How to make up law personal statement structure?

Law personal Statement – the introduction

This is the first part of your personal statement – you need to make a great first impression! Introductions are all about balance …

• Grab the reader’s attention but avoid cliche’s

• Sound keen but not over the top

• Set up the rest of your statement but don’t give too much away

EXAMPLE

“ Law is my great passion: I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was young. I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to study law at your wonderful institution and I aim, in this statement, to outline my exact suitability for a position in law school”

BREAKDOWN

This statement introduction is cliched, it does not strike the right tone. It is important to sound keen but you don’t want to sound dishonest and so a more moderate tone is appropriate. It is also important not to sound too know-it-all or braggy – present yourself in a good light but be modest (remember you haven’t started studying law properly yet!)

EXAMPLE

“Law balances the tension between a demand for clarity, which requires bright lines, and a need for adaptability to the variety and diversity of social life. This tension intrigues me and I hope, through the study of law, to explore this tension further: questioning its current state and pondering the possibility of future change”

BREAKDOWN

This introduction makes a personal insight and reflection. This is successful as it is likely to be different to the other statements the tutor has read that morning. It also demonstrates this person’s interest in the law, without simply stating it, and shows they have an inquisitive and questioning mind. Further, it sets up a theme which we hope will be carried through in the rest of the statement.

Law personal Statement – work experience

Work experience is a must for a top law personal statement. Start with any relevant legal work experience you have completed but also include any other work experience you have taken part in. It is important to talk about your work experience in the right way, that means …

• Analyze, don’t just describe
  • You need to use your work experience to demonstrate your abilities as a future legal student rather than just describe the activities you took part in. You might also want to show your keen questioning and interested mind by giving some thoughtful reflections on your time in work experience. 

EXAMPLE 

At my work experience with a local law firm I spent time photocopying, filling in legal templates, writing emails and reviewing cases. I was at work experience for two weeks and my hours were 9am to 5pm.

BREAKDOWN

This extract is very poor – it simply states the jobs that the student did at the law firm without analysing the skills involved, reflecting on their feelings or showing that what they learn was new and valuable.

EXAMPLE 

When working with a local law firm, I discovered the need for a lawyer to be both precise and creative. The demands of legal templates, documents and paperwork required the utmost concentration and accuracy, whilst, after reflecting on a client’s case, I was pushed to think creatively and analytically to present a successful recommendation. This multidisciplinary nature of a lawyer’s work is exciting to me, as I feel I am capable, and thrive, in a demanding and varied work environment …

BREAKDOWN

This student get’s across the tasks they completed during law work experience, whilst also making sure to say something about how the tasks made them feel/what they personally noticed. The ability for the student to recognise the variety in the lawyer’s work shows their suitability to an analytical and reflective role.

• Link to skills
  • All kinds of work experience will be well received by universities if you can show them how the work experience developed skills and attributes that are suited to law school. Some skills to think about include …
    • Analysis
    • Debating
    • Writing
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reasoning

Law personal Statement – volunteering

• Volunteering looks great on a law personal statement. It shows that you are committed and that you are charitable and kind. Think carefully about the specific volunteering you completed and ask yourself …
  • Were there any similarities between what I had to do as a volunteer and what I might have to do as a law student?
  • Did I learn any new skills volunteering?
  • Did my volunteering experiences surprise me in any way, how did volunteering make me feel?

EXAMPLE

I worked at a local children’s centre for a month. I would visit the children two times a week helping with their daily activities and supporting them in school. I found the work really fun.

BREAKDOWN

The presence of volunteering in a law personal statement is good, but this student doesn’t really go beyond merely listing where they volunteered and (in scarce detail) the tasks they completed.

EXAMPLE

I enjoyed working at a local children’s centre last month completing meaningful and rewarding work with young children. At first, I was somewhat challenged by the work, which was out of my usual setting and required practical and new solutions. I adapted my communication to suit the children’s individual needs, and found that the children were particularly responsive to play-based communication. This allowed me to engage with them in ways that allowed them to learn in a more meaningful manner.

BREAKDOWN

This student is modest, admitting that the volunteering was at first a challenge, but that they persevered and were very successful in some of their work. This is great, it shows that you are human – and that you are willing to rise up to new challenges. The personal perspective is also great, it makes your statement come to life.

Law personal Statement – motivation for law

• Your law personal statement is your application to a 3 year law degree. 3 years is a long time, you are not going to succeed if you are not truly motivated for law!

