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i dont even know where to begin. ive basically always had an interest in being a lawyer but i never thought id ever be in position to go to law school. i decided id just stick to business and i majored in finance. when i was beginning my junior year in the business college the financial crisis began. i was completely turned off from finance, but didn't want to mess with my major. i had hoped as i finished and took my capstone class my attitude would change. it never did. now ive got a business degree and majored in an area i have no desire to be a part of. i basically think finance is a sham and they are pretty much all overconfident douchebags.
now i realize im in position to apply to law school. my gpa wasnt terrible but it wasnt great (3.49). i know ill have to really focus on the lsat though.
i have an interest in family law as im in the middle of helping my girlfriend through a custody battle over their 2 year old son with her ex husband. every 24-48hrs this kid is either with her, his father, his fathers mother, his mothers mother, me, or daycare and its going to destroy him. the schedule is never the same because they both work irregular schedules. watching this really has made me want to get into family law because i know there are worse situations than this one out there.
i havent done anything to show that law has always been of interest to me because like i said i never thought id be in position to go to school. my undergrad is finance. how do i come off in a personal statement showing my desire for family law? i feel like the only thing that would make sense is if i said i wanted to get into securities law to help tackle the problems in the industry. truthfully, that may be interesting but i havent had any exposure to it to find out of id want to go that direction.
it has to be true that many people that go to law school havent had a burning fire within them for the last 10 years of their life to change the world through law somehow. im sure many people dont find out exactly what area of law is of most interest to them until they finish their first year. so how do i write a compelling statement if im not 100% set on one area and havent spent my last few years supporting a claim of what i want to get into? do i write some bogus statement about securities law? even if i did, the only thing that developed my interest was the financial collapse and the emergence of trash in the financial world. how is that any good?
every statement i read is about a sob story. someones parents had cancer or they were abused and ever since the incident theyve wanted to change the world. thats not me. thoughts? comments?

Don't feel obligated to address the "Why Law" question. It is not necessary. Now if you have a strong desire to pursue a thread in the law (family, securities, etc) then just write the truth. Adcomms know you want to go to LS by virtue of you applying.

I think the only question that must be answered in a PS is "Why will you be a successful law school student?"

Just think about any accomplishments or activities that you're particularly proud of and write about that. This is your opportunity to branch out beyond your numbers and resume to highlight your abilities.

hmmok wrote:i dont even know where to begin. ive basically always had an interest in being a lawyer but i never thought id ever be in position to go to law school. i decided id just stick to business and i majored in finance. when i was beginning my junior year in the business college the financial crisis began. i was completely turned off from finance, but didn't want to mess with my major. i had hoped as i finished and took my capstone class my attitude would change. it never did. now ive got a business degree and majored in an area i have no desire to be a part of. i basically think finance is a sham and they are pretty much all overconfident douchebags.
now i realize im in position to apply to law school. my gpa wasnt terrible but it wasnt great (3.49). i know ill have to really focus on the lsat though.
i have an interest in family law as im in the middle of helping my girlfriend through a custody battle over their 2 year old son with her ex husband. every 24-48hrs this kid is either with her, his father, his fathers mother, his mothers mother, me, or daycare and its going to destroy him. the schedule is never the same because they both work irregular schedules. watching this really has made me want to get into family law because i know there are worse situations than this one out there.
i havent done anything to show that law has always been of interest to me because like i said i never thought id be in position to go to school. my undergrad is finance. how do i come off in a personal statement showing my desire for family law? i feel like the only thing that would make sense is if i said i wanted to get into securities law to help tackle the problems in the industry. truthfully, that may be interesting but i havent had any exposure to it to find out of id want to go that direction.
it has to be true that many people that go to law school havent had a burning fire within them for the last 10 years of their life to change the world through law somehow. im sure many people dont find out exactly what area of law is of most interest to them until they finish their first year. so how do i write a compelling statement if im not 100% set on one area and havent spent my last few years supporting a claim of what i want to get into? do i write some bogus statement about securities law? even if i did, the only thing that developed my interest was the financial collapse and the emergence of trash in the financial world. how is that any good?
every statement i read is about a sob story. someones parents had cancer or they were abused and ever since the incident theyve wanted to change the world. thats not me. thoughts? comments?

Not to rain on your parade, but I think you are giving lawyers a bit too much credit if you think working in the legal field will be a step up from business. You'll quickly find that all areas of the law are filled with "douchebags" that will do whatever it takes to win regardless of how morally correct the action is... Yes you can find some that play by the rules and do nothing they wouldn't be willing to stand up and describe to their church group, but those aren't the norm and they certainly don't become the most successful.

To put it in context with what you describe with your girlfriend... would you rather use one of those upstanding lawyers that plays by the rules or would you rather use a slime ball that will use every dirty trick to win.... remember the outcome is going to be the future of those kids. Most people that have any understanding of how the system works will use the slime ball, because your kids are too important to sacrifice because of some moral high ground.

So think carefully about what you are willing to do.... You can be a straight arrow and make a deceit living much easier in business than you can in the law.