. I learned about assimilation of gay people into mainstream society, and how it worked remarkably well for some while for others it would never, ever be an option.

In the end, it was these—the most vulnerable members of my community—that I found the most reason to fight for. People whose doctors won’t treat them because they’re HIV positive. Trans men and trans women without legal documentation who can’t find a lawyer that will take them on. Intersex prisoners who the prison industrial complex tries to squeeze into its limited boxes.

I honestly believe going to law school is the best way I can help these people. I have spent years writing and signing petitions, organizing LGBTQIA dance parties, protesting in the streets. Now, as I enter the phase of my life in which I am choosing a profession, I want it to be one that takes all I have learned and keeps it in the forefront of my mind. I want to stand up for the people in my community who have so few advocates.

A queer utopia—that is, a world in which the struggles I have learned of through my involvement in the LGBTQIA community no longer exist—is still a long way off. But I have seen good people filling in the gaps in the lives of those most strongly affected by inequality. I am committed to becoming one of those people, and I feel that this is the best way I can do it.

A story illustrating the reasons you want to go to law school is always going to be more effective than a generic essay that anyone could have written; remember the point of the law school personal statement is to show a law school something unique about yourself. 

Law School Personal Statement Don’ts

• Avoid dramatic tales of romance
• Curse often
• Avoid absolute statements which tend to sound more unreasoned than reasoned— law school is all about reason
• Do not submit an essay version of your resume
• Do not use the same personal statement for every school

[ NEXT: What not to do in a law school personal statement ]

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18 Law School Personal Statement Examples That Got Accepted!

This blog contains law school personal statement examples written by applicants who were successfully accepted to multiple law schools after working with our admissions experts as part of our  l aw school admissions consulting services . Your  law school personal statement  is one of the most important parts of your application and is your best opportunity to show admissions officers who you are behind your numbers and third-party assessments. Because of its importance, many students find the personal statement to be daunting and demanding of the full scope of their skills as writers. Today we're going to review these excellent law school personal statement examples from past successful applicants and provide some proven strategies from a former admissions officer that can help you prepare your own stellar essay. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 44 min read

Law school personal statement example #1.

When I was a child, my neighbors, who had arrived in America from Nepal, often seemed stressed. They argued a lot, struggled for money, and seemed to work all hours of the day. One day, I woke early in the morning to a commotion outside my apartment. Police officers were accompanying my neighbors out of the building. They were being deported. In my teens, I was shocked to see that our kind, friendly neighbors had exhausted their last chance to stay in America as they lost a court appeal. 

Since that time, I have worked closely with the many immigrant families in my neighborhood, and now university town. I began by volunteering at a local community center. Together with social workers, I served food and gave out clothes to new arrivals. My diligent work ethic led to more responsibility, and I received training in basic counseling techniques, first aid skills and community services. Soon, I was tasked with welcoming new community members and assessing their health and social needs. I heard the many difficult stories of those who had traveled thousands of miles, often through several countries, risking everything to reach a safe, welcoming country. I was proud to contribute in some small way to making America welcoming for these individuals.

The community center is where I had my first formal contact with legal aid lawyers, who were a constant source of knowledge and support for those who needed assistance. I was struck by the lawyers’ ability to explain complex legal processes to nervous and exhausted incomers: law, I realized, was about more than procedure. I decided that I, too, would strive to balance a wealth of technical knowledge with my caring, compassionate personality.

As soon as I enrolled in university, I knew I had the chance to do so. In my very first week, I signed up to volunteer at the university’s legal aid center, where I worked closely with law professors and students on a range of cases. Academically, I have focused on courses, such as a fourth-year Ethics seminar, that would help me develop rigorous critical reasoning skills. More importantly, I knew that, given my experience, I could be a leader on campus. I decided to found a refugee campaign group, Students4Refugees. Together with a group of volunteers, we campaigned to make our campus a refugee-friendly space. I organized a series of events: international student mixers, an art installation in our student commons, and concerts that raised over $5,000 for the charity Refugee Aid. I am proud to say that my contributions were recognized with a university medal for campus leadership.

I have seen time and again how immigrants to the United States struggle with bureaucracy, with complex legal procedures, and with the demands of living in a foreign and sometimes hostile climate. As I plan to enter law school, I look back to my neighbors’ experiences: they needed someone who knew the law, who could negotiate with the authorities on their behalf, who could inform them of their rights—but they also needed someone who would provide a caring and compassionate outlet for their stresses. I know that Townsville University’s combination of academic rigor, legal aid services, and history of graduates entering labor and non-profit sectors will allow me to develop these skills and continue making contributions to my community by advocating for those in need.

• Thematic consistency: It focuses on just one theme: justice for immigrants. Each paragraph is designed to show off how enthusiastic the student is about this area of law. Personal statements—including those for law school—often begin with a personal anecdote. This one is short, memorable, and relevant. It establishes the overall theme quickly. By constraining their essay’s focus to a single general theme, the writer can go into great depth and weave in emotional and psychological weight through careful and vivid description. The personal statement isn’t a standard 3-paragraph college essay with a spotlight thesis statement, but it conveys similar impact through presenting a central focus organically, without resorting to simply blurting out “the point” of the piece.   
• Shows, rather than tells: Connected to this, this statement focuses on showing rather than telling. Rather than simply telling the reader about their commitment to law, the applicant describes specific situations they were involved in that demonstrate their commitment to law. “Show don’t tell” means you want to paint a vivid picture of actions or experiences that demonstrate a given quality or skill, and not simply say "I can do X." Make it an experience for your reader, don't just give them a fact. 
• Confident, but not arrogant: Additionally, this personal statement is confident without being boastful—leadership qualities, grades, and an award are all mentioned in context, rather than appearing as a simple list of successes. 
• Specific to the school: It ends with a conclusion that alludes to why the applicant is suitable for the specific school to which they’re applying and points to their future career plans. Thoroughly researching the law school to which you’re applying is incredibly important so that you can tailor your remarks to the specific qualities and values they’re looking for. A law essay writing service is really something that can help you integrate this aspect effectively. 

What Should a Law School Personal Statement Do?

1.      be unique to the school you’re applying to.

Students are always asking how to write a personal statement for law school, particularly one that stands out from all the rest. After all, advice from most universities can often be quite vague. Take this zinger from the  University of Chicago : “Write about something personal, relevant, and completely individual to you… Just be yourself.” Every school will have different requirements or content they want to see in a personal statement. This is why it’s a good idea to review specific guidelines for the school to which you’re applying. For example, you can read Yale Law School personal statement examples , Stanford Law personal statement examples , and an NYU personal statement to get an idea of what these schools look for.

2.      Demonstrate your skills and capabilities

For motivated students with the world at their fingertips, it’s a tough ask to narrow your character down into a few hundred words! But this is exactly the point of such generic guidelines—to challenge aspiring law students to produce something unique and convincing with minimal direction by the university. Law is, after all, a profession that demands your language to be persuasive, and the personal statement is merely one of many exercises where you can demonstrate your language skills. 

3.      Meet basic requirements

While the law school personal statement is about far more than just following essay directions, you still need to keep basic formatting and length restrictions in mind. Most law schools ask for a 2-page personal statement, but lengths can range from 2-4 pages. Georgetown Law School , for instance, recommends a 2-page personal statement but explicitly states that there is no official minimum or maximum. In general, length does not make a personal statement better. Rambling, meandering sentences and tiresome descriptions will only hurt the impact of your ideas, especially considering how many thousands of pages admissions committees have to churn through each year.  

In short, keep to 2 double-spaced pages, and only go below or above this is if you absolutely have to, and if the school to which you're applying allows it. You want to keep things as widely applicable as possible while drafting your personal statement, meaning that you don't want to draft a 4 page letter for the one school that allows it, and then have to significantly rewrite this for your other schools. Stick to 2 pages. 

4.      Embody what the school is looking for

Lastly, many law schools won’t offer hyper-specific prompts, but will give you general law school admissions essay topics to follow. For instance, the University of Washington’s law school provides a number of topics to follow, including “Describe a personal challenge you faced” or “Describe your passions and involvement in a project or pursuit and the ways in which it has contributed to your personal growth and goals.” These topics may feel specific at first, but as you begin drafting, you’ll likely realize you have dozens of memories to choose from, and numerous ways of describing their impact. While drafting, try to explore as many of these options as possible, and select the best or most impactful to use in your final draft.  

Law School Personal Statement Example #2

In my home community, the belief is that the law is against us. The law oppresses and victimizes. I must admit that as a child and young person I had this opinion based on my environment and the conversations around me. I did not understand that the law could be a vehicle for social change, and I certainly did not imagine I had the ability and talents to be a voice for this change. I regularly attended my high school classes because I enjoyed the discussions and reading for English and history, and writing came easily to me, but I wasn’t committed to getting good grades because I felt I had no purpose. My mindset changed as I spent time with Mark Russell, a law student who agreed to mentor and tutor me as part of a “high school to law school” mentorship program. Every week, for three years, Mark and I would meet. At first, Mark tutored me, but I quickly became an “A” student, not only because of the tutoring, but because my ambitions were uncorked by what Mark shared with me about university, the law, and his life. I learned grades were the currency I needed to succeed. I attended mock trials, court hearings, and law lectures with Mark and developed a fresh understanding of the law that piqued an interest in law school. My outlook has changed because my mentor, my teachers, and my self-advocacy facilitated my growth. Still, injustices do occur. The difference is that I now believe the law can be an instrument for social change, but voices like mine must give direction to policy and resources in order to fight those injustices.

Early in my mentorship, I realized it was necessary to be “in the world” differently if I were to truly consider a law career. With Mark’s help and the support of my high school teachers, I learned to advocate for myself and explore opportunities that would expand my worldview as well as my academic skills. I joined a Model UN club at a neighboring high school, because my own school did not have enough student interest to have a club. By discussing global issues and writing decisions, I began to feel powerful and confident with my ability to gather evidence and make meaningful decisions about real global issues. As I built my leadership, writing, and public speaking skills, I noticed a rift developing with some of my friends. I wanted them to begin to think about larger systemic issues outside of our immediate experience, as I was learning to, and to build confidence in new ways. I petitioned my school to start a Model UN and recruited enough students to populate the club. My friends did not join the club as I’d hoped, but before I graduated, we had 2 successful years with the students who did join. I began to understand that I cannot force change based on my own mandate, but I must listen attentively to the needs and desires of others in order to support them as they require.

While I learned to advocate for myself throughout high school, I also learned to advocate for others. My neighbors, knowing my desire to be a lawyer, would often ask me to advocate on their behalf with small grievances. I would make phone calls, stand in line with them at government offices, and deal with difficult landlords. A woman, Elsa, asked me to review her rental agreement to help her understand why her landlord had rented it to someone else, rather than renewing her lease. I scoured the rental agreement, highlighted questionable sections, read the Residential Tenancies Act, and developed a strategy for approaching the landlord. Elsa and I sat down with the landlord and, upon seeing my binder complete with indices, he quickly conceded before I could even speak. That day, I understood evidence is the way to justice. My interest in justice grew, and while in university, I sought experiences to solidify my decision to pursue law.

Last summer, I had the good fortune to work as a summer intern in the Crown Attorney’s Office responsible for criminal trial prosecutions. As the only pre-law intern, I was given tasks such as reviewing court tapes, verifying documents, and creating a binder with indices. I often went to court with the prosecutors where I learned a great deal about legal proceedings, and was at times horrified by human behavior. This made the atmosphere in the Crown Attorney’s office even more surprising. I worked with happy and passionate lawyers whose motivations were pubic service, the safety and well-being of communities, and justice. The moment I realized justice was their true objective, not the number of convictions, was the moment I decided to become a lawyer.

I broke from the belief systems I was born into. I did this through education, mentorship, and self-advocacy. There is sadness because in this transition I left people behind, especially as I entered university. However, I am devoted to my home community. I understand the barriers that stand between youth and their success. As a law student, I will mentor as I was mentored, and as a lawyer, I will be a voice for change.

What’s Great about this Second Law School Personal Statement?

• It tells a complete and compelling story: Although the applicant expressed initial reservations about the law generally, the statement tells a compelling story of how the applicant's opinions began to shift and their interest in law began. They use real examples and show how that initial interest, once seeded, grew into dedication and passion. This introduction implies an answer to the " why do you want to study law? ” interview question.
• It shows adaptability: Receptiveness to new information and the ability to change both thought and behavior based on this new information. The writer describes realizing that they needed to be "in the world" differently! It's hard to convey such a grandiose idea without sounding cliché, but through their captivating and chronological narrative, the writer successfully convinces the reader that this is the case with copious examples, including law school extracurriculars . It’s a fantastic case of showing rather than telling, describing specific causes they were involved with which demonstrate that the applicant is genuinely committed to a career in the law. 
• Includes challenges the subject faced and overcame: This law school personal statement also discusses weighty, relatable challenges that they faced, such as the applicant's original feeling toward law, and the fact that they lost some friends along the way. However, the applicant shows determination to move past these hurdles without self-pity or other forms of navel-gazing.  Additionally, this personal statement ends with a conclusion that alludes to why the applicant is suitable for the specific school to which they’re applying and points to their future career plans. The writer manages to craft an extremely immersive and believable story about their path to the present, while also managing to curate the details of this narrative to fit the specific values and mission of the school to which they’re applying.

What’s Great About This Third Law School Personal Statement? 

• Description is concise and effective: This writer opens with rich, vivid description and seamlessly guides the reader into a compelling first-person narrative. Using punchy, attention-grabbing descriptions like these make events immersive, placing readers in the writer's shoes and creating a sense of immediacy. 
• Achievements are the focus: They also do a fantastic job of talking about their achievements, such as interview team lead, program design, etc., without simply bragging. Instead, they deliver this information within a cohesive narrative that includes details, anecdotes, and information that shows their perspective in a natural way. Lastly, they invoke their passion for law with humility, discussing their momentary setbacks and frustrations as ultimately positive experiences leading to further growth. 

Want more law school personal statement examples from top law schools?

• Harvard law school personal statement examples
• Columbia law school personal statement examples
• Cornell law school personal statement examples
• Yale law school personal statement examples
• UPenn law school personal statement examples
• Cambridge law school personal statement examples

Law School Personal Statement #4

What’s great about this fourth law school personal statement.

• Engaging description: Like the third example above, this fourth law school personal statement opens with engaging description and first-person narrative. However, the writer of this personal statement chooses to engage a traumatic aspect of their childhood and discuss how this adversity led them to develop their desire to pursue a career in law.  
• Strong theme of overcoming adversity: Overcoming adversity is a frequent theme in personal statements for all specialties, but with law school personal statements students are often able to utilize uniquely dramatic, difficult, and pivotal experiences that involved interacting with the law. It may be hard to discuss such emotionally weighty experiences in a short letter but, as this personal statement shows, with care and focus it's possible to sincerely demonstrate how your early struggles paved the way for you to become the person you are now. It's important to avoid sensationalism, but you shouldn't shy away from opening up to your readers about adverse experiences that have ultimately pointed you in a positive direction. 

Law School Personal Statement Example #5

What’s great about this fifth law school personal statement  .

• Highlights achievements effectively: This writer does a fantastic job of incorporating their accomplishments and impact they had on their community without any sense of bragging or conceit. Rather, these accomplishments are related in terms of deep personal investment and a general drive to have a positive impact on those around them—without resorting to the cliches of simply stating "I want to help people." They show themselves helping others, and how these early experiences of doing so are a fundamental part of their drive to succeed with a career in law.   
• Shows originality: Additionally, they do a great job of explaining the uniqueness of their identity. The writer doesn't simply list their personal/cultural characteristics, but contextualizes them to show how they've shaped their path to law school. Being the child of a Buddhist mother and a Hindu father doesn’t imply anything about a person’s ability to study/practice law on its own, but explaining how this unique aspect of their childhood encouraged a passion for “discussion, active debate, and compromise” is profoundly meaningful to an admissions panel. Being able to express how fundamental aspects of law practice are an integral part of yourself is a hugely helpful tactic in a law school personal statement. 

If you\u2019re heading North of the border, check out list of  law schools in Canada  that includes requirements and stats on acceptance. ","label":"Tip","title":"Tip"}]' code='tab2' template='BlogArticle'>

Law School Personal Statement Example #6

What’s great about this sixth law school personal statement .

• Weaves in cultural background: Similar to the writer of personal statement #5, this student utilizes the cultural uniqueness of their childhood to show how their path to law school was both deeply personal and rooted in ideas pervasive in their early years. Unlike the writer of statement #5, this student doesn't shy away from explaining how this distinctiveness was often a source of alienation and difficulty. Yet this adversity is, as they note, ultimately what helped them be an adaptable and driven student, with a clear desire to make a positive impact on the kinds of situations that they witnessed affect their parents.  
• Describes setbacks while remaining positive: This writer also doesn't shy away from describing their temporary setbacks as both learning experiences and, crucially, springboards for positively informing their plans for the future. 

What’s Great About This Seventh Law School Personal Statement? 

• The writer takes accountability: One of the hardest things to accomplish in a personal statement is describing not just early setbacks that are out of your control but early mistakes for which you must take responsibility. The writer of this personal statement opens with descriptions of characteristics that most law schools would find problematic at best. But at the end of this introduction, they successfully utilize an epiphany, a game-changing moment in which they saw something beyond their early pathological aimlessness, to clearly mark the point at which they became focused on law.  
• The narrative structure is clear: They clearly describe the path forward from this moment on, showing how they remained focused on earning a law degree, and how they were able to work through successive experiences of confusion to persist in finishing their undergraduate education at a prestigious university. Of course, you shouldn't brag about such things for their own sake, but this writer makes the point of opening up about the unique feelings of inadequacy that come along with being the first person in their family to attend such a school, and how these feelings were—like their initial aimlessness—mobilized in service of their goal and the well-being of others. Their statement balances discussion of achievement with humility, which is a difficult but impactful tactic when done well. 

Law School Personal Statement Example #8

What’s great about this eighth law school personal statement .

• Shows commitment to the community: Commitment to one’s community is a prized value in both law students and law professionals. This writer successfully describes not only how they navigated the challenges in their group environments, such as their internship, the debate team, etc., but how these challenges strengthened their commitment to being a positive part of their communities. They don’t simply describe the skills and lessons they learned from these challenging environments, but also how these challenges ultimately made them even more committed to and appreciative of these kinds of dynamic, evolutionary settings.  
• Avoids negative description: They also avoid placing blame or negatively describing the people in these situations, instead choosing to characterize inherent difficulties in terms neutral to the people around them. In this way, you can describe extremely challenging environments without coming off as resentful, and identify difficulties without being accusatory or, worse yet, accidentally or indirectly seeming like part of the problem. This writer manages to convey the difficulty and complexity of these experiences while continually returning to their positive long-term impact, and though you shouldn’t seek to “bright-side” the troubles in your life you should absolutely point out how these experiences have made you a more capable and mature student. 

Law School Personal Statement Example #9

What’s great about this ninth law school personal statement  .

• The writer effectively describes how their background shaped their decision to pursue law: Expressing privilege as adversity is something that very few students should even attempt, and fewer still can actually pull it off. But the writer of this personal statement does just that in their second paragraph, describing how the ease and comfort of their upbringing could have been a source of laziness or detachment, and often is for particularly well-off students, but instead served as a basis for their ongoing commitment to addressing the inequalities and difficulties of those less comfortable. Describing how you’ve developed into an empathic and engaged person, worked selflessly in any volunteer experiences, and generally aimed your academic life at a career in law for the aid of others—all this is incredibly moving for an admissions board, and can help you discuss your determination and understanding of exactly why you desire a career in law.  
• The student shows adaptability, flexibility, and commitment: Additionally, this writer is able to show adaptability while describing their more prestigious appointments in a way that’s neither self-aggrandizing nor unappreciative. One of the big takeaways from this statement is the student’s commitment and flexibility, and these are both vitally important qualities to convey in your law school personal statement.  

Law School Personal Statement Example #10

What’s great about this tenth law school personal statement .

Shows passion: If you’re one of the rare students for whom service to others has always been a core belief, by all means find a novel and engaging way of making this the guiding principle of your personal statement. Don’t overdo it—don’t veer into poetry or lofty philosophizing—but by all means let your passion guide your pen (well…keyboard). Every step of the way, this student relates their highs and lows, their challenges and successes, to an extremely earnest and sincere set of altruistic values invoked at the very beginning of their statement. Law school admissions boards don’t exactly prize monomania, but they do value intense and sustained commitment.  

