I’m not going to sit here and tell you which way to vote, or even my opinions on it, although it did take a long time for me to decide to try and post this even-handedly. If you want my opinion, tweet at me. Regardless, if you’re over 18 and a citizen of the State of North Carolina. Go Vote!

*If you don’t know where to vote or who’s on your ballot, you no longer have an excuse if you click here.

Also on another note, some exciting things are happening over at NC Central Law.

Just thought I’d draw some attention to the infrequently discussed judicial elections that occur in the state.

It was shocking. This person thought there was some prerequisite knowledge you needed to go to law school. They also thought that knowledge had to do with government and politics. I wanted to bang my head into the wall. Sure, I think if you want to go to law school you should have a grasp of what functions each branch of government has and how ideas eventually become laws. However, there’s a reason why the only thing you need to get into a law school is an LSAT score and a Bachelor’s Degree. They teach you the law IN LAW SCHOOL. I know plenty of people without political science degrees going to/graduating from law school.

While we’re on this topic, there’s also this crazy assumption that lawyers are all in court and all handle criminal cases. Again, I’m dying over here. Something like 75-80% of all lawyers do something OTHER than criminal or courtroom matters. We’re not all representing the state or defending someone accused of a crime. There area actually things called corporate law, tax law, employment law etc. out there. There’s nothing wrong with practicing criminal law, and I honestly think it looks quite fun. However, it isn’t the primary things lawyers do. So for all of you considering a career in the law, please do some research, the law is a very expansive environment. I was honestly horrified to find someone who is seriously considering law school having so little idea what lawyers actually do in the day-to-day business of being a lawyer.

What does everyone else think? Ranking schools based on what they do for graduates instead of random factors like square-footage of classrooms?

Now don’t get too excited. You still have to write your own personal statement. Trust me, if you can find this I promise admission committees can too, and I know for a fact there’s at least a few that have skimmed through this site. I’m uploading my personal statement simply to give everyone out there an example of a statement that worked very well for me. Hopefully it’ll spark some ideas for you and will get you away from the simple re-telling of a resume that so many people seem to be trapped into pursuing.

I had written and fully intended to submit one of “those” personal statements. The personal statement that says how noble the legal profession is. The one that goes on and on about the necessity of attorneys who are completely selfless and only fight against the injustices of the world. The one where I described my father’s stroke and how that singular event has forever changed my life. Honestly, I just kept thinking about how distorted and blown out of proportion it was. If attorneys are supposed to do anything and everything within their legal means to fight for their client, I don’t see how that can be accomplished without first being truly honest with yourself. You have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with a client about their case. Writing a personal statement really is that first introspective look into who you are. All through college people expect a certain thing from you, and then you head to law school and you really have to evaluate yourself. It’s not something we do often in western culture. Most of us are far from Stoics, and it goes back to people expecting certain things from us. People have a stereotype of what a person going to law school has accomplished. I’m more than happy with what I’ve done, but that’s what a resume is for. I simply can’t send in that personal statement that over-exaggerates one event and places it on the pedestal of lifetime events that change me. It seems I should be nothing short of as honest as possible, especially if I want to practice a profession that holds other people’s life, liberty, and property in the balance every day.

It seems fitting that this is the viewpoint I’ve adopted for the legal profession as I’ve attended public schools my entire life in North Carolina, a state with the motto “esse quam videri”, to be, rather than to seem. This again articulates the necessity of being honest with oneself and practicing a level of humility that comes with realistic expectations. Throughout my undergraduate studies I sought to be a part of my community, as well as a student. The practical experiences I gained working in state politics brought me closer to the law, not following the traditional route of future law students by just studying political science in a classroom setting. Although I enjoyed my political science classes, there is only so much you can learn in a classroom. I never thought that a few words on a degree would magically open doors. I’ve always anticipated having to fight for what I want. If all my education and working have taught me anything, it’s that nothing is given to you. It’s a lesson I believe every future attorney should be taught. How else can we hope to zealously defend our clients, whether it be in a trial court or by defending their best interest in a corporate merger? Actually going out and delving into the middle of a campaign taught me more than I could have hoped to gain by taking a hundred campaign and election classes. It’s in this light that I’ve narrowed my prospective law schools as well. Nearly everyone I know that is planning on attending law school is hoping to go to the law school literally three miles down the road. I was one of those students, until I did my research. The lack of variety in their clinical options and seemingly single-track internship options made me look for law schools that aren’t as comfortably close to home but offer what I believe matters in any education, experience. Quinnipiac Law and it’s multitude of clinics that offer extensive hands-on experience are exactly the kinds of practical application of the law I’ve been hoping to find.

I don’t want to graduate from law school with only a piece of paper that allows me to sit for the bar examination. I fully expect to put countless hours into studying law books for class, but I also want that practical experience. I want to look back after three years and say to myself that my education was an active endeavor, not a passive one of only sitting in a classroom. In four years I hope I can begin to become a successful attorney because of my ability to honestly and fully represent my clients, not because I’ve simply added the words Juris Doctor to my list of educational credentials.

I probably went through ten to twelve drafts of this statement. Being a political science major I’m pretty familiar with writing a lot. Putting in a lot of quality time into your personal statement will pay dividends down the road. Get as many eyes on it as you can and don’t be afraid to completely trash drafts. My original was NOTHING like this. Again, don’t forget this is my original work. Plagiarism is the quickest way to not make it into law school. Use it for inspiration, not a short-cut.

*By the way, I’ve added another case to “Crazy Cases”. It’s about a lawsuit against Pepsi.

After having talked to dozens of law school students and reading up on these courses online my advice is save your money. For one, law school seems to be more about time management then “knowing” black letter law, before hand. There’s a reason law schools don’t have some kind of required undergraduate program of study. You can come in without any knowledge of the law. That’s why you’re there.

In all honestly, I think the best course of action is to do what I’m doing. It’ll cost you about $20-$40 on Amazon.

*Sorry for the original post of “LSAT” instead of “Law School” prep. That’s what I get for trying to write a post during the NCAA National Championship Game…

Also, for any of you following the lawsuit with NYLS in New York City, there’s been a development! According to Above the Law, the NYLS lawsuit has been dismissed. The law suit was over law employment data and there was a lot of hope that the lawsuit would bring further transparency to legal education. Sadly, it seems quite doubtful that it’ll be happening in the near future.