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I just wanted to share a line of thinking that I am considering as the core concept for my PS:

I have been working the last 4 years as a manager in compliance in the banking industry. I make sure we are complying with relevant laws and regulations, write policies and procedures, review legal documents such as trusts and PoAs, etc. In a lot of ways my work parallels work that of administrative and regulatory attorneys, and I regularly deal with out of house lawyers when an issue is too complex for me to handle. While working in compliance I have seen firsthand the power of the law in protecting consumers from predatory actions by banks, and I have also seen firsthand the predatory actions by lawyers trying to farm small businesses for settlement money. I want to get a law degree so that I can practice in regulatory/administrative law to help people, businesses, NGOs, or the government navigate the complexities of compliance whether it is in banking, environmental, intellectual property, taxation, etc. The next logical step for me in my career field is to get a law degree.

Would a personal statement about my career experiences and how they have led up to my desire to pursue law be worth writing about? Or would that come across as too much of a recitation of my resume? Since I'm non-traditional it seems that using my intervening years as a basis for my PS would be a smart move, but I want to make sure I'm going about it the right way. Thanks for the advice!

Do you have one or two impactful experiences? This doesn’t sound like it’s saying much about you. It’s talking about your job.

That's a few experiences that stick out with the job:
1.) I have led projects implementing new work processes and policies due to changes in regulatory frameworks, maybe I should focus on one of those projects?
2.) My first industry compliance conference where you really dig into the law/regs was memorable. Training is conducted by lawyers and I was deeply impressed with their knowledge and it was my eye opening moment that there is more to the legal profession than Law and Order type attorneys. That behind the government is an army of administrative and regulatory legal professionals working to implement and comply with the law.
3.)...well honestly my job isn't that sexy, so even though my job highlights skills I have developed like leadership, project management, communication, critical reading and writing, there isn't a particularly exciting "hook" to the story.


Outside of my job:
1.) Treasurer on the board of a 501(c)
2.) Published a local history book (it's an interesting story, but not really tied to my desire to practice law but I would like to work it in)
3.) Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, I like to volunteer in nature, go camping, hiking, also volunteered for an animal rehab clinic


So how do I combine my book publishing, my compliance experiences, and my love for nature into a coherent narrative that explains why I'm a good candidate for law school, (ideally environmental law)? That seems to be my challenge.

Hey there. I don't know about other folks around here, but my sense is always to avoid using your PS to write about something adcoms can already read about from your resume unless there is a stand-out experience during your job that a) speaks to your character, ambition, personality b) isn't clear from the section in your resume. My impression is that this really is a personal statement - I don't even think an explicit link to law school and legal career is necessary.

I really like that you're a published author and the volunteer work angle is interesting (notwithstanding what I said earlier, but the environmental law interest works) - they say something about YOU. Finally, I would seriously caution against cramming so much into the statement. Focus on one issue/experience/accomplishment and use it to show them who you are.

Hope this helps!

Hordfest wrote:That's a few experiences that stick out with the job:
1.) I have led projects implementing new work processes and policies due to changes in regulatory frameworks, maybe I should focus on one of those projects?
2.) My first industry compliance conference where you really dig into the law/regs was memorable. Training is conducted by lawyers and I was deeply impressed with their knowledge and it was my eye opening moment that there is more to the legal profession than Law and Order type attorneys. That behind the government is an army of administrative and regulatory legal professionals working to implement and comply with the law.
3.)...well honestly my job isn't that sexy, so even though my job highlights skills I have developed like leadership, project management, communication, critical reading and writing, there isn't a particularly exciting "hook" to the story.


Outside of my job:
1.) Treasurer on the board of a 501(c)
2.) Published a local history book (it's an interesting story, but not really tied to my desire to practice law but I would like to work it in)
3.) Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, I like to volunteer in nature, go camping, hiking, also volunteered for an animal rehab clinic


So how do I combine my book publishing, my compliance experiences, and my love for nature into a coherent narrative that explains why I'm a good candidate for law school, (ideally environmental law)? That seems to be my challenge.