Shows maturity: This student also successfully elaborates this passion in relation to mature understanding. That is, they make repeated points about their developing understanding of law that sustains their hopefulness and emotional intensity while also incorporating knowledge of the sometimes troubling day-to-day challenges of the profession. Law schools aren’t looking for starry-eyed naivete, but they do value optimism and the ability to stay positive in a profession often defined by its difficulties and unpredictability. 

Every pre-law student blames their lack of success on the large number of applicants, the heartless admissions committee members, or the high GPA and LSAT score cut offs. Check out our blog on  law school acceptance rates  to find out more about the law school admission statistics for law schools in the US . Having taught more than a thousand students every year, I can tell you the REAL truth about why most students get rejected: 

Need tips on your law school resume?

8 Additional Law School Personal Statement Examples

Now that you have a better idea of what your law school personal statement should include, and how you can make it stand out, here are five additional law school personal statements for you to review and get some inspiration:

Law school personal statement example #11

According to the business wire, 51 percent of students are not confident in their career path when they enroll in college. I was one of those students for a long time. My parents had always stressed the importance of education and going to college, so I knew that I wanted to get a tertiary education, I just didn’t know in what field. So, like many other students, I matriculated undecided and started taking introductory courses in the subjects that interest me. I took classes from the department of literature, philosophy, science, statistics, business, and so many others but nothing really called out to me.

I figured that maybe if I got some practical experience, I might get more excited about different fields. I remembered that my high school counselor had told me that medicine would be a good fit for me, and I liked the idea of a career that involved constant learning. So, I applied for an observership at my local hospital. I had to cross “doctor” off my list of post-graduate career options when I fainted in the middle of a consultation in the ER.

I had to go back to the drawing board and reflect on my choices. I decided to stop trying to make an emotional decision and focus on the data. So, I looked at my transcript thus far, and it quickly became clear to me that I had both an interest and an aptitude for business and technology. I had taken more courses in those two fields than in any others, and I was doing very well in them. My decision was reaffirmed when I spent the summer interning at a digital marketing firm during my senior year in college and absolutely loved my experience. 

Since graduating, I have been working at that same firm and I am glad that I decided to major in business. I first started as a digital advertising assistant, and I quickly learned that the world of digital marketing is an incredibly fast-paced sink-or-swim environment. I didn’t mind it at all. I wanted to swim with the best of them and succeed. So far, my career in advertising has been challenging and rewarding in ways that I never could have imagined. 

I remember the first potential client that I handled on my own. Everything had been going great until they changed their mind about an important detail a day before we were supposed to present our pitch. . I had a day to research and re-do a presentation that I’d been preparing for weeks. I was sure that I’d be next on the chopping block, but once again all I had to was take a step back and look at the information that I had. Focusing on the big picture helped me come up with a new pitch, and after a long night, lots of coffee, and laser-like focus, I delivered a presentation that I was not only proud of, but that landed us the client. 

Three years and numerous client emergencies later, I have learned how to work under pressure, how to push myself, and how to think critically. I also have a much better understanding of who I am and what skills I possess. One of the many things that I have learned about myself over the course of my career is that I am a fan of the law. Over the past three years, I have worked with many lawyers to navigate the muddy waters of user privacy and digital media. I often find myself looking forward to working with our legal team, whereas my coworkers actively avoid them. I have even become friends with my colleagues on the legal team who also enjoy comparing things like data protection laws in the US and the EU and speculating about the future of digital technology regulation. 

These experiences and conversations have led me to a point where I am interested in various aspects of the law. I now know that I have the skills required to pursue a legal education and that this time around, I am very sure about what I wish to study. Digital technology has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and it is just now starting to become regulated. I believe that this shift is going to open up a more prominent role for those who understand both digital technology and its laws, especially in the corporate world. My goal is to build a career at the intersection of these worlds.

Law school personal statement example #12

The first weekend I spent on my undergrad college campus was simultaneously one of the best and worst of my life. I was so excited to be away from home, on my own, making new friends and trying new things. One of those things was a party at a sorority house with my friend and roommate, where I thought we both had a great time. Both of us came from small towns, and we had decided to look out for one another. So, when it was time to go home, and I couldn't find her, I started to worry. I spent nearly an hour looking for her before I got her message saying she was already back in our dorm. 

It took her three months to tell me that she had been raped that night. Her rapist didn't hold a knife to her throat, jump out of a dark alleyway, or slip her a roofie. Her rapist was her long-term boyfriend, with whom she'd been in a long-distance relationship for just over a year. He assaulted her in a stranger's bedroom while her peers, myself included, danced the night away just a few feet away. 

I remember feeling overwhelmed when she first told me. I was sad for my friend, angry on her behalf, and disgusted by her rapist's actions. I also felt incredibly guilty because I had been there when it happened. I told myself that I should have stayed with her all night and that I should have seen the abuse - verbal and physical harassment- that he was inflicting on her before it turned sexual. But eventually, I realized that thinking about what could, should, or would've happened doesn't help anyone. 

I watched my friend go through counseling, attend support groups, and still, she seemed to be hanging on by a thread. I couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through, and unfortunately, there was very little I could do to help her. So, I decided to get involved with the Sexual Assault Responders Group on campus, where I would actually be able to help another survivor. 

My experience with the Sexual Assault Responders Group on campus was eye-opening. I mostly worked on the peer-to-peer hotline, where I spoke to survivors from all walks of life. I was confronted by the fact that rape is not a surreal unfortunate thing that happens to a certain type of person. I learned that it happens daily to mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends. I also learned that most survivors try to manage this burden on their own, afraid of judgment and repercussions and fearful of a he-said-she-said court battle.

I am proud to say that I used my time in college to not only earn an education, but also to advocate for survivors of sexual assault. I protested the university's cover-up of a gang rape that took place in one of the fraternity houses on campus. I spearheaded a 'no means no' campaign to raise awareness about consent on campus. I also led several fundraising campaigns for the Sexual Assault Responders Group that allowed us to pay for legal and mental health counselors for the survivors who came to us for support. 

One of the things that this experience helped me realize is that sexual assault survivors often do not know where to turn when the system tries to tell them that it'd be best to just keep quiet and suffer in silence. My goal is to become one of those people that they can turn to for counsel and support. I believe that a law degree would give me the knowledge and tools that I need to advocate for survivors on a more significant scale. 

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Law school personal statement example #13

I grew up in two different worlds. My world at home was full of people of various skin tones and accents. It was small, loud, and often chaotic in the best ways. I remember walking home and getting to experience music from across the world before I got to my apartment building. Loud reggaeton and afrobeat were always playing somewhere in the distance. Aunties and uncles usually stopped by unannounced and slipped money in your palm when they hugged you goodbye. And the smell of fried plantains was almost always present. 

My other world was in school. It was a much quieter, more organized world with white hallways, navy blazers, and plaid skirts. It was full of people who did not look or sound like me and teachers who thought my hair was "interesting." It was also full of great books and engaging debates about everything from foreign policy to the influence of Jazz on hip hop. 

I lived in these two worlds because I was born and raised in Xtown, but I went to a private school in a much richer neighborhood. I loved both of my worlds, but I hated that I had to act differently in both of them. When in school, I had to "code switch" to sound like I belonged there. When I was at home, all the people who shared the interests I was developing in school were either working or in college, so I had no one to talk to about them. 

My words never felt more divided until I started considering a career in law. I remember telling one of my uncles that I wanted to become a lawyer and his response was, "So you want to become the man, huh?" 

I wasn't surprised by his response, or at least I shouldn't have been. One of the things that I know for sure about the first world I lived in is that many of its inhabitants do not trust the law. I had believed this for so long simply because of the conversations that I would hear around me. However, in my second world, I was learning about all of these great freedoms and rights that the law was designed to give all Americans, and I wanted to bring those to my community. 

I started working on this during the summer before my final year of high school. I got an internship with the legal aid office in my neighborhood and spent three months learning from people who, like me, had grown up in Xtown and wanted to help people. During my time in the legal aid office, I understood that the people in my community did not trust the law for two main reasons: 1. They did not understand a lot of it, and 2. It had been used against people like us many times. 

I remember one particular case that Ms. Sharma - the lawyer I was learning from then and who still mentors me today - handled that summer. It was the case of a young mother who had received a notice of eviction from her landlord two days after refusing his advances. The man claimed that she violated her contract because she made homemade shea butter that she sold on Etsy. Ms. Sharma had me look through her rental agreement. After she confirmed that I was right in determining that the young mother had not violated her contract, she contacted the landlord to advise him that what he was doing was intimidation and sexual harassment. 

My experiences in the legal aid office with Ms. Sharma opened my eyes to the disgusting behavior of human beings, but it also gave me the opportunity to see that the law was my opportunity to use what I learned in my second world to help the community that I was raised in. I returned to school with a new motivation that followed me to college. In addition to completing my bachelor's degree in sociology and African American studies, I spent most of my college years participating in legal internships and community outreach programs. 

I believe that these experiences have given me the foundation I need to be a successful law student and, eventually, a lawyer who can truly be an advocate for members of his community. 

Law school personal statement example #14

One day, my parents noticed that the other children in my age group had been speaking and communicating, but I had not. At first, they thought that my lack of speech was just me being shy, but eventually, they realized that on the rare occasions that I did speak, my words were practically incomprehensible. It wasn't long before they took me to a specialist who diagnosed me with a severe phonological disorder that hindered my ability to verbalize the basic sounds that make up words.

I started going to speech therapy when I was three years old. I saw numerous speech therapists, many of whom believed that I would never be able to communicate effectively with others. Lucky for me, my parents did not give up on me. I went to speech therapy thrice a week until the 8th grade, and I gave every single session my all. I also spent a lot of time in my room practicing my speech by myself. My efforts paid off, and even though I didn't become a chatterbox overnight, I could at least communicate effectively. 

This was a short-lived victory, though. A year later, my speech impediment was back, and my ability to articulate words was once again severely limited. This complicated matters because it was my freshman year of high school, and I was in a brand-new school where I did not know anyone. Having been bullied in middle school, I knew first-hand how vicious kids can be, and I didn't want to be the butt of any more jokes, so I didn't try to speak at school. I knew that this was preventing me from making new friends or participating in class and that it was probably not helping my impediment, but I was not ready to face the fact that I needed to go back to speech therapy. 

Eventually, I stopped resisting and went back to speech therapy. At the time, I saw it as accepting defeat, and even though my speech improved significantly, my self-confidence was lower than it had ever been. If you ask any of my high school classmates about me, they will likely tell you that I am very quiet or timid – both of which are not true, but they have no way of knowing otherwise. I barely spoke or interacted with my peers for most of high school. Instead, I focused on my studies and extracurricular activities that didn't involve much collaboration, like yearbook club and photography. 

It was only when I was getting ready for college that I realized that I was only hurting myself with my behavior. I knew I needed to become more confident about my speech to make friends and be the student I wanted to be in college. So, I used the summer after my high school graduation to get some help. I started seeing a new speech therapist who was also trained as a counselor, and she helped me understand my impediment better. For example, I now know that I tend to stutter when stressed, but I also know that taking a few deep breaths helps me get back on track. 

Using the confidence that I built in therapy that summer, I went to college with a new pep in my step. I pushed myself to meet new people, try new things, and join extracurricular organizations when I entered college. I applied to and was accepted into a competitive freshman leadership program called XYZ. Most of XYZ's other members were outgoing and highly involved in their high school communities. In other words, they were the complete opposite of me. I didn't let that intimidate me. Instead, I made a concerted effort to learn from them. If you ask any of my teammates or other classmates in college, they will tell you that I was an active participant in discussions during meetings and that I utilized my unique background to share a different perspective.

My experience with XYZ made it clear to me that my speech disorder wouldn't hold me back as long as I did not stand in my own way. Once I understood this, I kept pushing past the boundaries I had set for myself. I began taking on leadership roles in the program and looking for ways to contribute to my campus community outside of XYZ. For example, I started a community outreach initiative that connected school alumni willing to provide pro bono services to different members of the community who were in need. 

Now, when I look back at my decision to go back to speech therapy, I see it as a victory. I understand that my speech impediment has shaped me in many ways, many of which are positive. My struggles have made me more compassionate. My inability to speak has made me a better listener. Not being able to ask questions or ask for help has made me a more independent critical thinker. I believe these skills will help me succeed in law school, and they are part of what motivates me to apply in the first place. Having struggled for so long to speak up for myself, I am ready and eager for the day when I can speak up for others who are temporarily unable to. 

“ You talk too much; you should be a lawyer.” 

I heard that sentence often while growing up because Congolese people always tell children who talk a lot that they should be lawyers. Sometimes I wonder if those comments did not subconsciously trigger my interest in politics and then the law. If they did, I am grateful for it. I am thankful for all the experiences that have brought me to this point where I am seeking an education that will allow me to speak for those who don’t always know how to, and, more importantly, those who are unable to. 

For context, I am the child of Congolese immigrants, and my parents have a fascinating story that I will summarize for you: 

A 14-year-old girl watches in confusion as a swarm of parents rush through the classroom, grabbing their children, and other students start running from the class. Soon she realizes that she and one other student are the only ones left, but when they both hear the first round of gunshots, no one has to tell them that it is time to run home. On the way home, she hears more gunshots and bombs. She fears for her survival and that of her family, and she starts to wonder what this war means for her and her family. Within a few months, her mother and father are selling everything they own so that they can board a plane to the US.

On the other side of the town, a 17-year-old boy is being forced to board a plane to the US because his mother, a member of parliament and the person who taught him about the importance of integrity, has been executed by the same group of soldiers who are taking over the region. 

They met a year later, outside the principal’s office at a high school in XXY. They bonded over the many things they have in common and laughed at the fact that their paths probably never would have crossed in Bukavu. Fast forward to today, they have been married for almost two decades and have raised three children, including me. 

Growing up in a Congolese household in the US presented was very interesting. On the one hand, I am very proud of the fact that I get to share my heritage with others. I speak French, Lingala, and Swahili – the main languages of Congo – fluently. I often dress in traditional clothing; I performed a traditional Congolese dance at my high school’s heritage night and even joined the Congolese Student Union at Almamatter University. 

On the other hand, being Congolese presented its challenges growing up. At a young age, I looked, dressed, and sounded different from my classmates. Even though I was born in the US, I had picked up a lot of my parents’ accents, and kids loved to tease me about it. Ignorant comments and questions were not uncommon. “Do you speak African?” “You’re not American! How did you get here?” “You don’t look African” “My mom says I can’t play with you because your parents came here to steal our jobs”. These are some of the polite comments that I heard often, and they made me incredibly sad, especially when classmates I considered my friends made them. 

My parents did not make assimilating any easier. My mother especially always feared I would lose my Congolese identity if they did not make it a point to remind me of it. She often said, “Just because you were born in America doesn’t mean that you are not Congolese anymore.” On one occasion, I argued that she always let me experience my Congolese side, but not my American side. That was the first time she told me I should be a lawyer. 

Having few friends and getting teased in school helped me learn to be comfortable on my own. I Often found refuge and excitement in books. I even started blogging about the books I read and interacting with other readers online. As my following grew, I started to use my platform to raise awareness about issues that I am passionate about, like climate change, the war in Congo, and the homeless crisis here in XXY. I was able to start a fundraising campaign through my blog that raised just under $5000 for the United Way – a local charity that helps the homeless in my city. 

This experience helped me understand that I could use my skills and the few tools at my disposal to help people, both here in America and one day, maybe even in Congo. I realized that I am lucky enough to have the option of expanding that skillset through education in order to do more for the community that welcomed my grandparents, uncles, aunties, and parents when they had nowhere else to go. 

The journey was not easy because while I received immense support and love from my family for continuing my education, I had to teach myself how to prepare and apply to college. Once there I had to learn on my own what my professors expected of me, how to study, how to network, and so much more. I am grateful for those experiences too, because they taught me how to be resourceful, research thoroughly, listen carefully, and seek help when I need it. 

All of these experiences have crafted me into who I am today, and I believe that with the right training, they will help me become a great attorney.

Law School Personal Statement Example #16

During my undergraduate studies, in the first two years, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do with my career. I enjoyed doing research, but I found that I became more interested in presenting the research than the process of contributing to it. I spoke to most of my science professors to ask if I could participate in their research. I worked in biology labs, chemistry labs, and in psychology classrooms working on a variety of projects that seemed meaningful and interesting. I gained new perspectives on study habits and mental health; the influence of music on the human mind; and applications of surface tension. I noticed that I was always taking the lead when we were presenting our findings to peers and research groups. I enjoyed yielding questions and addressing the captivating the audience with engaging gestures and speech. This was what led me to consider a career in law.

I always thought that I would become a scientist, so when I discovered that there were aspects of law that could be considered “scientific”, I was all ears. Still during my second year of undergraduate studies, I wanted to join an environmental awareness group, but noticed there weren’t any active. So, I took it upon myself to create my own. I wanted to do cleanup projects across the city, so I mapped out parks and areas that we could walk or drive to. I advertised my project to other students and eventually gained approximately fifteen students eager to help out. I was struck by the pollution in the water, the negligence of park maintenance. I drafted a letter to the municipal government and petitioned for a stricter environmental compliance approach. I wanted to advertise fines to hold polluters accountable, as there were hardly any to enforce the rules. A letter was returned to me stating that the government would consider my request. I felt a sense of gratification, of purpose; I discovered that I had the ability to enact change through policy. This drew me closer to the prospect of building a future in law, so I looked at other avenues to learn more.

I still wanted to find a way to bring together my love of science and discourse/communication. As a science student, I had the privilege of learning from professors who emphasized critical thinking; and they gave me a chance to learn that on my own. I took an internship as an environmental planner. There, I helped present project ideas to various groups, updating demographic/development information, and managing planning processes. I engaged in analytical thinking by looking at maps and demographic information to develop potential plans for land use. It was also the experience I was looking for in terms of a balance between science and oral communication. Using data analysis, I spoke to other planners and review boards to bring ideas together and execute a plan.

Through science, I learned how to channel my curiosity and logical thinking; as an advocate, I learned how to be creative and resourceful. Presenting research findings and being questioned in front of a group of qualified researchers, having to be sharp and ready for anything, taught me how to be more concise in speech. Developing an advocacy group dedicated to improving my community showed me what it lacked; it opened my eyes to the impact of initiative and focused collaboration. I was eager to begin another science project, this time with the environment in mind. It was titled “determining and defining the role of sociodemographic factors in air pollution health disparities”. I compiled and summarized relevant research and sent it over to a representative of the municipal government. In a couple of weeks, my request to increase advertising of fines in public areas was agreed to.

This Juris Doctor/Master in Environmental Studies program will allow me to continue deepening my knowledge of environmental law. With my goal of developing a career in environmental affairs, overseeing policies that influence land protection/use, I know that this program will give me the tools I need to succeed. With my experience working with large groups, I also believe I will fit into the larger class sizes at your institution. I understand the value of working together and how to engage in healthy discourse. With your Global Sustainability Certification, I will equip myself the expertise I need to produce meaningful change in environmental policy.

Here's how a law school advisor can help you with your application:

Law School Personal Statement #17

Growing up in a poor neighborhood, what my friends used to call “the ghetto”, I was always looking for my way out. I tried running away, but I always ended up back home in that tiny complex, barely enough room to fit all my brothers and sisters with my parents. My dad was disabled and couldn’t work, and my mother was doing her best working full-time as a personal-support worker. There was nothing we could do to get out of our situation, or so it seemed. It wasn’t until years later when I started my undergraduate degree that ironically, after I found my way out, that I began looking for a way to come back. I wanted to be a voice for people living in those bleak conditions; hungry, without work. Helpless.

Getting my degree in social work was one of the best decisions of my life. It gave me the tools to lobby for solutions to problems in poor communities. I knew my neighborhood better than anyone because I grew up there. I had the lived experience. I started working with the local government to develop programs for my clients; the people living in those same neighborhoods. We worked to provide financial assistance, legal aid, housing, and medical treatment—all things sorely lacking. My proudest moment was securing the funds and arranging surgery for my father’s bad hip and knees. I’m currently working on a large project with one of the community legislators to lobby for a harm reduction model addressing addiction in our communities.

