Part of the application for the LL.M program requires that I write a personal statement. I know I can totally bullshit my way through it Attorneys are the masters of bullshit, and yours truly can really dish it out. But I hate having to write about myself. It just sounds so much like begging to me. (PLEASE....let me in your program!!!! I am oh so good and oh so smart!!!!).
Also, I have to discuss my thesis proposal. I have not kept up with legal trends as well as I should. Basically, I just did enough to satisfy my continuing legal education requirements in order maintain my licence.
I do have some ideas. I think I would like to focus on Family law. That seems to be the area that I gravitate to the most. Also, I had a couple of cases during my practitioner days that had some really interesting issues. One case involved a woman who was a foster parent. She had adopted a five year old boy after having fostered him since he was a baby. The next year, the woman was named the foster parent of the five year old's half brother, who was two years old. The boys had the same mother, who lost her parental rights and disappeared. The biological father (a druggie) and paternal grandmother of the two year old wanted custody. The adopted mother wanted her son to have visitation with his half brother. After all, they are bothers, and the two boys bonded. Should be a no brainer, right? Well, the paternal grandmother did not want the children to have ANY contact with each other.
HUH????
To make a long story short, the case ended up going to trial. Despite having written one kick-ass brief, shredding the paternal grandmother on the witness stand and a comment by the judge after the case that she wanted to rule in my favor I lost the case. I lost the case because my state's law is unclear as to the rights of half siblings where one is adopted. I could have appealed the case, but I didn't. I had just started my practice and I could not afford to eat the huge expense of an appeal. My client did not have much money either. None of my peers wanted to give me a hand. So, the decision stood. My client and I both cried about it. She totally understood, but I still feel like I let her down. That is one of my biggest regrets as an attorney. I think I could made a huge difference. I wish I would have just bit the bullet and done it.
Anyway, I have to get cracking on this. Any suggestions on how to get started????
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About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
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4 comments:
I have no input - but this totally annoys me. It takes so much work to apply for a job - even simply doing a personalized cover letter takes a lot of time and effort! And yet, it has seemed as though many of these places don't even take the time to contact me to tell me that I've been rejected.
Here's my two cents:
I'd say start with the larger issue (foster parents & legal rights in adoption) and then cite your case (literally) and tell your side of the story. Put in your passion for the topic and show you know the weaknesses in current state case law. I'm assuming they want to see that you have a plan to begin research and it's something worth doing. The more specific the better in the sense that you will demonstrate your focus. Also, if you have faculty there that you want to work with on this issue link their work to it!!!!!
Of course, you can change your topic later if something else is more compelling. It's just like the Ph.D app. in many ways. ;)
ok, as someone who has read a lot of these (my previous job was running an undergraduate program that required an application) and who now works in graduate admissions i would say the two most important things, in order of importance are 1) sincerity and 2) grammatical/spelling.
sincerity - all personal statements are cheesy, it's just true. so when people can get over that and move on i have found they do a much better job. a reader can spot bullshit from a mile away and while it might not hurt you, it will certainly go ignored. just tell the truth about who you are, what you have don and what you want to do. if you have the background and make it obvious that you know what you are getting into, you should have no problem
grammer/spelling - any essay with errors just makes the person look careless. it probably won't count against you outright, but it NEVER goes unnoticed in admissions committee meetings, let me tell you.
that being said, i'm sure you will do fine. and, i'm not kidding, i do this all the time for friends - i'd be happy to read it and give comments. you have my email, just send it along!
good luck!
one other thing, obviously overall quality of the writing matters too. but you already knew that...
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