Public Interest Law PS Forum

[clevermoose]

Hey all. I love this site and visit it frequently throughout each day. If anyone else would like help on their PS, please let me know. I'd love to contribute. Would you please read my PS and critique it? It is a very, very rough draft. I know that the resources on this site are invaluable and I appreciate all of your time.

Personal Statement

The United States legal system can sometimes prove to be a vicious cycle for the underprivileged. After corresponding with hundreds of prisoners at the National Prison Project in Washington, DC, I discovered that there are numerous challenges that must be overcome in order to present a strong defense case. Whether those challenges are regarding their command of the English language or lack of funds for legal resources, such problems inhibited the prisoners from effectively presenting the accurate facts of their case. That is why I believe programs like the National Prison Project of the ACLU or the Community Legal Information Center are important. The indigent and uneducated deserve the strongest representation possible, but it seems to me that that is not always the case. I want to dedicate my professional career to changing that trend.

As a student that funds his education through financial aid and scholarships, I understand the value of programs that helps those with need improve their lives. If it were not for the assistance of altruistic foundations, awards, or government programs, it would be incredibly difficult for me to obtain such a high quality education. I have much for which to be grateful because most of my education was achieved as a result of programs that help people in difficult life situations. In my case, I was helped because of my financial difficulties.

My exposure to the legal field must largely be credited to programs created by the University of . For example, while participating in the (My university) Outreach Program, I was exposed to a variety of law school elements. I met with lawyers, judges, and law school professors to discover what kinds of law would best suit me. What most caught my interest was the value of public service clinics that allow students to get firsthand experience for the field which they find most interesting or important. This aspect of law school is incredibly exciting for me and I am eager to find a law school that encourages its students to participate in public interest related work, for I flourish in an academic setting that presents information that has real world applications.

Law school is also exciting for me because of the prospect of working and studying with a smaller group of students. At University of , classes are incredibly large and the professors were burdened with the obligation of corresponding with many students from various classes. I look forward to professors in law school to be more accessible and to have more practical knowledge of the subject that is being taught. When daydreaming about law school, I often fantasize of working closely with professors and advisors on important legal matters, especially those that benefit the indigent or uneducated.

Throughout my educational experience, I have sought out several internships in my own community and also abroad that focus on helping people receive the aid they need, whether it be with language acquisition, legal information, or even grant funding for special legal projects. While participating in these altruistic programs, I learned that one must have a strong devotion to their chosen field. Complementing this devotion, it is also necessary to have a consistent internal motivation to work on a strict schedule with a diligent attention to detail. In order for an organization to operate effectively, its members must be devoted to their cause and also work systematically. I believe that these are qualifications that I would espouse when attending law school and eventually working as an attorney in a public service field.

Legal knowledge is powerful and can affect the lives of many. To have a client entrust his or her case to you seems to be an incredible responsibility. After working under supervising attorneys, I am undeterred by this responsibility. This is because I believe that passion in one’s chosen field is the most important. Passion, paired with ability and preparation, has the potential to produce positive change.

I have come to understand that law school will be very different from other forms of education. A successful law student will need to work and study independently, have excellent research skills, and have an ability to read dense and difficult texts. Additionally, I recognize that law school requires much more preparation and diligence than most undergraduate classes. In law school, both in academic and clinical settings, I plan to devote all of my strength to preparation for working as an attorney in public service. I plan to do this work because it is important and there are many that need my help. My passion and high expectations will provide me strength to flourish in a setting that is both demanding and stimulating. I look forward to the challenge.

[madcherrylimas]

I think you have a good list of ideas you can start working with. I think the biggest problem with your statement is that it doesn't say much that's concrete and wouldn't already be elsewhere in your application, and I think the old English class adage of "show not tell" would be more convincing and more powerful than statements like:

Legal knowledge is powerful and can affect the lives of many. To have a client entrust his or her case to you seems to be an incredible responsibility. After working under supervising attorneys, I am undeterred by this responsibility. This is because I believe that passion in one’s chosen field is the most important. Passion, paired with ability and preparation, has the potential to produce positive change.

This aspect of law school is incredibly exciting for me and I am eager to find a law school that encourages its students to participate in public interest related work, for I flourish in an academic setting that presents information that has real world applications.

-I think you should now glean through your experience to find an example(s) of this - something more vivid, which gives an example of your qualities (as evidence of them, rather than you listing them) and of your motivation for law school and then try again..

[hobbsey]

There are some issues with content here that I would take a look at. It seems really hard like you’re trying to explain how you already know everything about law school and the legal representation of the poor, and I think that this statement could benefit from a more open-minded approach. It’s nice to have goals and passions, but fantasizing exactly how you’re planning to interact with the faculty is too type A. Even the repeated use of the word “indigent” sounds too legalese. I think if you could show a bit how you plan to grow and learn would make your statement more appealing.

There are also some grammar issues, but it’s a rough rough draft so there’s no reason to pick that apart. One sentence that stuck out was “Passion, paired with ability and preparation, has the potential to produce positive change.” I have no idea if the alliteration was intentional but it made me lol. Also you might want to describe your work experience a bit better. Just tossing in stuff sounds too resume-ish. For example, expanding on your letter writing to prisoners: hundreds of prisoners is a lot! Was this a volunteer position, what was the goal of the organization, did you have a leadership role, was there a paticular story that moved you? Hope that helps!

[clevermoose]

great responses! thank you very much. i will edit my paper accordingly.

[CanadianWolf]

This is a good working draft of a law school application personal statement because it is written in a clear style that shares your experiences that motivate you to attend law school & to practice in a particular area of law.

[Scott4LLM]

Indeed it is written in a clear, likable style (exception: "I have much for which to be grateful" please change to "much to appreciate"). But it seems rather boilerplate. Its very easy to skim through, both because it's well written and also completely familiar and predictable.

Technically, you have shown that the legal system is vicious, but not a "vicious cycle" (i.e., I don't see a negative feedback loop). Wouldn't matter so much except that, as it stands now, it is the first sentence.