With five years of experience as a social worker, I knew it was time for a career change when I learned that I could have more influence on public opinion and legislative decisions as a social-security disability lawyer. I knew firsthand that people victimized from racism, poverty, and injury needed more help than they were currently allotted. I knew that, from becoming and advocate and communicating with influential members of the local government, that I could do more with a law degree helping people attain basic needs like disability benefits, which are often denied outright.

This desire to help people get the help they need from local programs and government resources brought me to Scarborough, a small town outside of Toronto. I was aware of some of the issues afflicting this community, since I’d handled a few clients from there as a children’s disability social worker. Addiction and homelessness were the two main ones. I worked with children with ADHD or other physical/mental disabilities impairing their ability to attend school and function normally. I helped many of them get an IEP with the details of the special services they require, long overdue. I made sure each child got the care they needed, including special attention in school. Also noticing that so many of these families lacked proper nutrition, I organized a report detailing this finding. In it, I argued that the community needed more funds targeting lowest income families. I spoke directly with a legislator, which eventually got the city on board with developing a program more specifically for the lowest income families with residents under 18.

My goal has always been to be a voice for the inaudible, the ignored, who’ve been victimized by inadequate oversight from the ground up. Many of these groups, as I’ve witnessed firsthand, don’t have the luxury of being their own advocates. They are too busy trying to support their families, to put food on the table for their children. I’ve realized that it isn’t quite enough to work directly with these families to connect them with resources and ensure they get the support they need. Sometimes the support simply doesn’t exist, or it isn’t good enough. This is why I’m motivated to add a law degree to my credentials so I can better serve these people and communities. As a future social-security disability lawyer, I want to work with local governments to assist clients in navigating an assistance system and improving it as much as possible. This program will give me the access to a learning environment in which I can thrive and develop as an advocate.

Law School Personal Statement #18

“You’re worthy and loved”, I said to a twelve-year-old boy, Connor, whom I was supervising and spending time with during the Big Brother program at which we met. A few tears touched my shoulder as I pulled him into me, comforting him. He was a foster child. He didn’t know his parents and never stayed in one place longer than a few months; a year if he was lucky. I joined the program not expecting much. I was doing it for extra credit, because I wanted to give back to the community somehow and I thought it would be interesting to meet people. He confided in me; he told me that his foster parents often yelled at each other, and him. He told me he needed to escape. I called Child Protective Services and after a thorough investigation, they determined that Connor’s foster parents weren’t fit for fostering. He was moved, yet again, to a different home.

I wrote an op-ed detailing my experience as a Big Brother. I kept names anonymous. I wanted people to know how hard it was for children in the welfare system. Many of them, like Connor, were trapped in a perpetual cycle of re-homing, neglect, and even abuse. He and other children deserve stability and unconditional love. That should go without saying. I sent the op-ed to a local magazine and had it published. In it, I described not only the experience of one unfortunate kid, but many others as well who saw their own stories being told through Connor. I joined a non-profit organization dedicated to improving access to quality education for young people. I started learning about disparities in access; students excluded by racial or financial barriers. I was learning, one step at a time, how powerful words can be.

With the non-profit organization, I reached out to a few public schools in the area to represent some of our main concerns with quality of education disparities. Our goal was to bring resources together and promote the rights of children in education. We emphasized that collaboration between welfare agencies and schools was critical for education stability. Together, we created a report of recommendations to facilitate this collaboration. We outlined a variety of provisions, including more mechanisms for child participation, better recruitment of social service workers in schools, risk management and identification strategies, and better support for students with child protection concerns.

The highlight of that experience was talking to an assembly of parents and school faculty to present our findings and recommendations. The title of the presentation was “The Power of Words”. I opened with the story I wrote about in the op-ed. I wanted to emphasize that children are individuals; those trapped in the welfare system are not a monolith. They each have unique experiences, needs, and desires they want to fulfill in life. But our tools to help them can be improved, more individualized. I spoke about improving the quality of residential care for children and the need to promote their long-term development into further education and employment. Finally, I presented a list of tools we created to help support a more financially sustainable and effective child welfare system. The talk was received with applause and a tenuous commitment from a few influential members of the crowd. It was a start.

Although I lost contact with Connor, I think about him almost every day. I can only hope that the programs we worked on to improve were helping him, wherever he was. I want to continue to work on the ground level of child welfare amelioration, but I realize I will need an education in law to become a more effective advocate for this cause. There are still many problems in the child welfare system that will need to be addressed: limited privacy/anonymity for children, service frameworks that don’t address racism adequately, limited transportation in remote communities, and many more. I’ve gained valuable experience working with the community and learning about what the welfare system lacks and does well. I’m ready to take the next step for myself, my community, and those beyond it.

Assuredly, but this length varies from school to school. As with all important details of your law school application, thoroughly research your specific schools’ requirements and guidelines before both writing and editing your personal statement to ensure it fits their specifics. The average length is about 2 pages, but don’t bother drafting your statement until you have specific numbers from your schools of choice. It’s also a good idea to avoid hitting the maximum length unless absolutely necessary. Be concise, keep economy of language in mind, and remain direct, without rambling or exhaustive over-explanation of your ideas or experiences.

You should keep any words that aren’t your own to a minimum. Admissions committees don’t want to read a citation-heavy academic paper, nor do they respond well to overused famous quotes as themes in personal statements. If you absolutely must include a quote from elsewhere, be sure to clearly indicate your quote’s source. But in general, it’s best to keep the personal statement restricted to your own words and thoughts. They’re evaluating you, not Plato! It’s a personal statement. Give them an engaging narrative in your own voice. 

Admissions committees will already have a strong sense of your academic performance through your transcripts and test scores, so discussing these in your personal statement is generally best avoided. You can contextualize these things, though—if you have an illuminating or meaningful story about how you came to receive an award, or how you enjoyed or learned from the work that won you the award, then consider discussing it. Overall though, it’s best to let admissions committees evaluate your academic qualifications and accomplishments from your transcripts and official documents, and give them something new in the personal statement. 

When you first sit down to begin, cast a wide net. Consider all the many influences and experiences that have led you to where you are. You’ll eventually (through editing and rewriting) explain how these shape your relationship to a career in law, but one of the best things you can give yourself during the initial drafting phase is a vast collection of observations and potential points for development. As the New England School of Law points out in their, “just write!” Let the initial draft be as messy as it needs to be, and refine it from there. It’s a lot easier to condense and sharpen a big draft than it is to try to tensely craft a perfect personal statement from nothing.  

Incredibly important, as should be clear by now! Unlike other specialties, law schools don’t usually conduct interviews with applicants, so your personal statement is in effect your one opportunity to speak with the admissions committee directly. Don’t let that gravity overwhelm you when you write, but keep it in mind as you edit and dedicate time to improving your initial drafts. Be mindful of your audience as you speak with them, and treat writing your personal statement as a kind of initial address in what, hopefully, will eventually turn into an ongoing dialogue.  

There are a variety of factors that can make or break a law school personal statement. You should aim to achieve at least a few of the following: a strong opening hook; a compelling personal narrative; your skills and competencies related to law; meaningful experiences; why you’re the right fit for the school and program.

Often, they do. It’s best for you to go to the schools you’re interesting in applying to so you can find out if they have any specific formatting or content requirements. For example, if you wanted to look at NYU law or Osgoode Hall Law School , you would find their admissions requirements pages and look for information on the personal statement.

There are lots of reasons why a personal statement might not work. Usually, applicants who don’t get accepted didn’t come up with a good strategy for this essay. Remember, you need to target the specific school and program. Other reasons are that the applicant doesn’t plan or proofread their essay. Both are essential for submitting materials that convince the admissions committee that you’re a strong candidate. You can always use law school admissions consulting application review to help you develop your strategy and make your essay stand out.

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How long should a Personal Statement be? Is there any rule on that?

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello V! Thanks for your question. Some schools will gave very specific word limits, while some will not. If you do not have a limit indicated, try to stick to no more than a page, 600-800 words. 

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How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement

Your personal statement is the flagship example of writing you submit with your law school application.

In applying to a professional school, it is important that your personal statement conveys your professionalism. Lawyers—and law school admissions officers—are sticklers for detail. So invest time in ensuring that your carefully crafted personal essay conforms to the formatting conventions that law schools expect. Admissions officers read thousands of these applications each year, so deviations from the norm will not escape notice. 

These rules have a purpose beyond formalities. Abiding by page limits shows your ability to communicate parsimoniously and use your words efficiently under strict limitations—as you would in a court filing.

This article lays out the most typical formatting requirements, but instructions will sometimes differ from application to application. Be sure to read the individual requirements for each law school you are applying to.

How Should a Law School Personal Statement be Formatted? 

The basic format of a law school personal statement is a double-spaced essay with 1-inch margins. You should use a standard font in size 11 or 12, like Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, or Arial. You can also use standard Google fonts with a similar aesthetic, like Roboto. 

Pick a clear font that doesn't draw attention to itself. This isn’t an application for design school. Show your creativity with the content of your essay, not its appearance.

If you need a bit more space on the page, Times New Roman is the most compact standard font. If you are struggling to fill space, Arial is the least compact. Every line counts! 

In double-spacing your document, be careful to avoid unsightly formatting issues, like the extra spaces between paragraphs that MSWord may add by default. They waste space and look distracting.

[Next Read: How to Show Commitment to Law School, Given Your Background ]

What is the Page Length for a Law School Personal Statement?

Most law schools require two pages for personal statements. Some schools will allow you to write three pages. A few schools get a bit crazy and allow four or more pages. 

I recommend first focusing on honing a great two-page personal statement. If you apply to a broad range of schools—I recommend at least a dozen—you will find that most ask for a two-page personal statement. If some of the schools on your list allow three pages, make a longer version. Consider adding in more details, backing up your points with examples, or expanding on your reasons for being interested in the school.

Don’t be afraid to write too much at first. It is common for a first draft to be too long. That is no problem, because the only draft that counts is the final one you submit.

If you find it hard to cut later drafts down to the page limit, your essay may lack focus. Perhaps it includes too many extraneous details that muddy the meaning of your essay. 

Look out for redundancy. Often I find that applicants stuff a lot of fluff into their first and final paragraphs, where language economy matters the most. Also beware of needless modifiers like adjectives and adverbs, and dialogue that could be expressed more efficiently with an indirect quote or summary.

You can also hone in on areas of your essay where you're trying to sound clever instead of communicating important information. Remember that your personal statement isn't your only opportunity to show your brilliance. Your application may include other writing like a diversity statement, optional essay, or addendum. 

Headers and Footers 

Your personal statement needs to include a header that has your name and your LSAC number. This will be crucial for admissions officers to identify your documents if they get mixed up.

You may title your essay "Personal Statement." I would not use a creative title, like “Turning Points” or “Life Lessons,” which can sound hokey.

You might also add page numbers, especially if your document is more than 2 pages long. 

Finally, make sure that you're sending a clean PDF. Clear any tracked changes, edits, or comments that may still linger in the document.

Before submission, print out the document and scrutinize it carefully. You don't want a half-baked idea or a sentence with no end hanging out in the middle of 

…your essay. 

Conclusion: Personal Statement Format As... A Useful Practice?

Formatting your personal statement may seem inconsequential. But getting the small details right is important. Imagine you’re closing a billion-dollar deal or submitting a last-minute petition to a grouchy judge. Lawyers take care in the work we complete, because so much can be hanging in the balance. Good luck!

[Next Read: How to Write a Resume for Law School Applications ]

How to Ace the Northwestern Law Interview Questions

Top law coach school profile: uc berkeley school of law.

Law School Personal Statement: Definition, Structure, And How To Right Effectively

A law school personal statement is a written essay that allows applicants to introduce themselves to the admissions committee. The statement showcases the applicant’s unique background, experiences, and motivations for pursuing a legal career. The law school personal statement format generally includes an engaging introduction, a detailed body, and a compelling conclusion. The essay is crucial as it offers insights into the applicant’s character, aspirations, and suitability for law school beyond academic achievements and test scores. The essay serves as a platform for demonstrating writing skills, critical thinking, and personal qualities essential for success in the legal field.

The structure of a law school personal statement starts with an introduction that captures attention with a compelling anecdote or story. The body of the essay elaborates on relevant experiences, skills, and personal growth, aligning them with the demands of law school. Concluding the statement involves reinforcing the applicant’s commitment to legal education and future career goals. Writing a personal statement law school effectively showcases the applicant’s journey and dedication to the legal field. Effective writing for a law school personal statement requires authenticity, clarity, and reflection. Start with a compelling anecdote that captures attention. Use specific examples to illustrate personal growth and dedication to law. Tailor the narrative to each school’s values and programs. Maintain concise and clear language, avoiding jargon or overly complex sentences. Reflect on past experiences and connect them to future legal aspirations, reinforcing commitment to legal education.

Table of Contents

Is The Law School Personal Statement Required For Admission?

What elements create a strong opening for a law school personal statement, why is the personal statement a critical component of law school applications, which life experiences are to be included in the law school personal statement, is it advisable to discuss academic or professional setbacks in your personal statement for law school, how can future ambitions be added to law school personal statement, how to craft a lasting impression when writing law school personal statement, what to do to ensure law school personal statement remains authentic, what is a law school personal statement.

A law school personal statement is a multi-paragraph essay highlighting the reason for pursuing a J.D. degree. The personal statement provides insight into an applicant’s motivations, experiences, and aspirations. The personal statement, usually 500 to 750 words, is crucial to the law school application. The statement allows the admissions committee to understand the applicant beyond academic achievements and test scores, offering a deeper, more personal perspective. Writing a compelling personal statement significantly impacts the decision-making process, helping applicants stand out in a competitive field.

A law school personal statement, known for its critical role in admissions, is a written essay allowing applicants to showcase personal narratives, achievements, and motivations for pursuing a legal education. The primary purpose of a law school personal statement is to present a compelling narrative about the applicant’s journey to law. The statement must tell a story reflecting the unique background, experiences, and character of the individual. Personal challenges, significant achievements, and formative experiences must be included. Highlighting the elements demonstrates the applicant’s passion for law and the factors influencing their decision to apply to law school. Crafting an engaging and memorable narrative provides a strong foundation for the rest of the application. A well-crafted law school personal statement demonstrates an applicant’s understanding of the specific law school’s values and programs. Tailoring the statement to reflect aspects of the school’s offerings shows genuine interest and suitability for the program. The narrative must articulate why the applicant wants to study law and how their experiences have prepared them for the path. Clear, concise writing, free of grammatical errors, enhances the effectiveness of the personal statement. Effective communication skills are essential for a successful legal career, and the personal statement provides an opportunity to showcase them.

What Is The Purpose Of A Law School Personal Statement?

The purpose of a law school personal statement is to provide the admissions committee with a deeper understanding of the candidate beyond academic achievements and test scores. A personal statement introduces the candidate to the selection committee, offering insight into their unique personality, background, and experiences. The narrative helps differentiate the candidate from others with similar academic credentials by highlighting their motivations for pursuing law, long-term goals, and passion for the legal field. A well-crafted personal statement determines whether the candidate is invited to an interview, as interview questions are based on the material presented in the statement.

A law school personal statement showcases the candidate’s writing ability, critical thinking, and communication skills. The competencies are crucial for a successful law career, and the personal statement allows candidates to demonstrate them directly. Clear, concise, and engaging writing reflects the candidate’s potential as a law student and future lawyer. The personal statement provides a holistic view of the candidate’s candidacy. Applicants address gaps or weaknesses in the application, such as a lower GPA or LSAT score, by contextualizing them within the broader personal and professional journey. The personal statement explains the candidate’s specific interest in law and how past experiences have prepared them for legal education. The section must convey the candidate’s understanding of the legal field and how a law degree aligns with their career aspirations. Sharing unique experiences, perspectives, and values allows the candidate to demonstrate their potential to add diversity and richness to classroom discussions and campus activities. The personal statement is an opportunity to make a compelling case for admission to the law school, emphasizing individuality, readiness for the rigors of legal education, and commitment to the profession.

Yes, a law school personal statement is required for admission to most law schools. Law school personal statements allow applicants to provide a unique narrative about themselves, showcasing their motivations, experiences, and suitability for the legal profession. The personal statement is a critical part of the law school application, allowing applicants to address the admissions committee directly. Applicants show their character, what is important to them, and why they are a great fit for the school. The requirement offers insights beyond grades and test scores, providing a comprehensive view of the applicant’s qualifications and motivations.

Law schools, including George Washington University Law School, emphasize the importance of personal statements in the comprehensive review process. The personal statement helps assess writing ability and personal characteristics, which are essential for predicting success in law school and the legal profession. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) states that the law school personal statement is a crucial part of the application, offering applicants a chance to highlight their background and suitability for law school. Law school personal statements are required for law school admission, providing insights that other application components do not cover.

How To Write A Personal Statement For Law School?

To write a personal statement for law school, follow the 8 steps listed below.

• Start with a Strong Introduction. Begin the law school personal statement with a compelling personal anecdote, relevant quote, or thought-provoking question. Set the scene by providing context that relates to an individual’s interest in law or a significant experience influencing the decision to pursue a legal career. The engaging opener grabs the reader’s attention immediately and sets the tone for the rest of the statement.
• Showcase Strengths and Achievements. Articulate strengths, skills, and qualifications using specific examples from academic, professional, and personal experiences. Highlight accomplishments and emphasize achievements without being overly humble. A law school personal statement is an opportunity for students to demonstrate why they are suitable candidates for law school by showcasing unique qualities and experiences.
• Connect Experiences to Law. Explain why an individual wants to study law specifically and what motivates the pursuit of a legal career. Discuss how a law degree serves personal and professional development. Relate past experiences to an interest in law and how they have shaped the desire for legal education. The connection shows that the decision to attend law school is well thought out and genuine.
• Be Authentic. Reflect on challenges faced and discuss how the experiences contributed to personal growth. Authenticity is key in a law school personal statement. Admissions officers want to see the real individual, so avoid clichés and ensure the statement is personal and unique. Genuine stories that provide a clear picture of characters and motivations are more impactful.
• Show, Don’t Tell. Use specific stories to illustrate qualities such as leadership, empathy, intelligence, and maturity. Demonstrate the qualities through experiences rather than merely stating them. A law school personal statement must provide concrete examples to support the claims. Showing attributes through real-life scenarios makes the narrative more compelling and believable.
• Reflect on Experiences. Go beyond recounting events and reflect on how they changed an individual and shaped their character. Explain the significance of experiences and what they teach. Personal growth and deeper insight are crucial elements in a law school’s personal statement. The reflection demonstrates the ability to learn from experiences and apply individual lessons to a future legal career.
• Follow Formatting Directions. Adhere to the specific requirements for law school personal statements, including word count, spacing, and submission format. Each law school has different guidelines, so carefully follow them to demonstrate attention to detail and professionalism. A well-formatted statement reflects an individual’s ability to follow instructions and present information clearly and effectively.
• Proofread and Get Feedback. Proofreading the law school personal statement for grammatical errors and typos is essential. A well-written and polished statement demonstrates professionalism and strong attention to detail. Seek feedback from friends, family, or mentors to review the statement and provide constructive criticism. Revising based on feedback ensures the statement is clear, concise, and impactful.

The 8 elements that create a strong opening for a law school personal statement are listed below.

• Engaging Introduction: A strong law school personal statement begins with a captivating story from an individual’s life that highlights motivations and experiences, immediately engaging the reader. Including a relevant quote that resonates with a personal journey or values creates a powerful impact. Starting with a thought-provoking question intrigues the reader, encouraging them to explore the perspective and experiences further, setting the stage effectively.
• Personal Anecdote: Using a compelling story from life in the opening of a law school personal statement draws the reader in. The significant event must showcase an interest in law, providing a strong foundation for the rest of the narrative. The personal anecdote helps establish a connection with the reader, making motivations and experiences more relatable and memorable.
• Relevant Quote: Starting a law school personal statement with a thought-provoking quote that aligns with a personal journey creates a strong impact. The quote must reflect values or experiences, setting the tone for the rest of the statement. The approach helps engage the reader and provides a deeper insight into motivations and aspirations in pursuing a legal career.
• Thought-Provoking Question: Incorporating a rhetorical question at the beginning of a law school personal statement intrigues the reader. The method encourages the reader to think about their perspective and experiences, making them more interested in the narrative. A well-crafted question sets the stage for discussing motivations and the journey that led to pursuing law.
• Highlight Strengths and Achievements: A law school personal statement must clearly articulate strengths, skills, and qualifications. Specific examples from academic and professional experiences demonstrate the qualities that make a successful law student. Avoid being overly humble; proudly showcasing accomplishments convinces the admissions committee of the individual’s potential.
• Connect to Law: A strong law school personal statement explains why an individual wants to study law and what motivates the pursuit of the career. Discussing how a law degree serves personal and professional development is crucial. Linking past experiences, whether academic, professional, or personal, to an interest in law shows that the decision to attend law school is well thought out and genuine.
• Be Authentic: Authenticity is key in a law school personal statement. Reflecting on challenges faced and discussing how the experiences contributed to growth is important. Admissions officers appreciate genuine stories that clearly depict who an individual is and what drives them. Avoid clichés and generic phrases that make the statement blend in rather than stand out.
• Avoid Common Pitfalls: Avoid using legal jargon or sounding like a lawyer in a law school personal statement. Focus on being clear, direct, and concise in writing. Ensure that the statement is free of grammatical errors and typos. A well-polished statement demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail, creating a strong and compelling introduction.

