Greetings from the Pre-Law Society Vice President
Hello to all the amazing members of Pre-Law Society!
My name is Brianna Silva, and I am your Pre-Law Society Vice President for the 2023-2024 academic school year! I am so excited to be working alongside my amazing executive board, Dr. Beverlin and the PLS members. Just so you all can get to know more about the VP, I am a Political Science major and a recently declared Forensic Studies minor. I am a junior here at Loyola, a part of the class of 2025. I am also a Greyhound Ambassador tour guide, so if you ever see me walking backwards on campus that is most certainly why. I am a Jersey girl at heart, coming from a small-town in NJ called Verona. I am 100% a people person, so if you ever see me on campus, feel free to always say hi!
Pre-Law Society has a lot of fun upcoming events so make sure to keep an eye out for those on The Bridge!
With course registration season in full swing, I would love to emphasize the Pre-Law program’s curriculum and the abundance of fun law-related courses offered. You can never go wrong with taking one of Dr. Beverlin’s classes, my personal favorite is Con Law II: Individual Liberties. The variety of classes is truly endless, I would definitely consider looking into Mock Trial, Con Law I or II, Judicial Process, and the Law & Public Policy Research Seminar for next semester or the following fall semester. Feel free to reach out to Dr. Beverlin or myself for more info!
Happy registering!
All the best,
Brianna Silva
The greatest stress for most students applying to law school is scoring well, or well enough anyway, on the LSAT. Weighty questions loom: “Will I score in the 170s and get into a dream school? Can I achieve my way into a high score, so I get a tuition discount?” Or yet more fatalistically, “Will I score well enough to get in at all?”
This consternation about the LSAT often sucks the energy out of the room for the rest of the application packet. That, by the way, is another good reason to get started early preparing your application. Regardless of when you start, the tremendous attention paid to the LSAT is unfortunate because the large shadow of the test can dim the greener pastures of the personal statement.
Consider that the personal statement, unlike your standardized exam score, is 100% under your control. Also consider that each law school you apply to will require a personal statement and that the statement is tremendously important. That should be enough to convince you to pay a lot of attention to your statement: controllable, required, and important. Let’s turn to some tips on how you write one.
The law school personal statement is a peculiar genre of writing: 2-pages, double-spaced, composed to convince an anonymous person that you should have a seat in their 1L class. You’re setting off to be a lawyer and your first client is yourself. I think Mark Twain had a saying about that.
Set that thought aside though because you have no choice in this. You also have no choice in the format of your submission. You must hit 2 pages and you must double-space. I’d never stray onto a third page or otherwise get creative with the directions.
This is because the preliminary question they are assessing you on is “Can they follow directions?” If you pass that test, much like a court considers the conformity of a filing, then and only then will the law school assess the contents and quality of your writing.
The personal statement, which is often not personal and never a statement, should answer the question, “Why do you want to be a lawyer?” Your life goal is not to be a law student. That would be one very strange fever dream. So don’t make the impassioned case about why you want to be a student - your goal is to be a lawyer. Show them you know how to build a case. The matter in dispute is whether or not you should be accepted. Here they are assessing your ability to persuade as they weigh the particulars of your narrative.
Always be authentic. Complete factual integrity is essential here, not just because of later bar entrance examination, but because you’ll be a better writer if you are true to yourself. If you are planning on being a corporate lawyer don’t write about how you want to serve low-income people who are accused of crimes. Likewise, don’t sell yourself as a business lawyer if your actual goal is to do medical malpractice plaintiff work. The world needs attorneys who advocate for clemency for people in jail and it also needs attorneys to help small businesses handle tax problems. The staff at the law school know this and they won’t hold career aspirations against you.
Next, I will provide you a warning. There are myriad internet resources espousing the various types of law school personal statements available to you. This categorization of statements is a sub-genre unto itself. By listing all the varieties out, I think they are trying to convince you they know what they are talking about (they are probably selling something). and you are best served ignoring it entirely. Who cares how different personal statement types are categorized? That has nothing to do with what you’ll write presenting your authentic self. Ignore all of those people.
