Choosing an Area of Law as a Specialty

You've probably heard (or read) my speech about not "picking a major" when applying to law school unless you can really, really, really back it up.

Anna Ivey's recent post about the downside of choosing International Law as an area of specialization when applying to law school is extremely relevant and I hope you'll find it helpful (although I'm sure a portion of my audience will find it discouraging).

I do agree with Anna on this point: most people applying to law school really have no idea what being a lawyer is really all about. I think that Anna has a great idea - if you're interested primarily in a specific area of law, you should try out that area as your profession before trying out the law part. (For example, try out the Entertainment Industry before trying out the Entertainment Law Industry).

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Concluding a Personal Statement

Most of my law school admission consulting clients struggle to state the reasons why they are applying to a certain law school. I want to offer some hints and tricks in this regard:

1. Do I have to say why I want to go to Law School X?
No. You don't. Unless X Law School asks you to, and then - yes - you do.
And if they offer this as an optional essay topic, and you don't do it, then - yes- I think (as a former director of admissions) that you're being lazy.

2. Is there some advantage to saying why I want to go to Law School X?
Yes. If you can convince them, they'll be more likely to admit you rather than wait list you and make you prove you deserve a coveted admission letter that they'll then have to report for rankings purposes.

3. So, what can I possibly say?
It's true - sometimes law schools just don't seem to be that different from one another, especially when they are ranked similarly.

Here are some tips:
a. Don't say you love their Environmental Law program if nothing in your application supports your interest in Environmental Law.
b. Don't pick a study abroad program as your reason; you can do any ABA school's study abroad summer program and transfer the credits (generally).
c. Don't list reasons that could be applied to any law school equally like 'esteemed faculty' or 'national reputation' or 'bar passage rate.' Be specific.
d. If you're applying part time, tell them why. Otherwise they'll think you're just using the part time program to be admitted through the "back door."

Good luck, and I hope I've inspired you to do a little more research and critical thinking about why you're choosing each law school on your list.

The Best Personal Statement Samples

BU has posted some amazing personal statement samples. They are the best I've seen on the Internet. So, this is for all of you who love to beg me for examples of law school personal statements.

Law School Personal Statement Tips

One of my law school admission consulting clients sent me an email this morning with 6 key questions about law school personal statements. The questions were so good (and so common) that I wanted to share my responses with all of my pre-law readers.

1. What does a personal statement do/ what does it add to the application/ what is its function?

If someone with your numbers has a possibility of being admitted to a particular school, but not everyone with your numbers is admitted to that school, then the major deciding factor is the personal statement. It's your chance to become more than a list of your accomplishments, more than your transcripts, more than your LSAT score. This is your chance to be personable, likable, impressive (without being arrogant) and to generally give the impression that you'd be a great asset to their school and alumni base.

2. What to you makes a statement stand out? What are the components of a great personal statement?

There are certain things a law school wants to be assured of - maturity despite youth, commitment to the study of law despite lacking a specific career aspiration, ability to succeed in a rigorous environment, independent thinking skills, feeling a duty greater than simple self-interest. A good personal statement uses none of these phrases, but tells a story that convinces the reader to come to the conclusion(s) on his/her own.

A good personal statement is interesting to read, without needing to rely on shock value. It has a conversational rather than academic tone. It's not there to show how many big words you know. Lawyers need to write like real people - clear sentences. Start now.

4. What made you groan when working in admissions? What were common mistakes people made?

I would groan, roll my eyes, and write sarcastic comments on personal statements hinting of the following:

Arrogance/Elitism. A purported drive to serve others and to heal the world and be a public interest lawyer when there's little community service in the person's background to back it up. Repeating a resume. Listing every internship and position ever held. Providing lots of conclusions with few facts to back them up. (For example, "My strong work ethic......" and then not really showing anything remarkable about your work ethic). Not being specific enough - talking around issues ("I had a rough time but overcame obstacles" without giving details about the obstacles so that the reader can evaluate for him/herself whether the feat was impressive).

