Law school admission requirements and processes

¶ … Working in the legal field requires much more than the basic knowledge acquired through books and class work. Certainly there are many attorneys armed only with the knowledge of what they have learned in school, but the best lawyers bring many types of intelligence to their work. Some of the most important abilities a good attorney must have include communication skills, logical thought processes and the ability to understand others and the self. I am proficient in all of these areas, and this puts me in a unique position to contribute as a law student and later, to the legal profession as a licensed attorney.

The ability to communicate goes far beyond the basics of speech and writing. Certainly, one should demonstrate impeccable grammar and speaking skills, and I have demonstrated these skills both in classes such as English, History and Political Science. I have an excellent understanding of the ways in which language can be used to explain, analyze, argue and persuade. It is important to understand that language shapes the way we see and interpret the world, and those who can successfully manipulate language to impart their ideas will be most successful in law.

However, an effective communicator not only has a firm grasp of how to communicate, but what to communicate and when to do so. For example, I have worked in several internships and jobs where communication, both with superiors and coworkers, was a crucial part of my position.

I was successful in these jobs because I understood what types of information needed to be passed on at specific times and in specific ways. I learned many practical skills in these internships, but perhaps the most important lessons I learned involved choosing the right way to impart information, whether it be through email, letters, telephone calls or in person. Understanding language and how it works involves the use of tact and diplomacy, and I have learned both of these through my practical job experience.

Logical thought processes and the understanding of other people, and one's self, are related concepts. I have mastered logical and causal processes through math and biology classes, and psychology classes have built upon my knowledge of logic in helping me understand human motivations and actions. Although seemingly disparate ideas on the surface, understanding others and the self is an inherently logical process; theories such as Plato's social contract theory help to explain why people do what they do, and these explanations are logical in nature. Human action, even altruistic action, is necessarily rooted in some perceived benefit to the individual, and the trick to understanding what motivates a person is figuring out what the perceived benefit is. So, although human behavior can often seem irrational, there is typically an internal logic to every action, a logic that is specific to each individual and the circumstances.