Tell them a story in which you are the main character. Share with them some attributes about yourself that paint a picture of who you are. Did you always want to be a lawyer? Was there a particular thing that convinced you that this was the path? Are you driven to seek justice generally, or is there a particular group of people you hope to serve, or perhaps a problem you hope to solve? Don’t make yourself a side character talking about other people’s trauma (I’ve heard this feedback from law school deans). Don’t recount your resume that they already have. Tell them about you.
After you get your statement completed proofread it like you’ve never proofread before. Selection to law school is highly competitive with many students presenting high quality application packets. Don’t let schools be tempted to filter you out because of a mistake with grammar or punctuation. When making tough decisions it’s easy to simplify them by shrinking the applicant pool based on silly mistakes. To prevent that, read your work in reverse order to slow you down. Have someone else specifically read it for punctuation and grammar, rather than only relying on readers you asked for content feedback on. Often when you ask someone for general feedback they gloss over punctuation, so specify what sort of proofreading you want: content, grammar and punctuation, or both.
I will leave you with a parting thought. The greatest decision about the personal statement is what you will write about. Year after year I watch excruciating writer’s block you can measure by the month. Then, ultimately, the dam breaks and the 2-page double-spaced statement practically writes itself. You will succeed at this, and you don’t need to do that. Do not overthink it. Make a decision on the most compelling story you can provide about why you want to become an attorney, and tell it.
Matt Beverlin
Pre-Law Advisor
Political Science Department
by Terrene Obuah
On Monday, October 16th we welcomed David Rawle as a guest speaker to our members. Mr. Rawle is a Boston University and University of Maryland School of Law graduate. He clerked for the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, leading to a 35-year career in business law. Recently retired from the law, Rawle now pursues educational and charitable interests. During the guest speaker event, David shared valuable insight about his career path, making applications to students, and the ambiguity of a prospective law career.
Mr. David Rawle begins by proposing the question: who wants to go to law school? Seeing hands raise around the room, Rawle reassures students by defining a career in law with five words: no one size fits all. For instance, during his undergrad at Boston University, Rawle admits that he entered the realm of university unsure of his end goal. He started as a Chemistry major, wanting to be a doctor. However, his love for history contradicted this approach. By the end of his undergrad experience, Rawle graduated with a history degree and mimicked his experience with fluidity from undergrad in law school. This is in which he went into private practice as a tax lawyer where he further practiced transactional law. He then spent the next 30 years of his career in government law. He shares how “...what I liked about government law is that I was lucky. Most government law is in litigation...95% of which entailed what I did. I started out raising money for public housing (state compliance with public housing law 5-7 years). But, I didn’t like the commute to Annapolis, so I went to another agency and spent the rest of my career doing everything (i.e. representing corporations across the state, developing land in poor neighborhoods, etc)."
In regard to advice for students, the commonality lies in building world experiences. Rawle shares how he spent every summer as a short-order cook. Often overlooked, he shares how this work experience provided vital attributes of learning more about himself, as well as a sense of understanding people. Despite the job requirements found on an application, he learned the critical requirements of understanding human behavior: the ability to turn around, talk to someone, listen to them, read body language, etc. These valuable years of experience, as David reflects, helped enhance his participation in his work and his outside activities. “A lawyer represents people; people sitting across from you, you need to understand them,” Rawle says.
Key Quotes:
- “Know who you are, because who you are will influence whether you think you should go to law school, but also why you should go to law school.”
- “There’s a place for everyone.”
- “As an introvert myself, you don’t have to be a litigator - work with your clients and understand them. Though, you can go out and do things for public interest or other stuff.”
- “One of the most successful lawyers I know were dirt poor, and he is now the head of his legal department - their motivation was never to be poor again.”
- “Law is a big place, a big basket; everyone thinks you have to be up in front of a judge, talking, or extroverted. However, this isn’t the case at all.”
Have a prospective interest in law? Missed out on this event? Please don’t hesitate to contact David Rawle (drawle13@hotmail.com) or myself (ntobuah@loyola.edu) for any further advice, concerns, or questions.
by Jayde DeFares
Searle Mitnick is a Loyola alumnus, graduating with a B.S. in ‘66 he also holds a J.D from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is currently a member of Gordon Feinblatt LLC, a Baltimore-based law firm, where he primarily practices in real estate and business.
What motivated you to go to law school?