The law school personal statement is a critical component of applications because it offers a unique opportunity for applicants to present themselves beyond GPA and LSAT scores. A personal narrative provides insight into an individual’s motivations and experiences, shaping their desire to pursue a legal career. The personal statement allows the admissions committee to understand an applicant’s personality, character, and suitability for the legal profession. A well-crafted personal statement significantly influences the decision-making process, highlighting unique qualities and experiences that quantitative measures do not capture, making the application stand out.

Law school admissions committees allow candidates to address them directly, as if in an interview, by writing a personal statement that showcases their experiences, goals, and motivations. The approach lets candidates present a compelling narrative that conveys their passion and suitability for the program. Writing a personal narrative enables individuals to convey their motivations and experiences, providing a deeper understanding of their journey toward pursuing a legal career. The personal statement serves as a platform to explain why the applicant is passionate about law and how their experiences have prepared them for the path. The personal statement demonstrates why the applicant fits the school well. Direct communication helps the committee see the applicant’s genuine interest and commitment, making the application more personal and compelling. The law school personal statement highlights unique experiences and skills not evident from academic records. Sharing personal stories allows applicants to demonstrate resilience, critical thinking, and communication skills developed through various life experiences. The narratives add depth to the application, distinguishing the individual from other candidates. The personal statement serves as a writing sample, showcasing the applicant’s ability to construct coherent, persuasive, and well-organized arguments. Strong writing skills are essential for success in law school and the legal profession, making the personal statement a crucial component of the application process.

How Can You Effectively Tell Your Unique Story In Your Personal Statement?

You can effectively tell your unique story in your personal statement by using a strategic approach that combines authenticity, reflection, and clear communication. Reflect on stories and experiences that illustrate the individual – personality, interests, and goals. Narratives are memorable and unique to the individual. Incorporating stories into a personal statement requires careful consideration of their relevance to pursuing law. Leading with a compelling anecdote or personal experience immediately captures the reader’s attention and sets the stage for the narrative. A specific event that sparked interest in law creates a captivating beginning​. Reflecting on personal experiences forms the bulk of the statement, showing how experiences have shaped values, skills, and aspirations.

Effective techniques for a law school personal statement include reflecting on stories and experiences illustrating personality and goals. Reflection involves discussing the impact of transformative experiences or significant challenges demonstrating personal growth and resilience. Narrating events while illustrating qualities through specific examples strengthens the statement. Describing a scenario where the individual effectively led a team to overcome a challenge makes the narrative more convincing and relatable instead of merely claiming leadership skills. Connecting personal experiences and reflections to the motivation for pursuing law is crucial. Articulating how experiences have influenced the decision to study law and what specific aspects of the legal field the individual is passionate about creates a coherent and purposeful journey toward career goals​​.

Customizing the law school personal statement to each law school by mentioning specific programs, faculty, or values that align with the applicant’s aspirations demonstrates genuine interest and thorough research of the institution. Tailoring the statement makes it more compelling and relevant to the admissions committee. Using concise and clear language ensures the narrative is easily understandable and impactful. Avoiding unnecessary jargon and overly complex sentences helps maintain a straightforward narrative that conveys the applicant’s story and motivations without verbosity. Employing the techniques, the law school personal statement effectively showcases the applicant’s journey, growth, and aspirations​.

The life experiences to be included in the law school personal statement must be transformative events. Significant events that have shaped an individual’s personality, worldview, and aspirations must be highlighted. Moments defining the path toward pursuing law, such as personal encounters with injustice or pivotal volunteer experiences, are essential to include. The experiences illustrate the motivations and commitment behind the decision to enter the legal field. A law school personal statement includes involvement in a Model UN club, where a passion for global issues and advocacy was developed, shaping the desire to study law. The narrative demonstrates the personal growth and motivation driving an applicant’s legal ambitions.

Overcoming challenges must be discussed in a law school personal statement. Personal hardships and obstacles faced, along with how they were overcome, showcase resilience, determination, and the ability to handle adversity. Qualities such as resilience, critical thinking, and strong communication skills are highly valued by law students and lawyers. An example law school personal statement describes overcoming significant personal or academic challenges and the lessons learned, demonstrating growth and commitment to goals. Highlighting the experiences helps to portray a well-rounded and persistent individual ready to face the rigors of legal education. Highlighting professional experiences is crucial in a law school personal statement. Relevant professional or internship experiences, particularly related to the legal field, must be emphasized. The experiences illustrate preparedness for law school and a practical understanding of legal work. Working as a summer intern at a Crown Attorney’s Office, engaging with legal procedures, and discovering a passion for justice are strong narratives to include in an example law school personal statement. The experiences provide concrete evidence of an applicant’s readiness and suitability for a legal career, reinforcing their application with practical insights and hands-on knowledge.

What Structure Works Best For A Law School Personal Statement?

The structure that works best for a law school personal statement is listed below.

• Attention-grabbing Introduction: Begin with a captivating anecdote or vivid story. Draw the reader into the narrative, highlighting a unique experience that sparked an interest in law. Avoid starting with general statements about the importance of law. Focus on a specific event or insight that is personal. Create a memorable opening that distinguishes the law school’s personal statement from others.
• Central Theme Establishment: Define a clear theme or thesis for the law school personal statement. Tie together all parts of the essay to provide coherence and focus. Choosing a topic with broad appeal avoids controversial issues. Reflect on the motivations for pursuing a legal career. Connect experiences and goals in a cohesive narrative that aligns with the central theme.
• Significant Experience, Body Paragraph 1: Describe a significant experience that influenced the decision to pursue law. Provide specific details and reflections on how the experience shaped perspectives and aspirations. Emphasize the uniqueness of the experience and its impact on the decision to attend law school. Highlight commitment to the legal field through the personal statement narrative in the law school.
• Academic and Professional Background, Body Paragraph 2: Highlight academic and professional background in the law school personal statement. Focus on experiences not evident from a resume or transcript. Explain how the experiences equipped the individual with the necessary skills and knowledge. Use concrete examples to illustrate points, avoiding abstract statements. Showcase preparedness for the challenges and opportunities of a legal education.
• Personal Qualities and Skills, Body Paragraph 3: Discuss personal qualities and skills in the law school personal statement. Provide concrete examples that demonstrate traits and their relevance to future legal studies and careers. Include leadership roles, community service, or unique talents that set the individual apart from other applicants. Highlight how the qualities contribute to success in law school and beyond.
• Tailoring to Specific Schools: Customize the law school personal statement for each application. Highlight why the applicant is a good fit for specific programs and values. Make specific references to the school’s strengths, faculty, or unique programs that align with the applicant’s goals. Demonstrate thorough research and genuine interest in attending the school.
• Conclusion: Summarize key points and reiterate enthusiasm for attending law school. Reflect on how experiences have prepared the individual for the next step. Highlight how the specific law school aligns with the individual’s career goals. End with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Reinforce the commitment to legal education in the law school personal statement.
• Authenticity and Honesty: Ensure the law school personal statement genuinely reflects the applicant. Avoid clichés and overly broad statements. Let the unique voice and perspective shine through. Authenticity makes the statement more compelling and memorable. Be honest about experiences and motivations, creating a genuine connection with the reader.
• Proofreading and Editing: Edit the law school personal statement for clarity, conciseness, and grammatical accuracy. A well-written, error-free statement demonstrates attention to detail and commitment to excellence. Consider reading the statement aloud or having others review it. Catch any errors or awkward phrasing. Polished writing reflects readiness for the rigors of law school.

What Level Of Formality Is Appropriate For A Law School Personal Statement?

A semi-formal level of formality is appropriate for a law school personal statement. The personal statement must reflect the seriousness of the intent to pursue a legal education. Avoid overly formal or stilted language that makes writing seem unnatural or insincere. Writing in a way that feels like a thoughtful conversation rather than a legal brief or academic paper is ideal. Professionalism in a law school personal statement is crucial, but maintaining a natural tone is equally important. Achieving the balance allows the personal statement to effectively communicate the applicant’s intent and suitability for law school while remaining engaging and relatable.

Authenticity in a law school personal statement is crucial. The statement must reflect the true voice and experiences of the applicant. Admissions committees aim to understand the individual beyond grades and test scores, so being genuine is essential. Using overly complex language or trying to sound overly intellectual detracts from authenticity. A genuine narrative helps to build a connection with the reader, making the statement more impactful and memorable. Sharing personal stories and experiences candidly ensures that the statement stands out, providing a clear picture of who the applicant is and what drives their passion for law.

Clear and concise language is vital in a law school personal statement. Law schools value effective and succinct communication. Avoid unnecessary jargon, complex sentences, and filler content. Ensure that the writing is easy to follow and gets to the point. The narrative must be engaging and relevant, starting with a compelling introduction. Each part of the statement must contribute to a cohesive story about the desire to pursue law and the experiences that have prepared the applicant for the path. Maintaining clarity and focus allows the personal statement to effectively convey the applicant’s motivations and qualifications, making a strong case for their admission to law school.

Yes, it is advisable to discuss academic or professional setbacks in a law school personal statement, but only if framed correctly. Demonstrating resilience is crucial. Admissions committees value resilience and want to see how applicants handle setbacks. Describing how challenges were overcome highlights perseverance and the ability to navigate difficult situations. Crucial traits for a successful law student and lawyer, making the discussion of setbacks relevant and impactful, include resilience and adaptability.

Framing the experience positively is essential in a law school personal statement. Focus on lessons learned from the experience and how personal and professional growth was achieved. The approach shows self-awareness and a proactive attitude toward personal development. Avoid using the personal statement to make excuses for poor performance. Emphasize how the experience contributed to development and improvement in subsequent situations, demonstrating a forward-looking perspective.

Ensure that the setbacks discussed are relevant to the journey toward law school and significantly impact the decision to pursue a legal career. Highlight specific skills or insights gained from the experience that contribute to success in law school and beyond. Discussing setbacks in a thoughtful manner makes the personal statement more compelling. The strategy showcases readiness for the challenges of law school by focusing on resilience, learning, and growth, avoiding any appearance of making excuses.

Future ambitions can be added to a law school personal statement by articulating short-term and long-term career goals. Identifying short-term objectives, such as areas of law to study or internships to secure, and long-term goals, like specific legal fields to work in or societal issues to address, is essential. Demonstrating a clear vision of future aspirations helps admissions committees understand the motivation for pursuing a legal education and how the degree is utilized to achieve the goals.

Connecting past experiences to future ambitions is crucial in a law school personal statement. Demonstrating how past experiences have shaped ambitions provides context and depth. Working with a non-profit organization illustrates a passion for public interest law and a goal to advocate for underrepresented communities. Showing the impact of the experiences on career aspirations makes the narrative compelling and relatable to the admissions committee. Being specific and detailed about future goals strengthens a law school personal statement. Providing clear details about what an applicant hopes to achieve as a lawyer, such as working in environmental law or human rights, and explaining why the areas appeal to them is vital. Tailoring the statement to the specific law school by mentioning relevant programs, clinics, faculty, and resources demonstrates genuine interest and shows how the school helps achieve the goals. Illustrating commitment and passion through anecdotes makes future ambitions more tangible and impactful.

What Mistakes Are To Be Avoided When Writing A Law School Personal Statement?

The 8 mistakes to be avoided when writing a law school personal statement are listed below.

• Not Following Directions: Adhere to each school’s specific guidelines regarding length, formatting, and content. Ignoring rules reflects poorly on attention to detail, a crucial skill for a lawyer. Ensuring compliance with the requirements demonstrates professionalism and respect for the application process. Failing to follow directions negatively impacts an applicant’s chances of admission.
• Creating an Autobiography: Avoid recapping an entire life story. Focus on pivotal experiences that highlight the path to law school and interest in the legal profession. A concise narrative emphasizing key moments is more compelling. The approach keeps the personal statement focused and relevant, making it more engaging for the admissions committee.
• Rehashing the Resume: Do not repeat information found in a resume or other application materials. Use the law school personal statement to provide new insights and elaborate on experiences not fully covered elsewhere. The approach adds depth to the application and allows the applicant to showcase unique aspects of their background and personality.
• Not Making Oneself the Main Character: Ensure the essay focuses on the applicant, not others. Mention influential people briefly, but the narrative must revolve around personal experiences and growth. Highlighting individual achievements and reflections is essential. The approach makes the personal statement more personal and impactful.
• Writing What Law Schools Want to Hear: Be genuine and avoid guessing what admissions officers want to hear. Authenticity and personal reflection are more compelling than generic statements. A true voice resonates more with readers. Being honest about motivations and experiences makes the personal statement stand out.
• Using Pretentious Language: Avoid using overly complex vocabulary or flowery language. The law school personal statement must be clear, concise, and reflective of the applicant’s true voice. Effective communication is a valued skill. Clear and straightforward language makes the statement easier to read and understand.
• Rushing the Process: Allocate sufficient time for brainstorming, writing, and revising. Rushing leads to errors and a less polished essay. Preparation ensures a thoughtful and well-crafted personal statement. Taking time to revise and seek feedback improves the quality of the application.
• Exaggerating Adversity: Be honest about experiences without overstating difficulties. Admissions officers appreciate authenticity and resilience over exaggerated hardships. Genuine stories of overcoming challenges are more impactful. An honest account of obstacles faced and lessons learned enhances credibility.

To craft a lasting impression when writing a law school personal statement involves creating a memorable closing statement. Closing statements in a law school’s personal statement are crucial because they leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee. A strong closing statement reinforces the central theme or message of the essay, reflecting on the applicant’s journey and highlighting future aspirations. A well-crafted closing differentiates an applicant from others, demonstrating suitability for law school and the legal profession. Law school personal statement tips emphasize the importance of a cohesive and memorable conclusion to create a strong final impression.

The example closing paragraphs of a law school personal statement must encapsulate the applicant’s motivations and experiences. An example: “In conclusion, my passion for justice and dedication to serving marginalized communities have driven my academic and professional pursuits. My experiences volunteering at the local legal aid clinic and interning with a public defender’s office have equipped me with the skills and perspective necessary to excel in law school. I am excited about the opportunity to further my legal education at your esteemed institution, where I can contribute to the vibrant academic community and advocate for those in need. I am confident that the program will enable me to achieve my career goals and make a meaningful impact in the field of law.”

Law school personal statement tips suggest several strategies for crafting a lasting impression. Reiterate enthusiasm for the role and the institution, showing genuine interest and commitment. Reflect on key experiences that demonstrate qualifications and readiness for law school, adding depth to the narrative. Express future aspirations, mentioning career goals and how the law school’s program aligns with the professional trajectory. Keeping the conclusion concise and focused is essential, as well as avoiding introducing new information and reinforcing key points from the essay. The tips for creating personal statements help ensure the closing statement is impactful and leaves a strong, positive impression on the admissions committee.

Ensuring a law school personal statement remains authentic involves focusing on personal experiences and genuine motivations. Authenticity comes from sharing personal stories that highlight unique experiences and values. Law school personal statements must avoid clichés, opting instead for specific incidents that shaped the applicant’s interest in law. Discussing a particular legal area that ignites passion shows depth. An example, a statement on environmental law must include a personal experience in nature or a specific environmental case that moved the applicant. Writing in a natural voice avoids overly formal or complex language, ensuring the statement feels genuine. Law school personal statements must reflect individuality and a thoughtful career trajectory, showcasing how past experiences align with future legal aspirations.

Connecting personal experiences to professional goals is essential for an authentic law school personal statement. Applicants must link their life experiences to their legal career goals, demonstrating a clear and thoughtful trajectory. Reflecting on values and ideals that drive decisions is crucial, showing a genuine connection to the legal profession beyond ambition. Law school personal statements must maintain a narrative structure with a logical flow and a cohesive story. Starting with a strong personal hook and demonstrating growth through challenges and lessons learned highlights character development. Tailoring the statement to each law school shows genuine interest and aligns with specific programs or opportunities, ensuring authenticity throughout the application process.

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The Law School Personal Statement: Tips and Templates

Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash

Published February 28, 2024

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

The stress of cramming for the LSAT (or GRE) is behind you, and you survived the intolerably long wait for your score. You have researched schools, requested transcripts, secured recommendation letters, and updated your resume. Now only the dreadful personal statement is preventing you from hitting the submit button.

So, you might ask:  Does anyone even read the personal statement?  Yes .  Could it be a make or break deciding factor?   Definitely . 

While your standardized test score(s) and GPA are good law school success predictors, non-numerical factors such as your resume, recommendation letters and the personal statement give the Admissions Committee an idea of your individuality and how you might uniquely contribute to the law school. Most importantly, your personal statement is a sample of your writing, and strong writing skills are critically important to success throughout law school and in legal practice. 

If the thought of writing about yourself makes you cringe, adhere to these 5 tips to avoid disaster. 

BONUS :  Scroll down to review 5 law school personal statement samples. 

1. Make it personal

The Admissions Committee will have access to your transcripts and recommendation letters, and your resume will provide insight into your outside-the-classroom experiences, past and current job responsibilities, and other various accomplishments. So, the personal statement is your best opportunity to share something personal they don’t already know. Be sure to provide insight into who you are, your background and how it’s shaped the person you are today, and finally, who you hope to be in the future.

2. Be genuine

If you haven’t faced adversity or overcome major life obstacles, it’s okay. Write honestly about your experiences and interests. And whatever you do, don’t fabricate, or exaggerate—the reader can often see through this. Find your unique angle and remember that a truthful and authentic essay is always your best approach.

Tip: Don’t use big words you don’t understand. This will certainly do more harm than good.

3. Tackle the “Why?”

Get creative but remember to home in on the why . Unless the personal statement prompt has specific requirements, it is recommended you include what influenced you to pursue a legal education. Consider including what impact you hope to make in the world post-graduation.

4. Keep it interesting & professional

The last thing you want to do is bore the reader, so keep it interesting, personable, and engaging. A touch of humor is okay, but keep in mind that wit and sarcasm can be easily misinterpreted. Demonstrate maturity, good judgment and tact and you won’t end up offending the reader.

5. Edit & proofread

The importance of enrolling and graduating strong writers cannot be stressed enough, so don’t forget the basics! Include an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a closing. Write clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Take time to edit, proofread--walk away from it--then edit and proofread again before submitting. 

Tip :   Consider consulting a Pre-Law Advisor or mentor to help you proofread and edit. Sound easy enough? It is if you take it seriously. Don’t think you have to craft the “best” or most competitive personal statement, just the most “genuine” personal statement. Remember, there is nobody with your exact set of life experiences, background, or point of view. Just do you.

Guest blogger  Lindsay Gladney  is the Vice Dean for Admissions at UB School of Law. 

Office of Admissions University at Buffalo School of Law 408 O'Brian Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 716-645-2907 [email protected]

Learn more about the law school admissions process and School of Law community through an individual meeting with one of our staff members.

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Additional Resources:   

• Law School Application Checklist: Everything You Need To Know
• Law School Application Advice to Ignore
• When Should I Submit My Law School Application: Timeline & Tips
• 5 Benefits of Attending a State Law School

Bonus: 5 Law School Personal Statement Samples

1. this applicant writes about their experience hiking a mountain peak, what it taught them, and how it reaffirmed their affinity for the natural environment..