For common mistakes made by law school applicants in their personal statements, see this post I wrote about 6 Mistakes People Make in Law School Personal Statements.

5. What, if any, subjects or themes should be avoided, either because they are cliche/common/inappropriate?

Some topics that have become trite and overused include the injured athlete story, the study abroad story, and a personal statement based on a current historical event. See this post about Current Events as Law School Personal Statement Topic.

I think there is a misconception that personal statements must be about overcoming paralysis or poverty. You don't have to apologize for having a privileged life - just show what does make you remarkable. I also think a lot of people remember their clever undergraduate essay about contemplating the lumps of peanut butter as they spread across the bread and think they should repeat that (please don't - remember, we're going for maturity here).

Generally, I urge people to stay away from high school unless there's a really good reason to talk about it. (Again, maturity). I also urge people to stay away from anything that will make them appear to be high maintenance or complainers in general. Law school faculty and staff won't want to touch you with a ten foot pole.

6. Is it better to think of the personal statement as telling a short story that has broader implications/ says things about me as a person, or should I think of it as a theme through which I can incorporate many components/stories etc.

Tell the right story for you and the theme will be apparent. You're marketing yourself, not a theme.

For another great resource about law school personal statement tips, see Law School Personal Statement Tips.

[By the way, I'd like to note that the client who sent me this e-mail does not have to worry about any of these common mistakes and is not in danger of annoying any law school admission committee member. It just goes to show that the wrong people are always asking these questions, and the people who should be worried about making these grave errors usually fail to recognize these traits in themselves.]

Six Mistakes People Make in Law School Personal Statements

Here are Today's 5 Words & Phrases that make me Cringe in Personal Statements:

1. "Worldview"(I'm not convinced this is really a word.)

2. "Personally..." (It's a personal statement - of course everything you say is your own personal opinion. If it's not, you're doing something wrong.)

3. "In Conclusion...." (Blech! Just conclude; Don't announce that you're concluding.)

4. "I believe" (It doesn't matter what you believe about your ability to succeed in law school or what you believe is important in your application - the fact that you believe it is immaterial. Just state the facts so that the reader's independently-arrived at conclusion is that he or she believes whatever you're trying to prove.)

5. "Unique" (Very few things in this world are "unique", especially the use of the word 'unique'.)

6. "Firsthand Experience" (What is a second hand experience and why would anyone write about it? Of course your experiences are "firsthand"....Again, I'm not convinced this should really be a word.)

P.S. This list is not all-inclusive. As I read more personal statement drafts this fall, I promise to post additional tips on the subject of personal statement.

How NOT to pick a law school

If you've been reading my blog and/or participating in my recent webinars, you know how I feel about U.S. News and World Report's ranking system and the extent to which it should be taken into account when picking a law school. You also know that the most important thing in choosing a law school is geographic location.
So what is not important to consider in picking a law school? Study Abroad Programs. These programs are marketed to you as potential students - "Come to X Law School and spend your summer in __(Country)___." The little known secret is this: As long as you attend an ABA law school, you can pretty much participate in any other school's summer abroad program. You don't have to go to U. of Miami to go to London - anyone can go.
This is also good to remember when you're making your personal statement relevant for each law school and trying to convince the admission committee how much you want to attend that particular school; a study abroad program is an unconvincing argument.

Current Events as Personal Statement Topics

Happy 4th of July! This is a great day to talk about current events, but that doesn't make it a great day to write about current events in your personal statement for law school.

As Director of Admissions at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in fall 2001, I must've read hundreds of September 11th essays. I think only one of them was by someone who was actually at ground zero that day.

A few people this year have asked if they should write about how the Virginia Tech massacre impacted their decision to go to law school; the only person who has asked me this question who should consider writing about it is the client who actually attended Virginia Tech this year.

Why is this? Because, above all else, your personal statement must be PERSONAL. You must pick a topic that demonstrates your own growth, maturity, professionalism, background and experiences. Sentiment toward a headline makes you human, but make sure you tell your own story and not someone else's if you want a law school personal statement that works to your advantage.

Have a wonderful 4th of July.