“When I started at Loyola in 1962, I was on the pre-med track, which was primarily out of parental influence. After two years, I decided I was no longer interested in working in the medical field. From there, I switched my major to political science because I knew I did have an interest in the lawmaking process and possibly holding office. Ultimately, I chose to apply to law school directly from undergrad as that was the expectation of the time for those wanting to pursue a career in law.”
How did your experience in law school compare to attending Loyola?
“I remember Loyola being a commuter school because it did not have dorms, so many of the students had similar backgrounds. I realize this made me quite sheltered. Attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School was a completely different environment, even though it is not far from Baltimore. Most of the student population were coming from ivy league or large universities that were intimidating to someone coming from a smaller school. However, I believe the Jesuit education that emphasizes critical thinking skills allowed me to be competitive to my peers.”
How did you get into real estate and business law?
“While I excelled in tax law during my time in law school, that did not affect where I would specialize. Most people did not leave law school with a niche. It was the experiences I had after graduating that led to my interest in real estate and business law. I clerked and worked at a smaller firm, allowing me to get experience in various fields of law. I ended up gravitating towards working with real estate developers.”
Do you have advice for those that are considering pursuing a career in law?
“I suggest that those interested in having a career in law take classes such as English and philosophy that cultivate writing and critical thinking skills. Being able to express yourself clearly is an important part of the field. It is also necessary to build study habits that will result in good grades and aid you in preparing for the LSAT. Establish relationships with professors who you will need to ask for recommendation letters when applying to law school. Due to the competitiveness of being accepted to law school, taking a gap year to work in industry after graduating from university is also encouraged. Oftentimes, these experiences outside of an academic setting are opportunities for individuals to mature and gain real life exposure, which is invaluable for law school.”
What has been the highlight of your career?
“I talk about relationships a lot, so I would say that the highlight of my career has been the relationship I have built with my clients and colleagues. I enjoy working with the associates at my firm that are just starting out their careers. I am also pleased at being able to go back to clients that I worked with while I was a clerk.”
“Life and Death in the Worlds of Law: A Foray Into Aquinas (ST I-II 90-97)”
Monday November 13th @ 6:30 p.m. Cohn 133.
Dr. Dusenbury is the author, most recently, of I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus.
lawadm@wm.edu
The University of Colorado Law School is offering and excellent opportunity for students – Mini Law School. This spring’s online-only curriculum will focus on the Supreme Court's 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 Terms and the critical cases the Court is deciding that impact everyone.
The six-week series kicks off Wednesday, January 17 with Professor Fred Bloom's discussion of the Supreme Court as an institution in flux. Each week, a Colorado Law professor will present on a different topic, including:
- How the Supreme Court is Changing Voting and Elections (Professor Doug Spencer)
- The Case that Could Unravel the Tax System (Associate Professor Sloan Speck)
- Indigenous Peoples, Native Nations, and the Supreme Court (Clinical Associate Professor Christina Stanton)
- The First Amendment and the Supreme Court (Professor Helen Norton)
- and more!
Participants have 2 ways to join: (1) live, online via a livestream of the lectures; or (2) watching recordings of the lectures on demand on their own schedule.
Registration is open now. As an additional benefit, all participants in Mini Law School who apply to the University of Colorado Law School will have their law school application fees waived.
For more details, including the full schedule, please visit the Mini Law School website.
Questions? mini-law@colorado.edu.
Yale is pleased to announce that as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting access to legal education for students from all backgrounds, they are now recruiting for the second cohort of the Yale Law School Launchpad Scholars Program, powered by Latham & Watkins LLP!
The Launchpad Scholars Program is open to everyone who plans to apply to law school in the fall of 2025 and offers participants comprehensive support in every aspect of the law school application process, and there is no cost to apply to or participate in any aspect of the program.
Online application opens on March 4, 2024 and closes on May 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET.
Students and alumni can learn more about the program by visiting the website or registering for one of the upcoming information sessions, beginning on Monday, November 13 from 5-6:30pm ET, by sharing the link below:
View Info Sessions for Prospective Candidates
The Launchpad Scholars Program is one of many opportunities offered by Yale Law School to expand access and equity in the legal profession.
Questions? launchpad@yale.edu.