• It can be a bit tricky to pinpoint what exactly draws you to law, so here are a few things for you to think about that might lead you towards some answers …
  • How did I come to choosing law
    • Maybe you took it at A-Level or you enjoy its multi-disciplinary nature?
  • After looking at the structure of the course, which topics are you most excited and intrigued by?
  • Am I excited by the actual study of law as well as the prospects of becoming a lawyer?
    • Remember you can become a lawyer without taking a law degree (you can take another degree and convert), so you need to think about why you want to study law as well as why you might choose law as a career path

EXAMPLE

Law has also excited me. I really enjoy the idea of becoming a lawyer, and I know that it is a very prosperous career path. When I was younger I used to compare myself to characters on SUITS, and ever since then i knew I was on the path to become a lawyer.

BREAKDOWN

This student does not give any good reasons for their interest in law, all the tutor has is there word for it! Moreover, the student fails to acknowledge that they are applying to study law, rather than applying to become a lawyer. How would the tutor know that you are ready to study law, and not just attracted to the idea of working in law?

EXAMPLE

I am a student who enjoys the variety of A-levels, particularly, the opportunity to complete work both in rules based quantitive subjects like maths and chemistry, and in opinion based qualitative subjects like Geography and English. My enjoyment of this academic variety drew my interest to law as I understand that it’s multidisciplinary nature offers the opportunity to analyze and apply rules, as well as to write and think creatively.

BREAKDOWN

This student provides a personal opinion as to their motivation for law. It is clear they have thought carefully about what studying law involves, and their motivation to study law is closely tied to the actual nature and skills of a law degree.

Law personal Statement – extra-curricular activities

Extra-curriculars are very important, not only do they show that you are a well-rounded and that you don’t spend all your time studying, they also show that you are ready to try something new and learn out-of-the-classroom skills. When choosing which extra-curricular activities to discuss, consider …

• What things have i tried that pushed me out of my comfort zone

• What extra-curriculars am i particularly passionate about

• What extra-curriculars do I do that demonstrate skills that might be useful as a law student

EXAMPLE

I sometimes attend my local football club and train in football. We play games some weekends and I try my hardest to score a goal..

BREAKDOWN

This extra-curricular is out of place, there is no explanation as to why it makes the student a well-rounded person, or any skills that it brings to the student. 

EXAMPLE

I am a keen sportswoman, regularly playing netball and cricket at the weekends. I enjoy the team based nature of my sports, and I always come off the pitch having learnt something and ready to push forward, with the team, into the next game. The skills I learn on the pitch, I also transfer to my academic work – particularly, the importance of timeliness, high standards of effort and the ability to learn from others.

BREAKDOWN

This extra curricular activity is made relevant to the personal statement because it clearly demonstrates skills which the student’s sport has developed. The student also makes an effort to link their extra-curricular to their academic work showing their ability to learn from other disciplines.

Law personal Statement – academic interests

Law is an academic subject: as a law student you spend lots of time reading writing and analzing. Whilst tutors are not expecting you to have already aced academic reading and writing, it is important to show some interest/attempts at academic reading or writing beyond a school syllabus. A few things you can do to tick this box include …

• Read some law books that are not on a school syllabus

• Read some academic articles/journals

• Enter an academic essay competition

• Complete an EPQ

• Enter an academic debating competition

Make sure to reflect on these experiences – think about what new skills they taught you and provide a personal perspective on your experience.

EXAMPLE

I have completed an EPQ which was on “The law’s role in gender equality”. In the EPQ I researched the role the law plays in gender equality. My score was 34/50.

BREAKDOWN

This student demonstrates some evidence of academic writing, but makes no effort to demonstrate their analysis or reflection skills, nor to sound particularly interested in the work. A tutor reading this would be concerned that the student would not thrive completing similar work as a law student on a law degree.

EXAMPLE

After reading, and being disturbed by, an article on the continued presence of gender inequality in the UK, I decided to write an EPQ on “The law’s role in gender equality”. I explored the extent to which the law can, and should, change behaviour in terms of gender inequality concluding that, whilst only society can harness real change, it is the law’s role to prescribe such behaviour through strict and tangible rules.

BREAKDOWN

This student sounds like they have a genuine interest in their academic writing. Moreover, they show their abilities to analyze and come to interesting conclusions by reflecting and commenting on their writing and summarizing their arguments.

Law personal Statement – the conclusion

Your final statements should be meaningful and honest. You might want to summarize your passion for the subject, or conclude with a personal reflection on your experiences and your own impression of what studying law might be like.