How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement

Your personal statement is the flagship example of writing you submit with your law school application.

In applying to a professional school, it is important that your personal statement conveys your professionalism. Lawyers—and law school admissions officers—are sticklers for detail. So invest time in ensuring that your carefully crafted personal essay conforms to the formatting conventions that law schools expect. Admissions officers read thousands of these applications each year, so deviations from the norm will not escape notice. 

These rules have a purpose beyond formalities. Abiding by page limits shows your ability to communicate parsimoniously and use your words efficiently under strict limitations—as you would in a court filing.

This article lays out the most typical formatting requirements, but instructions will sometimes differ from application to application. Be sure to read the individual requirements for each law school you are applying to.

How Should a Law School Personal Statement be Formatted? 

The basic format of a law school personal statement is a double-spaced essay with 1-inch margins. You should use a standard font in size 11 or 12, like Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, or Arial. You can also use standard Google fonts with a similar aesthetic, like Roboto. 

Pick a clear font that doesn't draw attention to itself. This isn’t an application for design school. Show your creativity with the content of your essay, not its appearance.

If you need a bit more space on the page, Times New Roman is the most compact standard font. If you are struggling to fill space, Arial is the least compact. Every line counts! 

In double-spacing your document, be careful to avoid unsightly formatting issues, like the extra spaces between paragraphs that MSWord may add by default. They waste space and look distracting.

[Next Read: How to Show Commitment to Law School, Given Your Background]

What is the Page Length for a Law School Personal Statement?

Most law schools require two pages for personal statements. Some schools will allow you to write three pages. A few schools get a bit crazy and allow four or more pages. 

I recommend first focusing on honing a great two-page personal statement. If you apply to a broad range of schools—I recommend at least a dozen—you will find that most ask for a two-page personal statement. If some of the schools on your list allow three pages, make a longer version. Consider adding in more details, backing up your points with examples, or expanding on your reasons for being interested in the school.

Don’t be afraid to write too much at first. It is common for a first draft to be too long. That is no problem, because the only draft that counts is the final one you submit.

If you find it hard to cut later drafts down to the page limit, your essay may lack focus. Perhaps it includes too many extraneous details that muddy the meaning of your essay. 

Look out for redundancy. Often I find that applicants stuff a lot of fluff into their first and final paragraphs, where language economy matters the most. Also beware of needless modifiers like adjectives and adverbs, and dialogue that could be expressed more efficiently with an indirect quote or summary.

You can also hone in on areas of your essay where you're trying to sound clever instead of communicating important information. Remember that your personal statement isn't your only opportunity to show your brilliance. Your application may include other writing like a diversity statement, optional essay, or addendum. 

Headers and Footers 

Your personal statement needs to include a header that has your name and your LSAC number. This will be crucial for admissions officers to identify your documents if they get mixed up.

You may title your essay "Personal Statement." I would not use a creative title, like “Turning Points” or “Life Lessons,” which can sound hokey.

You might also add page numbers, especially if your document is more than 2 pages long. 

Finally, make sure that you're sending a clean PDF. Clear any tracked changes, edits, or comments that may still linger in the document.

Before submission, print out the document and scrutinize it carefully. You don't want a half-baked idea or a sentence with no end hanging out in the middle of 

…your essay. 

Conclusion: Personal Statement Format As... A Useful Practice?

Formatting your personal statement may seem inconsequential. But getting the small details right is important. Imagine you’re closing a billion-dollar deal or submitting a last-minute petition to a grouchy judge. Lawyers take care in the work we complete, because so much can be hanging in the balance. Good luck!

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