Personal Statement for Law School

Personal Statement for Law School

The lawyer career has always represented a great interest for me, both from the point-of-view of the professional life, as well as from a personal perspective. Despite the fact that I do not consider determination to be the most important aspect of a motivation I think that I have sufficient personal commitment to this career to someday become a lawyer.

This choice of career was made out of personal conviction and as a result of my personal background. I come from a region of the world where injustices and bad treatment of people is not uncommon. South Korea is one of the most democratic countries in the region; nonetheless, there are sufficient cases in which the innocent and the vulnerable are subject to an unfair treatment. This is why I consider that a career in law would, to a certain extent, enable me the opportunity to use the noblest tool existing in society, the law, in defense of others who are subject to abuses, whether they are done by the state, or by other people.

I do not consider myself to be a dreamer. Indeed, as any human being I have high aspirations that my activity in the law area will contribute to the improvement of the situations of people facing legal issues and problems. However, I am also aware of the fact that despite the theoretical aspects of being a lawyer, one must also be pragmatic and in touch with the realities of the world we live in. This conclusion is in fact the result of my personal background and the difficult childhood and early adulthood I had to overcome. Despite the fact that I lost my father in my childhood and my mother did not offer me the care a child needs in his early teens, I realized that each and every one of us is subject to mistake, such as my mother, but is also entitled to the defense of his rights, no matter the case or conditions. This is why I consider the legal system to be the only means available for people to defend their rights, without discrimination for their position, as an accused or plaintiff.

There are many misfortunes that take place every day. In a lot of these situations, there are people who cannot benefit from a proper defense of their interests and who fall prey to the legal systems throughout the world. Innocents are accused without being given a viable chance to defend themselves; poor individuals often cannot stand up for their rights and become victims of the system. From this point-of-view, I consider that the mission of a lawyer is precisely to make sure that such abuses do not occur. My personal experience with the legal system as a child has made me consider the importance of proper defense against abuses, of any kind, for each of us. Due to an unfortunate event, I had to leave home for a year until the legal issues related to that incident were resolved. On this occasion I came in contact with the legal system and with the need to have the law in defending one's rights. Therefore, I can say that my desire to help others in need or in situations similar to mine's is very powerful and motivational.