Please select from the following common law school topics:

• Why Law? 

• How Am I Qualified?

• How Am I Unique?

• Issue-Based Essays

Note: The below passages were not edited by EssayEdge Editors. They appear as they were initially reviewed by admissions officers.

Why Law?

When you don't have interesting, fresh ideas to offer about the legal profession or the study of law, you are better off emphasizing your unique strengths rather than stating platitudes about your future career. In the tired eyes of an admissions officer, nothing is more tedious than an essay that starts off, "I have always wanted to be a lawyer," and then cites a list of trite reasons. One obvious mistake is to focus on your parents' experiences as lawyers without demonstrating any independent, mature thinking about your own goals.

A less obvious, more common mistake is to write about how you want to help people. The fact is that most law school graduates, especially from the top schools, go on to work in the private sector. Law school admissions officers are not out to judge the moral value of your career intentions, particularly because they know that people often change their minds. They're well aware that most of their graduates will go on to seek financially rewarding careers. Therefore, applicants who mention clichés about wanting to "improve society" usually sound disingenuous.

Focusing on Specific Legal Areas

If you have a specific goal, such as working for a particular disadvantaged group that lacks advocates, then the situation is different: It's always good to showcase a unique, focused commitment. It would be even better if you had a track record of community service to back up your objectives. For example, perhaps you worked with handicapped people for several years, and this exposed you to certain injustices that you want to correct. The same approach would work for topics that are not about public service.

Personal Interests

Discussing specific areas of law is a surefire way to demonstrate a mature commitment to the study of law. However, admissions officers certainly do not expect this level of decisiveness. You might also show your reasons for pursuing law by tying your interest to personal qualities or skills.

Brushes With the Law

Some people will discover their interest in law through an unplanned encounter. Perhaps you've been involved in an Equal Employment Opportunity suit, or maybe you've had friends in trouble with the law. In any event, unique stories like these serve to set you apart from the crowd, as well as to demonstrate the origin of your aspiration to a career in law.

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How Am I Qualified?

Unlike medical schools, which want to assess specific personal qualities in their applicants, law schools use academic achievement as the primary criterion in evaluating your ability to succeed in law. Thus, you need not be concerned if nothing in your essay directly addresses the issue of why you're qualified for a legal career. However, if you have substantive points to make within this area, you can certainly help your case.

When Goals and Qualifications Intersect

It's most essential to discuss your background and qualifications when these overlap with your current goals. If you've had experience working on a certain issue and plan to continue doing so as a lawyer, you should certainly include the details in your essay.  For example, one applicant discussed her interest in international law, tying this interest to several aspects of her background, from her multicultural upbringing to her global work experiences. Her commitment seemed very focused, because she links her goals and qualifications to specific programs that the law school in question offers.

Experiences in Law

Applicants who have worked in firms or other legal offices may want to describe their experiences to demonstrate their relevant abilities. This applicant describes her duties as a paralegal/legal secretary:

"I have done research and court filings, interviewed clients, sat in on depositions, and had the opportunity to become familiar with a wide range of legal documents and procedures. It is work that I love, even on the frequent occasions when it is tedious, frustrating, and anything but glamorous. I like trying to fit together pieces of a puzzle, doing the necessary analysis, facing the challenge that any case poses. I thrive on feeling productive. I find great pleasure in arguing a point, whether verbally or in writing, and am quite adept at doing this."

Note that she cites specific work in which she has been involved, while offering insight into both her skills and interests.

As always, the details you provide will make or break your discussion. But the strength of an Experiences in Law essay depends more than usual on the originality of your experience. The fact is that many people will have similar experiences and even perform the same level of duties. While such an essay can establish your competence, it will be unlikely to make you stand out. Less conventional experiences, however, are certainly worth highlighting. One successful applicant, for example, described his judicial role within an academic community. In discussing both his hands-on work and the philosophical concerns that he had explored, he revealed a perspective that is original and relevant.

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How Am I Unique?

After weighing academic performance, law schools are most interested in assembling a class of interesting people. In this sense, their criteria are broader than those used by business or medical schools, whose applicants face more clearly defined expectations. Unfortunately, law school applicants often find this freedom intimidating rather than encouraging.

