Top Law Schools

Hi everyone, I've got a question about a narrative topic - I was considering writing about my experiences with my family's law firm and how they've been formative to me. My family runs a mid-sized law firm (father is founding partner, mother manages) and I've been, for lack of a better word, groomed to eventually take over. Some of my most important experiences place me in a situation where it's completely evident that I'm receiving special opportunities (but not special treatment) because of my parents, and I was wondering if admissions committees tend to look down upon that.

ckeep,

Before addressing your question, I'd like to encourage you, if you have not already done so, to consider whether you genuinely want a career in law or whether it's just what your parents expect of you. It'd be awfully unpleasant to devote the majority of your adult life to a job that you don't like. Not that I'm saying that's the case and I hope you do love the law, but it's a question that's worth serious deliberation.

In general, I think it would be a good idea to write about your experiences with your family's law firm. As a practical matter, depending on the reputation of your parents' firm and its proximity to the law schools you're considering, writing about your connection to the firm could give you a great boost in getting in at the law school. The school will see value in educating and developing a relationship with someone that will very likely be the future head of a sizeable firm in their market. I suppose this may fall under the "special opportunities" category again, but I don't think there's anything unethical about this approach so long as you recognize the opportunities you've been blessed with and try and extend similar opportunities to those who aren't as well connected when you are in a position to do so.

I was wondering about this as well. I do not think adcomms would look down on you for this. If anything, it could be a light boost. It seems likely that law schools will take into account an applicant's employability after graduation. The more graduates with jobs, the better the school looks. Someone from a family of lawyers could reasonbly have better employability and therefore have a slight leg up in admissions. It would not be a huge boost, but every bit counts.

As for your question, I think this topic is very workable. Just make sure you let someone look over it and ask them if it comes across as smug.