How to Show Commitment to Law School (Even If You Took the Long Path to Get There)
Competitive law schools are wary of students that view law school as a fallback option, a feather in their cap, or a prolonged adolescence. They want highly motivated applicants determined to put in the work needed to succeed in the field of law.
Law schools value motivated law students because they are more likely to do well academically and professionally. Students who feel good about their law school experience strengthen the campus community and are more likely to graduate into engaged and generous alumni who boost the reputation and ranking of their law school.
Of course, law schools understand that law students’ career path can evolve and change shape as they explore the wide range of legal fields through classes and internships, career services offices, events and extracurricular activities. But it’s important for applicants to use their essays to show why they are pursuing law and clarify specific goals for their career after law school.
Whether you are looking for a new career after a previous misstep, are coming from an unconventional background, or are simply an older applicant looking for a second career, here are tips for how to best communicate your commitment to law schools.
Describing Your Path to a Legal Career
The best explanation for wanting to attend law school is unlikely to be a complete chronicle of your life thus far. Instead, connect the dots between your background, law school, and future career goals. Emphasize how law school will build upon your past experiences to enable you to succeed in your chosen field.
Show that you see law school as necessary to your goals, not simply a mark of prestige. This will send a clear message to law school admissions officers that you have thought through your decision to attend law school and have the motivation to stay committed when the going gets tough. Your passion will come through naturally when you talk of activities, classes, jobs, or circumstances that led you to law school.
Don’t limit your personal statement to communicating why you are applying to law school. Demonstrate how your past experiences set you up for success in law school, rather than detail every reason why you think you’ll love law school.
Avoid underlining your motivation with notions that you were “born” to practice law. You may have spent your childhood arguing over everything. You may love watching legal dramas. You may have always wanted to be a lawyer. Even if true, these details make your impression of law sound cartoonish, shallow, and cliche. Too many applicants who smugly consider themselves natural-born lawyers react poorly when they see the messy realities of legal practice.
Explaining a Career Shift
Career shifters should explain their change with factors that a law school education can reasonably address, like wanting to support a family, work on systemic changes, or serve clients with impact. The older an applicant is, however, the more important it is to avoid looking like a chronic career changer with unrealistic expectations about a legal career.
Few applicants take a straight path to law school, so don’t dwell on past missteps. Focus on how your past experiences will compliment your legal degree, rather than sounding overly apologetic or defensive about past career changes. For instance, a teacher might write about how her experience in the classroom provided crucial insights into the nuances of social reforms and the motivation to change public education at a systemic level. This is a more thoughtful approach than an explanation of how teaching in an under-resourced public school led to burn-out, prompting a career change.
Finally, don’t waste valuable space talking about who you are not, rather than who you are. Write, instead, with confidence, that your leap to a legal career makes sense.
For Law School Applicants With Unconventional Backgrounds
One of my clients was a professional dancer, which may sound wholly unrelated to law. However, as we discussed her work it became clear how many legal skills it required: performance under pressure, self-motivation and self-discipline, and collaboration with others. Applicants from unconventional backgrounds should emphasize law-related strengths and skills like those on their personal statement and resume, in place of achievements that are no longer relevant or involve jargon illegible to general readers.
When possible, emphasize experiences that required skills like writing, analytic thinking, and research. Encourage the writers of your recommendation letters to give examples of times you demonstrated these same skills, if they can speak knowledgeably about them.
[Next Read: How to Format Your Law School Personal Statement]
For Older Law School Applicants
Applicants at any age can show their commitment to a legal career. The wider the range of perspectives and life experiences represented in a classroom, the more all students benefit. Just imagine how a classroom of students diverse in life experience would enrich discussion of a contentious social issue. That’s one reason many law schools appreciate applicants from public service backgrounds, education, finance, and even unconventional careers like the arts.
Indeed, roughly 20% of law school applicants are 30 or older. Older law graduates can draw upon both their legal education and their own preexisting skills and experiences to build fulfilling, second careers. Many law schools now have associations of Older, Wiser Law Students (OWLS) for commiseration, sharing advice, and socializing.
Older applicants should start early, because it may be hard for them to track down old professors and transcripts. Law schools typically require applicants to submit at least one letter of recommendation from a professor along with all their academic records. Fortunately, professors are used to such requests, but it’s a good idea to give professors ample notice and provide them with helpful context like grades, comments, and examples of high performance in class.
Even if you’re many years removed from college, there are ways to demonstrate your academic capabilities. I’d recommend highlighting recent examples of analytical and research skills. You might even consider taking a law-related course at a local college.
Older applicants should feel undaunted, even if they took a meandering path to law school. The increased number of connections and resources, greater life experience, and higher clarity of purpose can be valuable to those pursuing a legal career later in life. For example, I once met a retired woman in Alaska who worked as a cook to save money for law school. While working on the North Slope oil fields, she grew close to the Alaska Native communities. She decided to spend her twilight years aiding them. Her plan was far from easy, but I doubt she felt too old for the challenge considering the life she had lived.
For Law School Applicants Seeking a Second Chance
Law students of any age who are seeking a second chance after overcoming hardships are valued members of the community. Those who have faced incarceration, overcome addiction, escaped a desperate situation, or lived with a disability may have more direct experience with the legal system and other institutions than traditional applicants. Such applicants can use a thoughtful, reflective personal statement, diversity statement and addendum to provide context for their life circumstances. They should make the case that their past challenges uniquely informed their career goals and readiness for the rigors of law school.
Such applicants should be assertive, not defensive. An applicant is not on trial or on the witness stand, and no one is questioning you or your life choices. The admissions officer will be eager to hear you explain your interest in law school and the experiences that shaped you, especially if your story is refreshing and authentic.
Be sure to credit others who have helped you on your path and show some humility by conceding missteps and setbacks. Focus on who you can help with the work you want to do.
A Final Word of Advice
Law schools don’t expect you to commit to being a lawyer or to have your whole life mapped out. They just expect you to know what you’re getting into. Before they invest in your future, they want to make sure you are serious about putting in the work that it will take. Use evidence from your own life to show that when the going gets tough, you’ll roll up your sleeves and do what it takes to secure your dream career.
[Next Read: Mastering the Law School Transfer Application]