Too often writers resort to a safe route, and it should be obvious why such an approach would prevent them from achieving the goal of uniqueness. The topic itself need not be revolutionary. Rather, the key to this and all other types of essays is simply to be specific and personal. Don't be afraid to give your readers a glimpse of who you really are.

This applicant describes his upbringing in the inner city as a way to offer insight into his current maturity: "I have a 19-year-old cousin who is an incarcerated gang member and an older cousin who has his own law firm. I know how to relate to and communicate with many different types of people, and I am interested not only in the possibility of pro bono work in my old neighborhood but also in legally serving a full spectrum of clients."  He does not use his disadvantaged background as an excuse for anything, nor does he overstate its significance. Rather, he portrays his past honestly to show how it shaped his character and determination.

This applicant offers an in-depth account of a boot-camp experience: "I entered boot camp on June 18, 1989. That day, the Indian child who had chased cows and the American youth who had philosophized about physics died. It is written in the Bhagavad-Gita that in death, the body's attachment to materialism falls away from the soul like a worn garment. So did my delusions of grandeur slip from me." Note how his focus on a single experience can nevertheless convey a great deal about his character, because he has the space to offer concrete details. Depth is almost always preferable to breadth.

Finally, this applicant achieves uniqueness through his writing style. What makes the essay effective is not the specific topics with which he engages the reader, but the playful and inventive thought process he demonstrates: "This personal statement has been looming over me throughout this application process. I find myself unable to overcome the seeming impossibility of this exercise. How can I convey enough of myself in two pages? I act. I sing in the shower. I occasionally reread the collection of comic books I amassed during high school. I enjoy helping people, but I do it for myself. Lately I’ve been dressing a little sharper. I play hockey whenever I can. And I question everything, often in the hopes of effecting a change."

The above examples are meant to show you the boundless ways in which you can offer a unique portrait. It's not necessary to have come from a very diverse background or accomplished something extraordinary. These essays are effective because they offer honest portrayals and are grounded in specific, personal details. Law, although mentioned, is not the focus of any of these essays. In your own essay, you should stay focused on the topic you choose and explore it fully, making a connection back to law only if that seems natural.

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Issue-Based Essays

An issue-based essay can be an effective way to show the reader how you think. Your focus will be on an external issue rather than a personal quality or experience. Nevertheless, your goal should still be to reveal insight into your character, and the more you can tie the issue to personal experience, the better.

Your purpose here is similar to an Specific Legal Areas essay, except that the issue need not be fundamentally related to law. Also, in an issue-based essay, you may spend more time engaging with the issue apart from your personal experience, thereby showing your reasoning skills at work.

This successful applicant focuses on her interests and goals in Third World development. To provide evidence of her personal engagement with this issue, she discusses her academic studies of Latin America, as well as her travel and exploration. With statements like the following, she shows the level of thought she has invested in the issue: 

"While working at the United Nations, I came to appreciate the importance of mutual respect within the context of multinational interaction; a country's dignity must not be overlooked. Keeping this in mind, I believe we must approach Latin American issues with a better understanding of Latin American perspectives." 

Finally, the discussion culminates in a statement of how her legal education will provide her with the tools she needs to continue her engagement: 

"I hope to use my legal education in conjunction with my interest in third world development to enhance Latin America's position in the world economic structure. Whether my future includes negotiating international trade agreements, challenging immigration legislation, or providing legal assistance to the Hispanic community, I look forward to being an advocate for 'el pueblo'—the people."

This applicant tackles the issue of discrimination, but again with a personal perspective. He describes stereotypes he has personally faced as an Asian-American. He then extrapolates to the bigger picture with the following:

"During the course of my studies, I became fascinated by the two perspectives on overcoming discrimination against African-Americans that emerged in the early twentieth century. One proponent, W.E.B. Du Bois, advocated civil rights with a strong political voice; another, Booker T. Washington, advocated earning respect through hard work and results. I firmly believe that Du Bois and Washington's ideas provide a good foundation for Asian-Americans in realizing our desire to overcome discrimination."

He goes on to discuss both his ideas in further detail and examples of work he has already done. The connection to law is natural and forceful: 

"As a student at the University of Virginia Law School, I will continue to refine the knowledge and skills I need to work effectively on advancing social and political welfare issues on behalf of Asian-Americans and society at large."

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