As I trudged my way up the path, only about a mile from the peak, I could not escape the creeping sense of self-doubt entering my mind. That day I had willingly accompanied my best friend on a hike up a “fourteener” (a mountain peak in Colorado with at least 14,000 feet of elevation). With a false sense of bravado, I jumped at the idea because I considered myself to be an avid hiker and in decent physical condition despite my inexperience at that altitude. Nearingthe top, with my head pounding and my knees weakening, my confidence had been shaken by the altitude sickness that started to take hold of me. I began asking myself questions like, “Will I finish?”, “Why did I even agree to this?”, and “Is this even worth it?”. However, as I took a sip of my water to rest and collect myself, it registered that the opportunity to encounter such natural wonder might not strike again. I knew that if I turned back, I would regret it and possibly never have the chance again. Accordingly, I decided to do my best to finish the trek.

Even though I was still in considerable discomfort, that sensation seemed to fade away when I finally reached the peak. I became enamored with the magnificence of the surrounding mountain range and the epic view it had to offer. The peaks extended out forever, some stretching high enough to look as though one could reach up and touch the clouds themselves. Crisp green alpine forests totally engulfed the surrounding valleys and eventually led down into the crystal blue water of the lakes and rivers below. Cliché though it may be words truly cannot do justice to such a surreal experience.

As I reflect on the experience, I am proud to have accomplished such a physically challenging adventure, but perhaps more grateful for what the hike taught me about myself. First, I gained a sense of confidence in my ability to persevere despite difficult circumstances and especially when faced with self-doubt. Indeed, I have drawn from the experience on numerous occasions to remind myself that I am capable of enduring whatever challenges life may throw at me. Secondly, I believe this hike to have been a defining moment that reaffirmed and strengthened my affinity for the natural environment. I developed this fondness from an early age where much of my childhood was spent outdoors, whether it was fishing and camping with my father or hiking and playing sports with my friends. However, the wonder I felt on that peak in the Rockies was something I seldom experienced growing up in Buffalo, New York. It is a feeling that I hope all can feel at some point in their lives and partly why I believe it to be so important that we do all we can to protect and preserve the environment. The importance of conservation is greater now than ever amid the challenges posed by issues such as pollution and global climate change.

During my undergraduate coursework, I was able to take a class in Environmental Law, where I learned about state and federal statutes that regulate water, soil, air pollution, resource conservation and recovery, and actions of the Environmental Protection Agency. For example, we studied the Clean Air Act and how it is applied during legal disputes to enforce national air quality standards. Participating in this course showed me that there is an opportunity to apply my enthusiasm for the environment into the legal profession as it is my eventual goal to represent those damaged by pollution. I believe studying at the University of Buffalo School of Law will allow me to pursue my goals and make a positive contribution towards environmental problems by serving those who have been affected in the local and global community. Although the experience will be challenging, I am excited for the opportunity, motivated by a passion for the environment and knowing that I possess the ability to persevere in the face of doubt.

2. How one applicant’s experience interviewing incarcerated individuals shaped their understanding of our justice system and influenced them to pursue policy work.

Above me, in a giant watchtower, stood a large man holding a semi-automatic rifle while staring down at me. I heard the echoing clink of a prison lock, allowing me to pass through a massive barbed-wire fence. Although I begged and pleaded for the opportunity to interview an inmate at a maximum-security prison, I have never felt more intimidated than I did in this moment. I was only seventeen years old, sitting in a visitation room filled with orange-suited men. An overwhelming sense of fear crowded my thoughts. In fact, I was nearly paralyzed by the environment I had found myself in. I could hardly conduct an interview, but thankfully, my interviewee, Mr. Thomas Gant, had about twenty years of stories to tell. He ambitiously shared

first-hand accounts of prison fights, housing raids, gang activity, and injustices that he has endured during his sentence of twenty-five years to life. His stories were captivating and filled with raw emotion. It was evident that he too, felt a similar sense of fear each and every day.

Fast forward to my last semester of undergrad, where I spent four months at the Ingham County Jail working with incarcerated men and women to prepare them to transition into our communities. I interviewed dozens of orange-suited men each week and loved every second of it.

I was eager to contribute to a program that helped break the vicious cycle of incarceration and confront the plethora of barriers to reentry. I often think about Mr. Gant and how his stories ignited a passion within me that still drives my ambition to this day. If I had the chance, I would thank him for inspiring me to pursue every opportunity to help incarcerated men and women, such as those at the Ingham County Jail. I would share with him the knowledge from my academic and professional experiences, in hopes of keeping his life on track upon release, and most of all, in hopes of protecting him from the fear we shared on the day I met him.

My variety of field experiences and my success with academic rigor has surely prepared me for law school. I have completed several other justice-related internships which have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of how our justice system operates in practice, which often deviates from how our justice system operates in textbooks. These field experiences led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, where my classes focused on the history of corrections and how other countries are utilizing confinement to successfully rehabilitate offenders. Academia quickly taught me that the majority of people simply accept our prison system for what it is, and very few question its punitive and unjust nature. Fortunately, my bachelor’s degree in social relations and policy allowed me to challenge conventional wisdom and confront policy issues as they relate to factors of class, race, ethnicity, gender, and religion – all of which exist in our prison system. My professors constantly pushed me to find ways that the American corrections system could change the course of its future. I spent countless hours researching the topic of injustice behind bars, writing numerous analytical essays and policy proposals, and presenting interdisciplinary conclusions to rooms filled with aspiring politicians. I look forward to perfecting these skills, sharing my experiences to enhance classroom discussions, and engaging in additional field experiences and clinics while in law school.

Ultimately, I am confident that my career fulfilment will lie in policy making and advocacy for those who have faced injustice within our prison system and in the free world. My interest in studying law and my decision to apply to University at Buffalo School of Law are a result of my longstanding enthusiasm to advocate for and to improve the lives of people impacted by incarceration. The University at Buffalo will provide me with both the necessary education as well as the hands-on experience to ensure that I will confidently enter the legal world prepared to contest the many issues of justice reform.  

3. How one applicant found their voice, and why a stale piece of toast is displayed alongside their college diploma.

Growing up, I was nonplussed by the idea of awards. While other friends entered cut-throat competitions over grades and the attention of our coaches, I cared more about preserving my friendships with people than beating them on any field or test. Whenever I found myself winning, I tended to remain quiet about my victories. Most of the time.

In the waning weeks of my junior year of high school, my tireless U.S. History teacher – Mr. Welgoss– kept us showing up to class each day by breaking us into debate teams and having individuals from each side square off against each other around designated topics. The winner would take away a most delicious reward: A single slice of white bread toast. Pun intended. This was when I learned that I was to define the best Supreme Court Cases in U.S. History and then defend my stance in front of the entire class. Alone. I was completely terrified.

This is the perfect place to share just a bit about high school me. You likely knew me well. I was that kid curled into a corner at the back of the classroom in an effort to make myself smaller. During the first week of each school year, I sized up my teachers, figured out which of them was into cold calling on students, and positioned myself within the room accordingly. While I was a dedicated student and history geek who loved to read, I was not a particularly extroverted one. There was no part of this assignment that I was excited about.

To make matters worse, I was assigned Marbury v. Madison, perhaps one of the most boring cases in the eyes of a bunch of fresh faced politically active 16-year-olds who had just spent an entire year learning about the societal gravity of cases like Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. Still, I did careful research. I composed a meticulous claim. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, so I did the work that I needed to.

Along the way, I fell in love with the assignment. This was the first time I experienced that rare moment as a researcher when everything seems to click. I’d never had that moment as a research and argument writer before, and I have been chasing that feeling since. I love leaning into knotty problems, following research, and learning processes that help me untie them, and then, showing others how to unscramble crossed lines themselves, when they need to.

So, you likely know how this story ends. I won the debate. That piece of toast, miraculously mold free after six years, sits on my bookshelf alongside my college diploma, reminding me of the moment I not only found my passion, but my voice.

Since the moment I won that single slice of super processed food that still looks as fresh as the day I brought it home, there have been other moments that solidified my decision to study law. As a freshman at Nazareth University, my newfound interest in the law inspired my decision-making as I chose my major and began coursework that I inevitably fell in love with. When I started my internship at a local non-profit during undergraduate, I saw how my research and application of the law could help me to advocate for marginalized communities. My desire to

practice law was again upheld when I began paralegal work for Berardi Immigration Law the day after I earned my degree. My dedication to this work has taught me that there are often a variety of solutions for complicated problems. Many assume that creativity is something you’re born with. Experience has taught me it's not quite this simple, though. Constraint often inspires creativity, and to me, this is what makes the law the most wonderful muse.

I’m the daughter of a writer and the sister of a designer. My great grandfather owned a hobby shop. I never enjoyed most of these things, and try as I might, any attempt to practice arts and crafts always ended badly and left me feeling like the least creative bird on my family tree. Imagine my surprise then, as the last few years of learning, work, and a piece of toast began revealing the creative nature of the law to me. Imagine my delight when I realized that I have certain strengths here, too.   

4. This applicant writes about their never-ending pursuit of knowledge and how pursuing law provides a practical outlet for their curiosity.

There are very few things in life that are more important to me than learning. I have been driven by curiosity, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge has always been a great source of joy for me, both inside and outside of the classroom. I finished my undergraduate studies in December of 2019, with plans to work in France as a teacher that coming fall. I was beyond excited that I had been afforded an opportunity to pursue such a dear intellectual passion. The intervening pandemic meant that I had to make difficult decisions about the direction my future would take, and ultimately this meant setting aside some of my own ambitions in order to take care of my loved ones.

While my immediate post-graduation plans did not work out, I have never set aside my curiosity. If anything, the challenges of post-collegiate life have reaffirmed to me the vital importance of learning as a constant and on-going part of living. As a student of history and languages, many of my college peers nurtured plans of attending law school, and the idea of studying law has long interested me.

In June of 2022 I began working as a legal assistant at a small law firm in Queens. I hoped that job would give me a chance to learn about the legal field, while pushing me to grow as a professional. Being confronted with the vast complexity of the law has been a humbling experience, but also an endlessly intriguing one. At work, I relish any opportunity to learn more about the law, and I have found that the field is perfectly suited to the academic skills that I have spent my entire life building.

What is perhaps most exciting to me about the prospect of studying law is the idea of having a practical, real-world outlet for all the curiosity and scholarly instincts that I have nurtured throughout my life. Studying case law, building arguments based on evidence and legal research, using language itself as a tool; all these skills that I have seen to be so vital to the successful practice of law feel like natural extensions of the skills that I’ve developed across my life. Performing research was of course integral to my studying history, and combing through Westlaw as a legal assistant has often reminded me of the time I would spend searching through university archives as a student, looking for information to help me build my arguments. Having studied both History and French, I am very comfortable with interpreting language that feels unfamiliar or archaic, which is certainly a necessary skill to have when studying and practicing law.

The challenges of post-graduation life have led me to do a great deal of reflecting. I’ve been forced to ask myself what makes me feel fulfilled, and at the same time have had to evaluate my own strengths and weaknesses. I’ve found that there are no simple answers, but I can affirmatively say that I have the self-confidence, motivation, and ability to be an excellent law student.

5. How a Unified Basketball program inspired this applicant to pursue education law.

I never realized how great of an impact one policy could have on so many people until I was in high school. I knew how far-reaching the law was, but it became so much more apparent and personal when it began to impact the lives of my friends and classmates in the Unified program.

When I began high school, I was still a little shy, but I was sure that I wanted to get involved in things that made a difference in other people’s lives. It was through my involvement in Student Council that I was asked by the athletic director to help start up a program called Unified Basketball. I remember being called down to the Athletic Office one day out of the blue. I felt extremely confused. I had not previously played any school sports and I never would have expected to be asked to speak with the athletic director. I also wouldn’t have expected a meeting that lasted maybe fifteen minutes to serve as a great turning point in my life.

The Unified Basketball program is a cooperative team combining students with and without intellectual disabilities, run by the Special Olympics and New York state high school sports. From that first season, the Unified program quickly grew to become one of the best experiences of my life and it continues to shape me every day. In the second year of the program, we added a Unified Bowling team, and I helped create a Unified Club so that those who might also have physical limitations that would keep them from playing sports, could still benefit from the family created in the program.

Through this program I created connections with the members of the team and our coaches, and we effectively created a family and a community greater than ourselves. Because of these friendships which I had grown to value so much, it only hurt that much more when I learned from my coach that New York’s eligibility rules for high school sports would cause some of my teammates to be ineligible to play. Although they could remain in school until the age of twenty-one, they would not be able to play after they reached a certain age or had played for a certain amount of time. One of my friends was the first on our team to age out due to these guidelines and as a team we were devastated. These policies did not line up and although the original guidelines were intended to prevent unfair advantages in competition, this really wasn’t an issue with the Unified program. Thankfully, this policy was eventually changed by the state Board of Regents to allow my teammates to play once again.

There have been two indelible legacies created through the Unified program. First, I have been able to see the impact that the program has had on students in our district’s special education program. I saw this happen for one of my teammates, who was first introduced to me by his aide as being nonverbal. He was initially very shy but as he grew more comfortable with the game and his teammates, he came out of his shell. From that first season on his confidence grew and even when I see him now, over five years later, he will rush over to give me a high-five or a fist-bump and say “Hi!” Second, is the impact the program has on my district and the community at large. During my junior year of high school, our team performed the dance “The Wobble” at our pep rally, marking the first time that our special education students were included in the homecoming event. Even years later, this tradition has continued and the response from the school and community has been extraordinary.  

This experience shaped me as a person and shifted my interests in terms of career goals. I have had an interest in education and the social sciences since I was little, but being involved in the Unified program allowed me to better understand how these interests could connect and how I can make an impact. I want to pursue a law school education and become an attorney so that I can practice education law. I want to support students, faculty, and staff to create the best possible educational environments for our future generations.

How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement

How do you write your law school personal statement? Well first of all, let’s make sure that we’re on the same page about what your personal statement is. Your personal statement is the one part of your law school application package and law school requirements that you have complete control over, so you’ll want to put your best foot forward. A personal statement will often focus on why you want to go to law school (or transfer law schools ), but it can also focus on a personal story or aspect of your life.

It shows what makes you unique and why a school should admit you. The personal statement should focus on you, your background, and your goals more broadly. Make sure that it adds something new to your application materials – the school already has your transcript, resume, etc. Think about what you really want the application committee to know about you.

Before anything else, a quick clarification: the law school personal statement is different from an optional essay , which can take on a variety of forms. This could include diversity statements, addendums, or other essays. Here are some examples of law school personal statements that may help you understand the task at hand better.

How do you format a law school personal statement?

In brief, here’s what your law school personal statement will need in terms of format:

• Overall : No title, 11- or 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins.
• Header : Your name, your LSAC number, and “Personal Statement” with a page number, formatted as either one or three lines. Check with your school’s requirements.
• Body : Double-spaced, left-aligned (or justified), paragraphs indented 0.5 inches and not separated with an extra line, single space after periods.
• Ending : End as you would a normal essay. This isn’t a letter; no signature is needed.

Personal Statement Header

The header of the personal statement deserves a closer look. There are two ways of formatting this: either on one line, or on three. One line gives you more space on the page, but can look busy. Three lines have the opposite effect. Weigh the pros and cons based on the length of your statement, then format accordingly.

If you choose the one-line format, be sure to space your information out equally or separate it with punctuation (commas, dashes, and slashes work well) so that it reads clearly.

If you use a three-line format, separate information by line like this:

Name, Page Number LSAC # Personal Statement

Law School Personal Statement Format: FAQs

What should be included in a law school personal statement.

• Who you are. Show readers that you’re an interesting person who brings experiences and skills that will benefit not only the campus community, but the larger legal community.You’re applying in a pool of thousands of candidates, so be sure to highlight what makes you stand out from your peers.  
• Your true voice. There’s a reason why the personal statement isn’t just called a statement or an essay. Sometimes applicants feel that they should write pieces about public policy or social issues, but these too often fall short of showing an applicant’s true voice. Have someone you know well review your personal statement objectively. If they can’t tell you were the one who wrote it, it’s probably time for a rewrite .  
• Specific information about that school. It’s not sufficient to say that you want to attend Santa Clara Law School for its good curriculum, strong faculty, and numerous clinic opportunities. Notice how you could replace “Santa Clara Law School” with any other law school’s name, and the sentence could still make sense? That tells Santa Clara admissions officers that you don’t know very much about their school. Which leads us to our next point…  
• Research on the school itself. Figure out what makes the schools you’re applying to different from others. This is a great opportunity to reach out to alumni, and talk to the admissions staff! You can also use the Internet, visit your local bookstore and check out some guide books, or search around on online forums. Some schools are known for their strength in a certain area of law (think international law or intellectual property law ). Some schools are known for their commitment to pro bono work . Some schools’ faculty are renowned for their research in a specific discipline. Others offer distinctive programs or fellowships to their students. Identify what really interests you about the school, and tie that back to the academic and career interests you discuss in your personal statement.  
• Reflections on the school’s environment. Perhaps you’re looking for a collegial law school environment that mirrors your own undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts school. Or perhaps you’re looking for a large law school so you can take advantage of the network and breadth of resources and alumni that a law school of that size can offer. And don’t forget about the environment outside the school building! Is it important that you have access to hiking trials? Or a ski slope to enjoy over winter break? Environment is often a key factor students consider when deciding on a particular law school, so don’t forget to mention it as a way to express your interest!  
• Concise writing. Check your school’s website to determine how long your personal statement can be, and take it seriously. Law schools are not only looking at whether you can write concisely and effectively, but also whether you can follow posted instructions. Most schools only allow 2-5 pages for personal statement submissions. As a lawyer, you’ll need to write briefs and be able to clearly present client cases. Now’s the time to show that you are capable of honing your communication skills.  
• Authenticity. Law schools aren’t asking you to establish your own NGO or be an Olympic athlete. Rather, they’re looking for candidates who help round out a class and contribute positively to their school. Plenty of people get admitted to law school each year who aren’t superhuman, so don’t feel a need to pretend you’re more accomplished than you are (or stretch the truth). Be yourself – and view this as part of helping the reader understand who you are.  
• Correct writing. Maybe for class assignments, you’ve been able to submit the first draft you write as final. Or maybe one edit is typically sufficient for you to call an essay complete. For the law school personal statement, you want to commit at least two rounds of edits to perfecting your writing. Not only should you review your work, you should also ask both a friend and a fully objective reviewer (like a career center counselor or a campus writing tutor) to give feedback. Once you have at least two rounds of edits, read it out loud to yourself. This will help you identify any awkward phrases and typos. The more time you spend editing your writing, the more confident you’ll be in the strength of your personal statement.

What should you not write in a personal statement for law school?

• Repetition . If your resume shows that you were vice president of your college’s botany club, general secretary of Basket-Weavers Anonymous, and founder of a campus-wide Pizza Appreciation Day, your personal statement need not repeat these things. Now, if founding Pizza Appreciation Day was such a transformative experience for you that you need to highlight it in your personal statement, be sure you’re telling admissions officers something new that your resume doesn’t already tell.  
• Your autobiography . Admissions officers don’t need a play-by-play of your entire life’s events from day one. Autobiographies become long and rambling – two things your personal statement shouldn’t be. Focus on aspects of your life that truly differentiate you from others in a meaningful way.  
• Academic issues . Law schools offer you space in a separate essay to explain academic discrepancies. Your personal statement is your chance to focus on the positive and show admissions officers you’d be an asset to their school. Don’t use your personal statement to go into detail about how your dog’s unexpected chronic migraines prevented you from getting a good GPA during your first year of college.  
• Legal jargon . No, you’re not a lawyer yet – and law school admissions officers are not going to be impressed by legal jargon that’s used incorrectly or used as a way to show off. Keep your tone and language simple. Remember that your personal statement is meant to show your own voice.  
• Cliches . Don’t be the student who bores admissions officers with another essay about how you want to be a lawyer because you like to argue. Avoid clichés – by definition, they’re overused and don’t add value. They make your personal statement generic, and you’ll fall flat when compared with other candidates.  
• Other people . Your personal statement should keep the focus on you. It’s great if you want to write about how your famous lawyer uncle inspired you to join the legal profession, but make sure the essay remains true to your story – not your uncle’s.  
• Slang . Admissions officers view the personal statement as a showcase of your best writing – so slang and casual English are best left behind. While you want your tone to be friendly, you don’t want to sound like you’re chatting with a best friend on a Friday night. Keep things professional.

How do I write a statement for law school?

