Plagiarism — the use of someone else’s words or ideas in writing without proper attribution — is one of the easiest ways to ruin your academic or professional reputation. Just ask Senator John Walsh, whose Master’s degree from the United States War College was rescinded after it was discovered that he copied large portions of his final thesis without attribution. Or Benny Johnson, the BuzzFeed writer who was dismissed after Twitter users pointed out dozens of examples in his articles of “sentences or phrases copied word for word from other sites.”

As a law student, being scrupulous about avoiding plagiarism is particularly important, as a plagiarism violation could be used as evidence of poor “character and fitness” when you apply for admission to the bar. For lawyers already in practice, plagiarism can be grounds for professional discipline.

(Post updated September 14, 2023)

Now that you have written a superb personal statement, let’s focus on another aspect of your law school application – Letters of Recommendation (LORs) are another way that an otherwise average application may rise above the pack.

Although you do not have control over what your letter writer(s) may write, you certainly have control over the process. This includes ensuring that you select the individual(s) with the most relevant and positive things to say and that you provide them with all the information they need so that they can speak thoughtfully to your strengths and, if necessary, address any weaknesses your application may reveal.

Law students hoping to practice in the area of Family Law can position themselves to achieve that goal by following this advice. While no one thing will guarantee a successful career in one specific area of the law, a combination of multiple experiences and associations will make the likelihood of employment in that area increase. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

Tip #1: Build your network.

Applying to graduate school for a master's degree can feel daunting, particularly if you are a mid-career professional who hasn’t been in the classroom for a while. Most graduate schools will require that you submit a personal statement as part of your application, but don’t be intimidated by the task.

If your goals of returning to school include developing new skills to better position yourself for new or expanding opportunities within your industry or related industry, a compelling personal statement can be the key factor in the school’s decision to admit you. Graduate schools desire diverse students with a variety of personal, professional and educational backgrounds.

Think of the graduate school personal statement as your opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants and to highlight something that the admissions committee would not otherwise know about you.

(Post updated September 14, 2023)

There is no doubt that there's just a little bit of pressure on you to write the best personal statement you can. After all, there's no other component of the law school application that you can control as much as this one. And...a well-written personal statement can really help to set you apart from all the other applicants since this is essentially your interview on paper. So, how do you write a personal statement for law school? I'm hoping that I can offer some thoughts to prevent you from dreading the personal statement and instead embrace it as an amazing tool to share your story!