There are three main steps to the writing process, and they’re no different here! Namely: brainstorm, write, and edit. In this case, though, we’ll add a fourth step: format and proofread.

• Brainstorming is one of the most crucial things you can do for your personal statement. You want to make sure your ideas are strong, following the guidelines above. It can be helpful to spend a little quiet time alone or in a cozy coffee shop to start brainstorming. Check out some of our law school personal statement examples to spark ideas!  
• Once you’ve brainstormed and organized your ideas, the writing itself will go pretty quickly. After you’ve written the first draft, leave the personal statement aside for a day or two (a week or more is better!). Then, come back. What parts don’t flow well? What ideas need more (or less) elaboration? Cut—and add—brutally! Editing is not the same as proofreading; this is the point at which you ensure the ideas themselves are sound.  
• Now, it’s time for the final line edit-format-proofread. In a line edit, you’ll work to make sure you’re using the best possible words correctly, rephrasing and rewriting as needed. Then, use the law school personal statement format discussed above to organize the writing. Finally, read through for errors in spelling, grammar, and formatting.

Voila! Your law school personal statement is now ready. If you’re planning to send it off to a T14 law school, check out our post on the top law schools for more tips and information. And no matter what, check out our post on how to get into law school !

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Improve your LSAT scores with Magoosh LSAT , you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.

Rachel is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book . Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS , is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press , while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND , co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook !

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing an Outstanding Law School Personal Statement

Dazzle admissions with your legally awesome personal story, introduction.

Let's face it: you've spent countless hours studying and acing the LSAT, and now it's time for the pièce de résistance – the law school personal statement. This is your golden opportunity to showcase your personality, and put your best legal foot forward. But don't worry, this guide has got you covered. In no time, you'll be writing a personal statement that could put John Grisham's early drafts to shame.

If you're ready to convince law school admissions committees that you're the next Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Thurgood Marshall, then buckle up and get ready for a wild ride through the world of crafting the ultimate law school personal statement.

1. Know Your Audience: The Admissions Committee

First and foremost, remember that you're writing for the admissions committee. These are the gatekeepers of your future legal career, and they've read more personal statements than there are citations in a Supreme Court decision. To avoid becoming a legal footnote in their memory, keep the following in mind:

• Be professional, but also relatable. You don't want to sound like a robot that's been programmed to spout legalese.
• Avoid clichés like "I want to make a difference" or "I've always wanted to be a lawyer." Unless, of course, you've been dreaming of billable hours since you were in diapers.
• Consider what makes you unique. Remember, this is your chance to stand out among a sea of applicants with equally impressive academic records and LSAT scores.

2. Choosing Your Topic: Make It Personal and Memorable

When it comes to choosing a topic for your personal statement, think of it as an episode of Law & Order: Your Life Edition. It's your moment to shine, so pick a story that showcases your passion, resilience, or commitment to justice. Consider these tips:

• Use an anecdote. Admissions committees love a good story, especially one that shows your problem-solving skills or ability to navigate tricky situations. Just be sure not to end up on the wrong side of the law!
• Reflect on a transformative experience. If you've had a life-changing event that led you to pursue law, share it! Just remember to keep it PG-rated.
• Discuss a personal challenge you've overcome. Nothing says "I'm ready for law school" like demonstrating your resilience in the face of adversity.

3. Structure and Organization: Your Legal Blueprint

Now that you've chosen your topic, it's time to draft your personal statement. Like a well-organized legal brief, your statement should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Consider the following tips for structuring your masterpiece:

• Begin with a strong opening. Start with a hook that will capture the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. Think of it as your own personal Miranda warning: "You have the right to remain captivated."
• Develop your story in the body. This is where you'll expand on your anecdote or experience, and explain how it has shaped your desire to pursue a legal career. Remember to be concise and avoid meandering – this isn't a filibuster.
• End with a powerful conclusion. Tie everything together and reiterate why you're the ideal candidate for law school. Just like a closing argument, leave the admissions committee convinced that you're the right choice.

4. Style and Tone: Finding Your Inner Legal Wordsmith

When it comes to your personal statement, you want to strike the perfect balance between professional and engaging. After all, no one wants to read a 500-word legal treatise on why you should be admitted to law school. To achieve this delicate balance, follow these style and tone guidelines:

• Write in the first person. This is your personal statement, so own it! Using "I" allows you to convey your unique perspective and voice.
• Keep it conversational, yet polished. Write as if you were speaking to a respected mentor or professor. Avoid slang, but don't be afraid to inject a bit of your personality into your writing.
• Employ dry humor sparingly. A little wit can make your statement more enjoyable to read, but remember that humor is subjective. It's best to err on the side of caution, lest you inadvertently offend the admissions committee.
• Be precise and concise. Legal writing is known for its clarity and brevity, so practice these skills in your personal statement. Aim to keep it between 500 and 700 words, as brevity is the soul of wit (and law school applications).

5. Revision: The Art of Legal Editing

It's been said that writing is rewriting, and this is particularly true for your personal statement. Once you've drafted your masterpiece, it's time to don your editor's hat and polish it to perfection. Follow these tips for a meticulous revision:

• Take a break before revising. Give yourself some distance from your statement before diving into revisions. This will help you approach it with fresh eyes and a clear mind.
• Read your statement out loud. This technique can help you catch awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, and other errors that might not be apparent when reading silently.
• Seek feedback from others. Share your statement with trusted friends, family members, or mentors who can provide constructive criticism. Just remember, opinions are like law school casebooks – everyone's got one, but you don't have to take them all to heart.
• Edit ruthlessly. Don't be afraid to cut, rewrite, or reorganize your statement. Your goal is to make your writing as strong and effective as possible, even if it means sacrificing a clever turn of phrase or an endearing anecdote.

6. Proofread: The Final Verdict

Before submitting your personal statement, it's crucial to proofread it thoroughly. Even the most compelling story can be marred by typos, grammatical errors, or other mistakes. Follow these proofreading tips to ensure your statement is error-free:

• Use spell check, but don't rely on it entirely. Some errors, like homophones or subject-verb agreement issues, may slip past your computer's watchful eye.
• Print your statement and read it on paper. This can help you spot errors that you might have missed on-screen.
• Enlist a second pair of eyes. Sometimes, a fresh perspective can catch mistakes that you've become blind to after multiple revisions.

Crafting an outstanding law school personal statement may seem daunting, but with the right approach and a healthy dose of perseverance, you can create a compelling and memorable statement that will impress even the most discerning admissions committee. So go forth and conquer, future legal eagles! And remember, as you embark on your law school journey, may the precedent be ever in your favor.

Tech-focused creator of LSD.Law. I built LSD while applying to law school. I saw unequal access to knowledge and built LSD to level the playing field and help applicants make thoughtful, well-informed decisions in the application process.

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How To Write A Law School Personal Statement

About the course

Introduction, what are personal statements and why are they important, how do personal statements fit into the law school application, what is the timeline to complete personal statements, personal statement do's and don'ts, reviewing and submitting a personal statement, what happens after a personal statement is submitted, hear from admission deans about personal statements, personal statement faqs, what's new with personal statements .

Law School Personal Statement Dos and Don’ts

The personal statement, one of the most important parts of your law school application, is an opportunity to highlight your writing ability, your personality, and your experience. Think of it as a written interview during which you get to choose the question. What one thing do you wish the admissions evaluators knew about you?

To help you write a law school personal statement that best reflects your abilities as a potential law student, we have some recommendations below.

• Discuss possible personal statement topics with your pre-law advisor (or someone else) before you invest a lot of time writing.
• Choose a narrow topic. Offer details about a small topic rather than generalities about a broad topic. Focus on a concrete experience and the impact it has had upon you.
• Be yourself. Do not tell law schools what you think they want to hear — tell them the truth.
• Pay special attention to your first paragraph. It should immediately grab a reader’s attention. Reviewers are pressed for time and may not read beyond an uninteresting opener.
• Keep it interesting. Write with energy and use the active voice. You do not have to explain how your experience relates to your desire to attend law school. Tell a story. Paint a vivid picture. The most interesting personal statements create visuals for the reader, which make your personal statement more memorable.
• Keep it simple and brief. Big words do not denote big minds, just big egos. Choose your words with economy and clarity in mind, and remember that your reader has a huge stack of applications to read. A personal statement generally should be two to three double-spaced pages.
• Proofread. Ask several people to proofread your essay. Grammatical or mechanical errors are inexcusable.
• Include information from your background that sets you apart. If your ethnicity, family, religion, socioeconomic background, or similar factors are motivating you to succeed in law school, be sure to highlight them. You can do this in the personal statement itself or in a separate diversity statement. If you are writing a personal statement and a diversity statement, make sure the two essays address different topics.
• Consider your audience. Most admissions evaluators are professors, third-year law students, or admissions professionals not long out of law school. Therefore, you want to come across as an attentive student, interesting classmate, and accomplished person. Again, consider what you most want them to know, beyond the information provided in the rest of your application.
• Read the application carefully. Most law schools allow you to choose a topic, but some will require you to address a specific question. Follow whatever instructions are provided.
• Do not play a role, especially that of a lawyer or judge. And stay away from legal concepts and jargon. You run the risk of misusing them, and even if you use them properly, legal language may make you appear pompous.
• Do not tell your life story in chronological order or merely re-state your resume. Furthermore, resist the urge to tie together all of your life experiences. The essays that try to say too much end up saying nothing at all.
• Do not become a cliché. You may genuinely want to save the world. Maybe your study abroad experience transformed the way you look at the world. But these topics are overused. Before writing your essay, consider how your story is unique and highlight your individuality.
• Do not use a personal statement to explain discrepancies in your application. If your academic record is weak in comparison to your LSAT scores, or vice versa, address that issue in an addendum. Emphasize the positive in the personal statement.
• Do not offend your reader. Lawyers rarely shy away from controversial topics, but you should think twice before advocating a controversial view. You do not want to appear to be close-minded.
• If you are in the bottom of an applicant pool, do not play it safe. You have nothing to lose by making a novel statement.

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How to Write a Personal Statement for Law School

Your personal statement is your opportunity to showcase your writing ability and stand out from the other applicants. It should highlight something unique about you that would add value to a law school student body. This article will offer tips for writing a personal statement for law school to help you get that coveted acceptance letter from the top school on your list.

Reality Check: The Law School Admissions Process

More students are applying to law schools in recent years, but schools are not increasing the size of their incoming classes. With more students  competing for the same number of seats, law schools can be more selective in the admissions process. According to an analysis of data from the American Bar Association by Spivey Consulting, the  average national acceptance rate was 45.1 percent  in 2019.

Law schools want students who can master class material, pass the bar exam, and ultimately succeed in the practice of law. LSAT or other entrance exam scores and GPAs play an important role in that assessment, but they’re not the only indicators of a student’s potential. Admissions counselors are looking for individuals with the discipline and stamina to withstand the rigors of law school and bring outside interests and passions to the law school experience.

That’s why law schools ask for a personal essay. Admissions counselors will never meet most applicants; therefore, the admissions package must tell the student’s story. And with increasing numbers of applications to wade through, admissions counselors are looking for a compelling story that will help them identify students who will be successful.

What to Include in Your Personal Statement

Because there are no specific prerequisites or undergraduate degrees required for law school, applicants tend to come from a wide range of educational backgrounds. The personal statement is meant to add depth and insight into the courses, extracurricular activities, and other information in your admissions package. But don’t just brag or rehash your resume. Instead, show how your personal experience will translate well into the law school experience.

Specifically, your personal statement should explain:

Why you want to go to law school and what do you hope to do with your degree (it’s okay if you don’t know for certain what your career plans are)

What personal strengths will help ensure your success in law school

How you plan to approach the task of learning new ways of thinking and meeting the challenges of a rigorous program

Your personal statement should also convey that you possess the qualities of a good lawyer:

A strong ability to communicate

Critical thinking skills

Problem-solving

With these basic concepts in mind, carefully read the prompt provided by the law school. Some prompts are very broad, but others are more individually tailored. Make sure your personal statement is responsive to the prompt and conforms to length limits. If you write a generic, boilerplate statement, the admissions committee will be able to tell.

How to Frame Your Personal Statement

Your personal statement should answer the questions provided in the prompt, ideally by telling a story. Think about something unique in your personal experience that would add color and specificity to your responses. Some options for framing the personal statement include:

An event or circumstance that shaped you as a person

A cause that you are passionate about

Difficulties that you have overcome

Personal accomplishments that you’re particularly proud of

How you’ve always dreamed of a career in law, or how your career ambitions have changed and why

Remember that this is a personal narrative—don’t lead with a discussion of a law-related topic but rather with an anecdote or story about yourself with vivid details to hook the reader’s interest. At the same time, however, make sure that your narrative is clearly linked to the legal field and that any personal details are relevant to characteristics that would be valuable to success in law school and the legal profession. Try to convey your unique voice, but avoid extreme positions or content that may offend some readers.

Tips for Getting It Right

The most important thing to remember is that  you  must write your personal statement. If you don’t feel you’re a strong enough writer to compose your personal statement, perhaps law school isn’t the right path for you. Also, another person will not be able to convey your narrative with the same perspective, insight, and passion.

That doesn’t mean you have to sit down and write it all in one go. Just be sure to allow enough time to let the first draft sit for at least a day before reviewing. Read your personal statement critically, with an eye toward clarity and flow. And remember that revising is as important as writing—if it doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to rewrite any portion of it.

At this point, you can engage the assistance of another person. Ask a trusted individual to critique your first draft and provide constructive feedback. Continue to polish your narrative, referring back to the prompt to ensure that you’ve answered all the questions thoroughly.

Once the copy is final, proofread carefully—read it aloud front to back and then back to front. Make sure the finished piece adheres to the specifications provided by the law school, if any.

The Final Analysis

The law school admission process is serious business. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t relax and have some fun while writing your personal statement.

The personal statement allows you to go beyond dry numbers and tell your unique story. Approach it as an opportunity to shine and show how you’ll be a successful law student and, ultimately, a great lawyer.

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Law School Personal Statement with Examples

April 3, 2024

So you’re applying to law school? You’ve researched the LSAT , you’ve researched law schools , and now you’re preparing to write your personal statement. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your plate so I won’t waste your time. In this blog, we’ll answer your questions, examine some law school personal statement examples, and discuss the law school personal statement format. Let’s dive right in.

What’s the purpose of a law school personal statement?

Here are the key objectives and functions of a law school personal statement:

1) Showcase your personal narrative

You can provide admissions committees with insight into who you are beyond your academic achievements and test scores. This essay allows you to share your personal narrative, experiences, values, and aspirations. Those details will help the admissions committee understand what motivates you and shapes your perspective.

2) Demonstrate your writing ability

Law schools place a high value on strong writing skills, because legal education and the legal profession require clear, concise, and persuasive communication. Your personal statement serves as a writing sample. The admissions committee will analyze your ability to articulate ideas effectively, organize thoughts coherently, and convey your message with clarity and precision.

3) Highlight your fit for the program

Your personal statement should also demonstrate why you are a good fit for the specific law school you’re applying to. So research the institution and tailor your statement accordingly. Then you can articulate how your interests, goals, and values align with the school’s mission, programs, and culture.

Law School Personal Statement with Examples (Continued)

4) Provide context for your application

Additionally, your personal statement offers context for the rest of your application. It allows you to address any inconsistencies or gaps in your application, explain unique circumstances, and showcase your growth and resilience.

5) Differentiate yourself from other applicants

In a competitive admissions process, a well-crafted personal statement can help you stand out from other applicants. By sharing authentic and compelling experiences and perspectives, you can distinguish yourself as a unique and valuable candidate.

6) Demonstrate your commitment to the legal profession

Admissions committees seek candidates who are passionate about pursuing a legal education and making a positive impact in the profession. So your personal statement should convey your sincere interest in law, your understanding of its challenges and responsibilities, and your readiness to contribute to the legal community.

  Law school personal statement format

Formatting a personal statement for law school is crucial as it helps convey your message clearly and professionally. So before we look at some law school personal statement examples, here are the key components of the law school personal statement format:

Most law schools have specific guidelines regarding the length of personal statements, typically ranging from one to two pages. So it’s essential to adhere to these guidelines to ensure your statement is concise and focused.

Font and size

Use a professional font like Times New Roman and adjust the size to 12 points. This ensures readability and maintains a formal appearance.

Introduction

Begin with a strong and engaging introduction that captures the reader’s attention. This section should set the tone for the rest of your statement and provide context for your motivations.

Body paragraphs

Organize your statement into several paragraphs, each focusing on a specific theme or aspect of your background, experiences, and motivations for pursuing law school.

Transitions

Use transitional phrases and sentences to smoothly transition between different ideas and paragraphs. This helps maintain coherence and flow throughout your statement, ensuring that each section builds upon the previous one.

End your statement with a compelling conclusion that reinforces your motivations for pursuing a legal education. Focus on leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Stick to the guidelines

Follow any specific formatting guidelines provided by the law school, such as file format requirements or word count limitations. Adhering to these guidelines demonstrates attention to detail and professionalism.

Two law school personal statement examples

With the law school personal statement format fresh in our minds, let’s take a look at some examples.

Here’s the first of our law school personal statement examples:

As I gaze into the innocent eyes of my two young daughters, I’m filled with boundless love. In their laughter and curiosity, I see the promise of a bright future—but intertwined with that hope is a profound fear and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. I can never forget the sobering reality of climate change, a crisis that threatens to reshape the world they will inherit.

My journey towards law school is not merely a pursuit of personal ambition but a solemn commitment to safeguarding the future of my children and generations to come. Growing up amidst the rolling hills of California, I witnessed the devastating effects of wildfires and droughts. Yet, it was the birth of my daughters that catalyzed my transformation from concerned bystander to impassioned advocate.

Driven by this newfound purpose, I immersed myself in climate advocacy, from grassroots campaigns to policy research. I rallied alongside fellow parents and concerned citizens, demanding accountability from policymakers and corporations alike. Each petition signed, each protest attended, was fueled by the determination to leave behind a world worthy of my daughters.

I want to leverage the power of the law as a force for environmental justice and sustainability. The University of Oregon is where my passion for climate advocacy meets the rigors of legal education. Its esteemed faculty and commitment to social responsibility offer the ideal platform to amplify my voice and effect meaningful change.

At the University of Oregon, I aspire to become not only a skilled attorney but also a champion for the planet. With each legal brief penned and each precedent set, I’ll strive to leave behind a legacy of hope and resilience. And I’ll ensure that my children inherit a world teeming with possibility, not plagued by relentless climate catastrophes.

Why the first of our law school personal statement examples works:

Compelling narrative

First, the statement begins with the applicant reflecting on their young daughters and their concern for the future amidst the looming threat of climate change . This narrative immediately grabs the reader’s attention and sets the stage for the applicant’s personal journey.

Personal connection

The applicant demonstrates a deep personal connection to the issue of climate change. This personal connection adds authenticity and depth to their motivations for pursuing law school.

Commitment to advocacy

The statement showcases the applicant’s proactive approach to addressing climate change through advocacy work, including grassroots campaigns and policy research. This demonstrates their dedication and initiative in confronting pressing societal issues.

Alignment with law school

The applicant articulates why they’re drawn to the specific law school they’re applying to. They emphasize how the University of Oregon’s commitment to social responsibility and environmental justice aligns with their own values and aspirations. This shows that the applicant has researched the law school and understands how its resources can support their goals.

Vision for the future

Finally, it concludes with a vision of the applicant’s future role as an attorney dedicated to environmental justice and sustainability. This, coupled with their commitment to leaving behind a positive legacy for future generations, highlights their long-term goals and ambition.

Overall, this personal statement effectively combines personal narrative, passion, and commitment to showcase the applicant’s readiness for law school and their potential to make a meaningful impact in the field of environmental law.

Here’s the second of our law school personal statement examples:

Nestled amidst the golden fields of rural America, I learned from an early age that community is not just a place. It’s a commitment to looking out for one another in times of need. Growing up in a tight-knit community, I was instilled with values of empathy, compassion, and service.

On an autumn morning several years ago, there was a knock at my door. On my porch was my neighbor Sarah, a single mother. She told me about the looming eviction notice that threatened to upend her family’s life. As she looked at me with desperate eyes, I felt a surge of empathy and determination.

I sprang into action and rallied the support of our neighbors. Together, we organized to challenge the unjust eviction and provide Sarah with the assistance she needed. This experience ignited my passion for social justice and set me on a path towards law school.

Throughout my undergraduate journey, I dove into political science and community development. I immersed myself in research projects that shed light on the lived experiences of marginalized communities. One particularly impactful project involved collaborating with local activists to advocate for the expansion of affordable housing programs. This culminated in a successful city council vote that brought tangible relief to countless families in need.

The allure of UC Davis lies not only in its esteemed faculty and rigorous curriculum but also in its dedication to fostering a culture of advocacy and social change. Its renowned clinics and externship opportunities offer a unique platform to translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact. I’m eager to contribute my firsthand experiences and passion for justice to the vibrant community of UC Davis, where every voice is heard, and every action is a step towards a more equitable future.

Why the second of our law school personal statement examples works:

Compelling introduction

The statement begins with vivid imagery and a nostalgic portrayal of the applicant’s upbringing in rural America. This sets the stage for the narrative and establishes the values that have shaped the applicant’s worldview.

Personal anecdote

The story of Sarah, the single mother facing eviction , demonstrates the applicant’s empathy, compassion, and commitment to social justice. Additionally, it showcases their ability to take initiative and mobilize their community in times of need.

Connection to law school

The statement effectively connects the applicant’s personal experiences to their decision to pursue law school. It highlights how their passion for social justice was ignited by their experiences. Then it also emphasizes their determination to use the law as a tool for positive change.

Academic and experiential background

The applicant provides specific examples of their academic and experiential background. They include involvement in political science and community development research projects. This demonstrates their commitment to understanding systemic injustices and their ability to engage in meaningful advocacy work.

Fit for the law school

The statement concludes by articulating why the applicant is drawn to the specific law school they are applying to. It mentions UC Davis’s dedication to advocacy and social change, aligning with the applicant’s values and aspirations. This shows that the applicant has done their research. Additionally, it shows their clear vision for how the law school’s resources align with their goals.

Overall, this personal statement effectively showcases the applicant’s passion, commitment, and readiness for law school, making them a compelling candidate for admission.

How to brainstorm for your law school personal statement

Here are some strategies to help you brainstorm effectively:

1) Reflect on personal experiences

First, think about significant events, challenges, or accomplishments in your life that have shaped your identity and aspirations. Also, consider how these experiences have influenced your interest in law and your commitment to social justice or advocacy.

2) Identify core values and beliefs

Reflect on your core values, beliefs, and principles that guide your decision-making and actions. Then consider how these values align with the mission and values of the law schools you’re interested in. Also, consider how they inform your interest in pursuing a legal education.

3) Evaluate unique experiences and perspectives

Consider any unique experiences, perspectives, or backgrounds you bring to the table that may set you apart from other applicants. Reflect on how these experiences have shaped your perspective and how they contribute to your readiness for law school.

4) Seek inspiration from others

Talk to family members, friends, mentors, or advisors who know you well. They may offer valuable perspectives and help you uncover ideas you hadn’t considered.

5) Freewriting and mind mapping

Finally, set aside time for freewriting or mind mapping exercises. This is where you jot down ideas, memories, thoughts, and associations related to your interest in law school. Allow yourself to explore different angles and connections without judgment.

By engaging in these brainstorming strategies, you can generate a wealth of ideas and insights to inform your law school personal statement.

Final Thoughts – Law School Personal Statement with Examples

Well, you’ve analyzed the law school personal statement examples and the law school personal statement format. You understand the purpose of the personal statement and all the nuances it brings to your application. You know how to brainstorm. Now you’re ready to find your inspiration, choose your topic, and craft your story. Happy writing!

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Mariya holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the Pratt Institute and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing at the University of California Davis. Mariya serves as a teaching assistant in the English department at UC Davis. She previously served as an associate editor at Carve Magazine for two years, where she managed 60 fiction writers. She is the winner of the 2015 Stony Brook Fiction Prize, and her short stories have been published in Mid-American Review , Cutbank , Sonora Review , New Orleans Review , and The Collagist , among other magazines.

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How to Write a Great Law School Personal Statement

Are you ready to tackle your law school personal statement? Clear and concise writing is a vital skill for law students, but writing about yourself can be daunting. It's hard to winnow your life experiences down to a couple of pages or find one topic to focus on. 

Yet, your personal statement is a critical part of the application process . When combined with your resume, application, and LSAT score, it forms a complete picture of who you are and why you're a perfect fit. 

With these steps, you'll overcome obstacles while developing prose that supports a favorable application decision. 

Does a personal statement matter for law school?

Yes, your personal statement for law school is vital. It provides insights that aren't apparent on your transcripts. Engaging prose helps you stand out in a competitive space resulting in acceptance at your most-desired schools. 

For the 2020-2021 academic year, the number of applicants to law schools rose by 1.6%, with 63,206 applicants submitting 381,698 applications, according to the Law School Admission Council . You're competing with students who may have similar LSAT scores , grade point averages, and professional experience. When facing identical transcripts from hardworking students, often the only differentiator is the personal statement. 

After all, admissions officers want to know the person behind the hard data. That's where your law school personal statement comes into play. With a standout essay, you capture admissions officers' attention and an amazing narrative sticks in their heads. Your story should emphasize valuable traits, such as: 

• Intelligence
• Professionalism
• Persuasiveness
• Thoughtfulness
• Seriousness

How do you write a good law school personal statement?

Writing a great law school personal statement doesn't come without hard work. Although you've written plenty of essays during your college experience, a strong narrative requires genuine reflection. You need to dig deep to uncover an aspect of your life that led to a significant change or put you on your current path.

Of course, intelligent prose doesn't always come out in the first draft. So prepare to spend a good chunk of time building your narrative and adjusting your statement for flow. Starting is often the hardest part of writing. Fortunately, you can follow these steps to nail your law school personal statement. 

Review law school personal statement requirements

Begin by scouring the application packet materials and college websites. Look for key information about the length and page format of your personal statement. The guidelines should answer important questions like:

• How long should your personal statement be for law school? 
• What is the maximum word count for a personal statement?
• How do you format a personal statement?

Next, write down any required prompts to answer in your essay. For instance, some schools may ask why you're applying or why you want a JD degree. Organize program details using a spreadsheet or project management software like Trello. Create a card or row for each program, then list important facts about its mission, goals, and community. 

Also, check to see if any programs offer law school personal statement examples. Read through samples to get an idea of what admissions officers expect. Lastly, some colleges accept other types of statements as well, such as a diversity statement or an addendum. For best results, complete all options.

Diversity statement for law school 

A diversity statement defines what makes you different. It sounds or looks similar to your law school personal statement. But, it differs because you don't need to tie up your narrative into a neat package that ends with an epiphany. Instead, it may cover an experience that explains your values or desire to work towards inclusivity.

Law school application addendum

An addendum is a way to overcome lower scores, a gap in education, or other concerns where you fall short in your official papers and transcripts. Addendums are short, concise, and honest. Explain your reason and demonstrate that you've met and overcome your challenge. 

Brainstorm potential personal statement topics 

Some people prefer to jump right into writing. However, your life story is pretty lengthy, so it's essential to narrow down your subject matter. Focus your attention by reflecting on your life and coming up with some topics to write about. Consider ideas like: 

• Personal challenges, hardships, or completed goals
• A turning point in your life
• Unique hobbies or personal interests
• Special achievements or awards, not listed in-depth on your initial application
• A situation or environment that changed you or your values
• A project that got results and you're passionate about
• Your upbringing, culture, education, or a personal or professional experience

While brainstorming, go through your transcripts, application, and resume. Are there any gaps or missing details that your personal statement could cover? Perhaps you listed volunteer work with a local animal shelter on your application. Could you delve into this topic further? Aim to share a unique story where your personal growth is the main focus. 

Explore your subject for clarity and insights

Sure, your chosen topic may be fresh on your mind. However, your personal statement for law school is more than describing an event. You need to show admission officers how this experience shaped you. It's vital to dig into how it impacted your values, traits, and feelings. 

Many students report spending hours or days considering their topic, digging through memories, and compiling their subject matter. If you have access to photos, documents, or other things that'll jog your mind, then now is the time to pull them out. Sometimes even listening to your favorite songs can help you remember the moment. 

Uncover a unique angle

Mark Twain once said that no story ideas are original. That holds true for personal statements as well. Plenty of law school applicants face difficult decisions, adversity, or enlightening experiences. Your essay isn't a retelling of an event. It focuses on your feelings and growth. And the story of you is unique, as no one shares your exact emotions or reactions. 

Your goal is to explore an angle that sets your story apart from others. Overcome obstacles by taking a break during brainstorming. Come back to your topic with fresh eyes and hammer out your main idea. 

Sum up your idea and start writing

Now you're looking at your topic, an angle, and you've pulled up those old memories. Do your best to sum it up and conclude it with a few sentences. This is your main point, and what every paragraph should lead the reader back to. Use these sentences as a reference point while writing. 

Some students prefer to create a general outline before writing. Others produce a few key sentences and start typing. All personal statements for law school use a narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Include:

• A captivating introduction that draws the reader into your life
• Body paragraphs that naturally flow towards a conclusion
• A decisive conclusion that delivers a lasting impression

During the rough draft, forget about length, grammar, or other specifics. Instead, just write. Get everything out on the pages. You'll have plenty of time later to refine, clarify, and structure your personal law school statement. Once you're done, read it over, make a few edits, and walk away. 

Turn a draft into your personal law school statement 

With a rough draft in hand, assess every word to ensure your story meets your objectives. Your goal is to recreate the moment and invite the reader into your account. Mold your rough draft into a final piece by focusing on a coherent structure. 

Flow. A logical progression of ideas, with a clear arc, is essential. Your reader should glide through your personal statement naturally. 

Length. Eliminate wordy phrases, overly difficult words, and descriptions that don't support your conclusion. 

Personalization. Pay attention to subtle differences in law schools, from their communities to purpose. If you can genuinely work this into your personal statement, then do so.

Character decisions. It's okay to include other characters in your personal statement, but ultimately you want to return the focus to yourself. 

Revise and edit several times

Few applicants write a stellar personal statement the first time. Get the best results by putting your draft through a comprehensive editing and revision process. This goes beyond using your word processing spell checker. Invest in human and technical tools to ensure the best results. Take steps such as: 

• Double-check that your essay meets formatting and length requirements. 
• Make sure you've answered any writing prompts.
• Personalize your statement to the specific school and program. 
• Use a tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid to correct grammar and style issues. 
• Run your document through the Hemingway App to catch hard-to-read sentences and more.

Lastly, it’s essential to get help editing your personal statement. Fresh eyes and unbiased opinions allow you to refine your narrative. Obtain assistance from law school forums, writing centers, and social media communities. Or, ask fellow students or mentors to review your essay.

Create an impressive law school personal statement

Make your application packet stand out with a genuine and captivating personal statement for law school. Although writing your essay may seem like a challenging task, once you break it down into steps, it'll be easier to develop a cohesive statement that's sure to win admission officers’ attention.

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In This Section

As a law school applicant, you may not have a chance to sit down with the admissions committee and explain why you’d be the perfect fit for their institution. But you do have the personal statement, and that’s almost as good—as long as you follow these tips...

You are so much more than your LSAT score, undergrad GPA, and extracurricular activities. That's why your personal statement is a critical part of your law school application: It's your chance to address the law school admissions committee directly and show us your character, what’s important to you, and why you’re a great fit for the school. It’s also an opportunity to set yourself apart in a sea of competitive law school applicants. So don’t let it go to waste!

Follow these tips to make sure your law school personal statement really shines.

Related:   4 Outstanding Real-World Law School Personal Statement Examples

Tip 1: Focus on you

This may seem obvious, but law school applicants sometimes miss this important point: Your personal statement needs to be about you . Not the people or work that influenced you. You. (While a mother, father, or grandparent can inspire an interest in law, don’t focus your personal statement on that person; otherwise we’ll wish they were the one applying to law school!)

We want you to use the personal statement to show us that you have the skills needed to succeed in law school, beyond what your LSAT score or GPA can tell us. We're looking for things  like a strong work ethic, motivation, and the determination to overcome obstacles.

Think about your strengths, defining characteristics, and values—especially the ones that might come into play as a lawyer: Are you thoughtful, analytical, empathetic, service-oriented? Think about how you spend your free time: Do you love traveling, researching, or volunteering? Think about what motivates you: Do you want to work in a burgeoning legal field like intellectual property law, help others by developing public policy, or start your own firm?

Once you’ve zeroed in on some qualities you want to highlight, it's time to brainstorm anecdotes from your life that demonstrate those things…

Tip 2: Brainstorm broadly

The personal statement often gives you lots of freedom in what you write about, so feel free to brainstorm broadly about possible topics.

In the New England Law application requirements , we advise applicants to “write about personal characteristics and circumstances; strengths; work experiences; extracurricular activities; ethnic, economic, and educational background; or any other topic that will help the committee evaluate you.”

Not sure what to write about? Good law school personal statement ideas often come from:

• Extracurricular activities: campus clubs, recreational sport leagues, community service groups, arts organizations, social clubs, etc.
• Meaningful obstacles or challenges you’ve overcome
• Professional activities: full- or part-time work, internships, cooperative education, research positions, etc.
• Accomplishments: leadership positions, awards, achieving significant goals, etc.
• Hobbies or other unique interests that are important to you

As you brainstorm personal statement ideas, remember that you want to put your best foot forward, show how you’ve grown, and prove that you’re ready for law school. After all, you’re ultimately trying to convince the admissions committee that you’ll be an asset to the school.

Handy tip: update your résumé before you brainstorm personal statement topics. Even though you definitely don’t want to just repeat your résumé in your personal statement, it helps to update your résumé before you start writing, because you’ll be forced to remember all the things you’ve been involved in since you became an undergrad. And those experiences and accomplishments might make great essay topics!

Tip 3: Be genuine

You don’t need to be a superhero to impress the law school admissions committee. You can show your passion, dedication, and law school readiness in lots of everyday anecdotes from your life. You can even write your personal statement about a mistake or a weakness—just make sure you turn it around to show how you ultimately overcame that mistake or weakness.

Finally, this may go without saying, but don’t stretch the truth (ahem) in your personal statement. We can tell. And we will check.

Related:  Everything You Need to Consider in Choosing a Law School

Tip 4: Just write

Once you have a personal statement topic in mind, set aside some time to write—and just let yourself go. Give yourself permission to bang out a crummy first draft. Write in a stream-of-consciousness style. Don’t worry about making it sound good; just focus on getting your ideas on the page (er, screen).

This will make the process much easier when you go back to edit the application essay later (see tip #9!).

Tip 5: Remember your “why”

You want to go to law school to work in the legal field. But why? Why is law school a critical next step in your career plan and life path?

While you don’t need to spell out your ten-point plan for becoming a lawyer, your underlying reasons for going to law school should be the foundation of your personal statement. For example , maybe you want to be a lawyer because you want to correct the injustices you see in the world around you. You might write your personal statement about a memorable protest you once participated in as an undergrad, and how it made you want to do even more to help people.

Tip 6: Be specific

Don’t try to fit your life story into your personal statement. Keep your essay focused on a particular theme, thesis, or even moment in time.

Part of the challenge is that you’re limited in space, so you have to be both succinct and efficient with your writing. And whatever you do, don’t just rehash other information that’s elsewhere in your application. You’re only going to be able to highlight one or two things about yourself, so be thoughtful about what those things are.

And remember: If you start with a story, let us know what happens at the end. Don’t leave the admissions committee hanging!

Tip 7: Grab our attention

Unlike your undergrad application essay, you may need to be more straightforward with your personal statement for law school. But that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. You still want to tell a story that allows the admissions committee to get to know the real you and remember you in a sea of applicants. So tell the story no one else can tell.

Start your personal statement with an attention-grabbing anecdote, a surprising fact, or an intriguing line of dialogue. That being said, write like you normally would— don’t write in a style you haven’t mastered. In particular, jokes and other attempts at humor can easily get lost in translation, so be careful.

Tip 8: Know what makes the school tick

You probably already did lots of research to determine which law schools really fit you (you did, right? Right?!). So by the time you’re drafting the personal statement portion of your application, you should have a good sense of what your intended schools are all about. But if you don’t—if you can’t talk about what a school values, its defining characteristics, its mission—then you don’t know the law school well enough to write a great personal statement.

So read the school's mission statement, news and blogs, and social media feeds. Get a sense of what’s important to the institution, and then try to weave those values in your personal statement. 

Related:   How to Have an Amazing Law School Visit: Tips and Questions You Need to Ask

Tip 9: Polish it up

By the time you apply to law school, you’re probably accustomed to writing at the collegiate level. But it’s good to be reminded to send in your very best work with your law school applications. Competition is tough, and you want your application to be as strong as it can be. Plus, there’s a lot of writing in law school, and you need to prove that your skills are up to snuff.

Carefully proofread your personal statement—not to mention the rest of your law school application—before you send it in. Also double-check to make sure you followed the application directions to the letter: Did you stay within any given word count? Did you fully respond to any given essay prompt? Did you adhere to any special formatting or submission criteria? Have you used the right law school name? (You might be surprised how often law school admissions folks get essays that reference the wrong school!)

Finally, ask others to review your personal statement too, like an undergrad professor, mentor, or that good college friend who aced English. You can also take your essay to the writing or career services office of your undergrad school (these services are often available long after you graduate too).

You don’t need to be the next Stephen King to craft a great personal statement for your law school applications. Just follow these tips, and you’re sure to write an essay you can be proud of.

Learn more about our law school personal statement and other application requirements here .

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Online Master of Legal Studies » Related Law and Legal Degrees » Juris Doctor (J.D.) » Personal Statement

How to Write a Personal Statement for Law School 

Personal statements for law school are one of the most important parts of making your application stand out because they tell a story about a person’s character that can’t otherwise be known from a resume. Applicants seeking a law degree, such as a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or an  online J.D. program , would do best to lean on communication and research skills from their undergraduate studies in order to write a good personal statement for law school. Use the guide below to explore resources for law school personal statement tips for formatting, dos and don’ts, and some topics for inspiration.

What is a Personal Statement for Law School?

A personal statement is a brief essay written by the law school applicant detailing their personal background and how it makes them a unique fit for the law degree program. The personal statement may also cover the applicant’s intentions for studies while enrolled in the program—such as a passion for litigation, immigration or environmental law—and what they hope to gain from being a student at that particular law school. While a personal statement won’t compensate for low LSAT scores,  it can include nuanced life experiences that cannot be gleaned from other aspects of the application, such as your transcripts, resume or letters of recommendation. 

What is the Admissions Committee Looking for in the Personal Statement?

Admissions committees typically look for some of the following topics:

• Who is the applicant?  What stands out about a student’s academic and personal background, work experience and extracurricular activities (such as volunteer work or community service)? Do you have unique traits or qualities? Beyond that, admissions committees want to know how a student can add value to the school and student body, and if you can build trust with peers and professors.
• Does the applicant have strong communication and writing abilities?  Does the applicant’s personal statement for law school demonstrate clear written communication skills and excellent attention to detail? A well-written and coherent law school personal statement can signal to the admissions committee that you are a strong communicator, capable of articulating complex thoughts and experiences, much like lawyers do in their day-to-day work. If you want to  become a lawyer  or practice law after earning a law degree and passing the bar, these are important skills to cultivate over time. 

Law School Personal Statement Format

Each university will have different requirements, but typically, a law school  personal statement format  may include:

• Length : Two pages, though some universities will specify if they only want one
• Word Count : 250-500 words at minimum 
• Spacing : Double or single spaced
• Font : Times New Roman in 11-or 12-point font
• Margins : No less than 1 inch 

Students should always carefully read the requirements for each law school they apply to before writing their personal statement. Be sure to check the requirements a second time after the personal statement is complete, especially when submitting personal statements to multiple universities. 

10 Law School Personal Statement Tips

Writing a personal statement can be a daunting task for some, but most law schools have guidelines or advice that can help reduce the pressure of what to write about. You may use the advice below to begin writing your personal statement, but be sure to check with your adviser or another academic professional who can help guide you through the process.

• Read all the instructions.  Carefully read and follow the guidelines provided by law schools before you begin writing to avoid wasting time or energy on formatting that could disqualify your application. Many schools offer thorough and specific instructions, including factors the admissions committee uses to evaluate candidacy.
• Brainstorm and make a framework.  Work with your adviser to brainstorm possible personal statement topics and discuss how to make each of those topics unique and complete. Creating an outline can be done together or on your own, but it can be helpful to have a framework once you begin writing.
• Research the school values and understand your audience.  Find out what values are important to the university and identify where those values intersect with your own. Read up on specific professors and their current research topics to understand what opportunities you might have to learn from them and consider mentioning those areas in your essay.
• Choose one or two small topics . Small, specific topics can ensure the applicant sufficiently covers the topic as opposed to starting a lengthy narrative they don’t have room to finish. Additionally, smaller topics will also help the writer stick to the page limit.
• Identify what sets you apart.  Focus on the activities or experiences that make you unique, especially if they are not already on your resume. Focus on these attributes to make your statement feel more personal, authentic and meaningful as you craft your story. 
• Give yourself plenty of time to write.  Writing under pressure can lead to critical mistakes such as unfinished thoughts and grammatical errors. Spending multiple sessions on your personal statement ensures that you have clarity, a chance to refine your writing and time to proofread.
• Hook the reader.  Pay special attention to your first paragraph so that your voice and ideas stand out. Many admissions officers are reviewing hundreds of essays, so gripping their attention from the beginning may increase the likelihood of them engaging more positively with your entire application. A vivid story or good narrative may help your application be more memorable.
• Stay on topic and be concise.  If possible, stick to the plan you made instead of going off script. Reference your outline repeatedly as you write, especially if you feel yourself running out of room on the page. 
• Be yourself.  Personal statements stand out when the writer’s voice is able to shine through. Avoid spending too much time reviewing other people’s work as examples and be confident in your own experience. Focus on your vision, personality, motivation and other relevant aspects specific to you. Otherwise, the essay may end up sounding generic. 
• Proofread and polish it up.  In addition to manually proofreading your draft, use spell-checking software to check for grammatical errors. Also, look for any legal terms that may be misused. It may help to have your adviser or a trusted peer review for grammatical errors and overall flow before submitting your personal statement.

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in a Law School Personal Statement

The individual requirements for a personal statement may vary depending on the university, but these general tips and advice for mistakes to avoid can be applied to writing your personal statement. 

• Restate your resume.  Focus on crafting a story that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious from your resume. Listing your qualifications can be repetitive, and you’ll miss an opportunity to make yourself stand out. 
• Discuss legal issues at length.  Avoid extensively discussing the law or a controversial issue. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to debate once you begin law school courses. Make your passions clear without turning your essay into a personal political agenda. Remember a personal statement should focus on  you .
• Dramatize or exaggerate stories.  Fabricating life experiences or plagiarizing others’ work can lead to disqualification of your application or even legal action. Your personal statement should be authentic and establish credibility. Stay true to yourself, your experiences and your writing abilities. 
• Submit without proofreading.  Make sure you spend time on your personal statement and  thoroughly check for grammatical and spelling errors, including the name of your desired school. You’ll also want to pay attention to specific formatting requirements and word count. You may have a trusted adviser review your work to ensure all the university requirements have been met. 
• Cover too much ground.  Staying focused on your specific topics will help with clarity, consistency and concision. Covering too many topics, or even too large of a topic, can make your statement seem unwieldy, rambling or unfocused. 

Law School Personal Statement Topics for Brainstorming

Take a look at your resume and identify a few points about your life experience that aren’t already mentioned in your application. What makes you stand out as a law school applicant? If you’re feeling stuck, you may use the prompts below to brainstorm a topic to craft a unique law school personal statement:

• Personal challenges or hardships you’ve overcome
• A meaningful turning point in your life and how it affected you
• Unique hobbies or personal interests that demonstrate character
• Special achievements or awards not already mentioned in your resume
• A life event or situation that shaped your values or worldview
• An innovative project or research topic you’re passionate about
• Your upbringing or cultural background that shaped your identity
• Opportunities you’ve used to make a difference in your community

If you’re still at a loss for where to begin, ask a friend or family member who knows you well to help identify a few personal attributes.

FAQs About Personal Statements for Law School

Law school applicants may have questions about specific details for their personal statements, which they should explore before beginning the writing process. Use the information below to navigate common questions, and be sure to go over each question with an admissions counselor at your desired law school.

Each law school may have its own requirements, but generally, personal statements are one to two pages in length. If no word count or page length is provided, make sure the essay is long enough to cover your main thoughts but short enough to keep the reader engaged. Have an adviser or editor read over your personal statement before submitting. 

A personal statement is different from a statement of interest, so it’s not always necessary to explain your interest in practicing law, which is assumed by the fact that you’re applying to law school in the first place. Applicants may mention a life event or passion that shaped their desire to make a difference by pursuing a law degree. Be sure to check the instructions given by the university before deciding what to include. 

Personal statements are a crucial part of expressing what makes you a good fit for a particular law school program. Applicants should treat the personal statement very seriously, especially given that other students are likely to appear equally qualified on their applications. A great personal statement may be the deciding factor in your acceptance into law school.

Yes, writing style matters in your personal statement—and throughout the entire application—because writing is a fundamental skill that lawyers use on a daily basis. Admissions committees are often made up of attorneys and graduates of the law school, so demonstrating excellent writing skills works to the advantage of applicants. Law school applications require significant effort, attention to detail and demonstration of critical thinking skills. They provide just a taste of the demand for writing that students will encounter during law school. If you want to learn more about the requirements of law school and the benefits provided by a law degree, read our guide, “ Is Law School Worth It? ”

Last updated September 2021.

I Got a Full-Ride to Law School Using This Personal Statement

Law school admissions certainly are intimidating, especially when it comes to the rather daunting task of writing a personal statement with no real prompt. Generally, law schools will ask for no more than two pages of basically whatever you would like to talk about.

However, there are a few well-established principles for writing a successful personal statement. Here are 4 principles, along with my own personal statement, to help you hit a home run:

The personal statement should only drive your application forward. If it is holding it back in any way, it is not ready.

Your personal statement should explain your interest or purpose for studying the law.

This does not have to be the backbone of the entire piece, but it should be at least mentioned somewhere. It should also avoid legal jargon and should not be some sort of showcase for legal knowledge. It also should not be a regurgitation of your resume. The committee will already have your resume, so the personal statement serves as a supplement to it.

Spend the time making your personal statement better.

To get a competitive offer from whichever law school you may be applying to, it all starts with a good application package. The admissions committee is going to want to see a good LSAT score , a strong GPA, some recommendations, and a well-written personal statement. That much is clear. Your personal statement may never feel like it is just right, but it can only become better with consistent time and effort spent drafting it again and again.

Research examples of well-written personal statements.

To get some ideas about what a good personal statement could look like, I did a preliminary search to read a few successful ones. The University of Chicago had a few essays posted on  their site  from admitted students that gave me a good point of reference. Although there is tremendous flexibility in writing the personal statement, it should not be so wacky as to discourage the admissions committee in your abilities as a writer or in your seriousness about attending law school.

Take advantage of the resources around you to make your statement the best.

For my statement, I went through a couple of potential concepts and decided to do one on my life’s motto. And, no, it was not some cliché that I pretended was my motto; I picked words that I truly lived by and continue to live by to this day. I spent many hours writing and rewriting my personal statement. Thankfully, I had the invaluable help of my roommate, who is a strong writer himself, and he gave me useful feedback on many of my drafts (I promised him a nice dinner if I ended up getting admitted with a full-ride to somewhere). When I got close to a final draft, I took it to my school’s writer’s workshop to have someone I had never met before read it aloud. It allowed me to hear where someone might misunderstand something so that I could make changes accordingly for the final product.

Beginning in the spring, picking up in September, accelerating further in October, and finishing in November when I sent my applications out, the whole process produced something that I thought gave me a very strong shot at success. So here it is. Enjoy:

“Ball: outside!” declared the umpire.

“Come on now! Get ahead, stay ahead, kid!” demanded my coach.

I checked the sign: fastball. That pitch was just not there; I shook my head no. My catcher gave me the next sign: curveball. Yes, the get-me-over-curve, my signature pitch. I stepped back to begin my windup.

“Steeeeeriiike! One and one,” the umpire grunted.

“That’s the way, Duff! Just like that!” my coach exclaimed.

My catcher fired that ball back to me. I toed the rubber and focused on his signs: he flashed two fingers and motioned to the right—curveball, outside. I nodded affirmatively. He and I were on the same page. I began my windup again, picked up the leg, and spun my big overhand curve to the plate.

“Two! One and two.” The batter stood motionless as he watched my back door hook clip the outer edge of the strike zone.

“One more now, Duff! Come on, kid!”

The pitch count, or the current amount of balls and strikes in a given at bat, is perhaps the most impactful construct of baseball. After every pitch, the umpire declares it to be a ball or strike, subsequently adding it to the count. If the batter reaches four balls, he earns a walk, or a free pass to first base; if he gets three strikes, the batter is out. The batter’s goal is to reach a base before three strikes. The pitcher does everything that he can to stop that.

As I got the ball back, I knew I was in the driver’s seat. The batter was at a tremendous disadvantage and would have to react to my pitches on two strikes rather than just being able to lock in on one. I leaned in for the sign: one finger, right, up—fastball, high and outside. I liked it. Even though it was not my best pitch that day, I understood that I could still use it effectively to keep batters off balance since I was ahead. I stepped back into the windup and let the pitch fly.

The batter flailed at the pitch. “Three!” shouted the umpire, raising his fist in the air to call him out. He was sitting on the big, slow curveball and not the fastball, but he could not be selective because he was down in the count. On to the next one.

“Atta kid! That’s what happens when you get ahead!”

Get ahead, stay ahead.

While my organized baseball playing days may be over, that fundamental is still strong. A picture of all-star pitcher Max Scherzer hurling a baseball towards the plate sits above my desk with that same motto in bolded letters:  Get Ahead, Stay Ahead .

What does getting ahead provide? For one, it gives the peace of mind that comes with flexibility; there’s room to react in case something goes off course. In baseball, it gives the pitcher more room to work within the count because he has more options when the batter must play defensively. In short, he can do what he wants. One of the key differences between baseball and life, however, is that baseball has a simple, predetermined goal: score more runs than the other team! Life, on the other hand, allows for enormous flexibility in choosing a goal. Rather than be content with the usual four-year bachelor’s track, I pushed forward as hard as I could to graduate in three years. Many people are surprised when I tell them about my efforts to graduate early; they often wonder why I chose to accelerate my education. I usually explain that it saved me a significant amount of money while expanding my room for error. Most importantly, I tell them, by efficiently reorganizing my schedule, getting ahead actually  gave  me time to think.

The most successful people throughout history have all had an overarching goal, no matter how grand; with the time from getting ahead, I chose mine. Andrew Carnegie sought to provide affordable steel, Henry Ford wanted to create a universal automobile, and Elon Musk aims to put a city on Mars. After seeing their success, I think about how I can do the same. Simply put, I want to be a leader in sustainable real estate. More specifically, I want to make green living universal. Whenever I get the same surprised looks from this claim as when I tell someone that I am graduating early, I clarify that there are already some pioneers designing revolutionary apartments with trees planted on all of their floors, working to clean the air in polluted cities. Stefano Boeri, for example, has designed a thirty-six-floor building covered with trees on terraces jutting out from its sides, dubbed the “Tower of Cedars.” I want to take this premise further: my mission is to expand clean living to all, not just the elite who can afford it. The law is one of the most important tools that I will need to achieve this. The complexities of environmental and real estate law will be major challenges. Regardless, to lead the industry, I must get ahead. When I start my business, I will reflect on my experience in running the Trial Team as its president, the perspective on efficient business systems that I gained with American Hotel Register, and the tips that the CEO of Regency Multifamily shared with me for optimally running a large real estate firm, among many other things. But I will always be looking forward. While history shows that there are answers in the past, only the future knows them. Thankfully, controlling the present by getting ahead can make the future that much more certain.

I stepped back into the windup, again. As I drove off the rubber towards the plate, I extended out as far as I could to get as much control and power as possible. The big hook landed firmly over the outer third of the plate, right into my catcher’s mitt with a solid  phwump .

“Steeeeeriiike! Oh-and-one.”

“Atta kid!” My coach was elated to see my pitch command this inning.

Are you inspired to get ahead? Don’t you just feel a sudden urge to admit me into your program? Well thankfully, it made an impression on someone. I did my best to show my ambitions while showing a bit of my personality. The greatest risk that I took was that some of the baseball jargon may have been hard to understand for someone unfamiliar with the sport, but I made sure that it would not detract from the overall meaning of the piece. It served as a useful supplement to the rest of my application.

As of 2018, I am enrolled at Chicago-Kent College of Law with a full tuition scholarship. While it is no Ivy program, it is a respectable school with a strong regional reputation. The great thing about having the financial burden of law school off my shoulders is that I can now focus on getting the most out of my studies, rather than stress to figure out how I am going to pay off the debt that would have financed my education. And if it turns out that the program is not the best option for me, I can walk away with no financial strings attached.

The personal statement should only drive your application forward. If it is holding it back in any way, it is not ready. Keep it professional but do be creative and show the reader more of your personality than a resume alone would give. You are selling them your brand as a student, so do not let them gloss over your application without much of a thought.

Jack graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2018 with a degree in Economics and History, and he currently works in property management while attending Chicago-Kent College of Law on a part-time basis. He hopes to use his law degree to enhance his career in commercial real estate and eventually lead sustainable large-scale real estate developments nationwide.

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Society can dictate when you are supposed to be most productive. See the traditional 9-5 work schedule. However, that model does not always work best for neurodiverse individuals. Some people are not morning people, and that is fine. Figure out when you have the most energy during your day to be your most productive self.

Find one system to use for organization and don’t change it. Trying too many organizational systems can become overwhelming. If your phone calendar works best, use that. If you are a list person, write all the lists. If you are a planner person, find the coolest one to use throughout the school year.

It would be nice to think that you can remember every task or deadline, but let’s be honest, that’s probably not true. Write down every deadline, every task, meeting, assignment, important date, etc. in the organizational system that you use.

Just like you can only put so much gasoline in a car, most neurodiverse individuals only have so much room in their focus tank. Figure out how long you can truly focus and apply yourself to a task before you need a break. That amount of time is typically shorter for neurodiverse individuals. If you can only truly focus for 20 minutes, study for 20 minutes, take a break, and then come back for another 20 minutes.

You may have started law school with your mind full of horror stories. Throw them out the window. Most of the people you attend law school with are genuinely kind and helpful people. Try to find a group or a couple of people that you can trust and lean on when necessary. Your law school friends can help you stay on task, body double, and even provide notes on the days you may be struggling. These friends can be one of your greatest assets throughout your law school journey.

Only discuss your neurodivergence with your professors to the extent that you are comfortable. If there are things you are concerned about related to your neurodivergence, it can be beneficial to make your professors aware at the beginning of the semester. Whether you are worried about cold calling or need a topic broken down, most professors love opportunities to discuss their area of law! They can’t know that you may need help if you don’t let them know. This is especially important if you aren’t successful in getting accommodations from your school’s Disability Services.

As a neurodivergent student, you may not fit the traditional mold of all the things a law student is “supposed to do” in order to be successful. You have been in school for years, and now is the time to trust yourself and not be afraid to be an “outside of the box” law student. There is no harm in trying new study methods, but never fear going back to your personal basics. If you need help figuring those out, see if your law school has a learning center or faculty member that can assist you.

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If the case arises out of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, rules or regulations, or a treaty signed by the U.S., and the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction, then the case must be litigated in federal court.

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Restatement of Contracts 2d

Counter-offers.

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Negligence Defined

Restatement (second) of torts 282.

In the Restatement of this Subject, negligence is conduct which falls below the standard established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm. It does not include conduct recklessly disregardful of an interest of others.

Black’s Law Dictionary (10th ed.2014)

Demurrer: A means of objecting to the sufficiency in law of a pleading by admitting the actual allegations made by disputing that they frame an adequate claim. Demurrer is commonly known as a motion to dismiss.

(2) An offeree’s power of acceptance is terminated by his making a counter-off, unless the offeror has manifested a contrary intention or unless the counter-offer manifests a contrary intention of the offeree.

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Negligence defined

Restatement (second) of torts § 282.

Inside the Black Box

Written Statements: Reflections on Year One

Last August , the J.D. Admissions Office introduced the Statement of Purpose and Statement of Perspective to the world, eager to see how applicants would respond to these new essay prompts. Here is what we learned from our first year with these two Written Statements.

We love our new prompts and enjoy reading two essays from each applicant!

Our revised prompts are more specific and provide applicants with a clearer understanding of what we are looking for them to address in their statements. We had wondered for some time whether the prompts for our past statements (Personal Statement and Optional Statement) were sufficiently clear regarding our expectations. In particular, neither one of our past prompts communicated that we want to know why you want to go to law school, and why law school fits into your career goals. We also realized that the optional nature of the Optional Statement left some applicants uncertain about whether they should submit it, and we recognized this as a missed opportunity for us to learn from the lived experiences of all applicants.

After much thought, we revised our prompts to the following:

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.

We learn so much more about you, and there is value in having every applicant submit two statements. Every student comes to law school with a unique story, and we enjoy reading authentic statements from applicants of all backgrounds. We hope you view these two Written Statements as exciting beginnings to your legal journey. You may even find yourself reflecting on them throughout law school to remind yourself of your motivations for applying.

Get to know the differences between the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective.

We often receive questions like, “How do you distinguish between the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective?” The answer lies in the prompts themselves.

To start, the Statement of Purpose specifically asks applicants to share their professional goals. The purpose of this statement (no pun intended) is to be explicit in your reasoning for applying to law school. This statement should outline your aspirations for obtaining a legal degree and address what you hope to accomplish with it. As a result, it may be more forward-focused. You might not know what kind of lawyer you want to be (or what area of law you want to practice), but you should have a sense of how law school fits into your goals.  

The Statement of Perspective invites us to learn more about you as an individual, including your lived experiences and your community engagement. This statement may be more reflective and highlight your background, past experiences, and interests. If your experiences or background inspired your interest in law school, feel free to include them in your Statement of Purpose as well. Many applicants submitted a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Perspective that drew on a similar topic but from different angles. However, both the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective should still provide new information about you even if these statements discuss similar topics.

Other law schools may also ask you to explain your motivation for applying to law school or to share your background in a personal statement. You can use an essay written for another school for our application—just ensure that your submissions for the Statement of Purpose and the Statement of Perspective respond to our specific prompts.

Approaching both prompts with self-curiosity and introspection can be a helpful starting point for deciding which stories and aspirations you wish to share with us. It is impossible for us to know everything about you as a person in only 1 – 2 pages. Focus on answering the prompts, and know that we look forward to learning even more about you if you end up enrolling at HLS.

There is no one way to write a compelling Statement of Purpose or Statement of Perspective .

There is no secret formula for writing outstanding Written Statements. However, strong Written Statements often share similar qualities. They are well written, polished, and free of grammar or spelling errors. They also directly address the prompt and demonstrate a clear sense of purpose as well as a sense of self. We often get asked how applicants can stand out in the essays, but the content of the statements doesn’t need to be groundbreaking. Each candidate brings something unique to the table, and the Written Statements provide each applicant with an opportunity to express their own interests and perspectives.

Following our guidelines remains important.

We ask for each Written Statement to be one to two pages long, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and a font size that is easy to read. If you are ever unsure, just stick to Times New Roman, 12-point font size, and the standard margins your document editor provides. Attention to detail is important: do not include a “Personal Statement” header on your Statement of Purpose. To stay organized and prevent confusion between different essays, please do the following: (a) include the name of your Written Statement (either “Statement of Perspective” or “Statement of Purpose”) in the left-aligned header, and (b) place your full name in the right-aligned header.

A one-page Statement of Purpose or Statement of Perspective is perfectly acceptable. In fact, for some applicants, a well-crafted one-page essay can be more effective than a two-page statement. We expect all applicants to use at least one full page for each Written Statement. Finally, please submit only two Written Statements; do not include three, four, or more. If you need extra space beyond the application questions and required materials, you may include a brief addendum (typically one or two paragraphs in length) to provide any concise, factual information that would clarify one or more elements of your application.

Need help brainstorming?  Our Written Statements Workshop offers a reflective activity and a set of guiding questions to help you craft effective statements.

Filed in: Inside the Black Box

Contact the J.D. Admissions Office

Website: hls.harvard.edu/jdadmissions

Email: [email protected]

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