Law Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Laws are fundamentally essential for humanity to function; they are the cogs in the machinery of society. I experienced this on my first visit to my local magistrates court. This inspired my interest in law as I witnessed the impact that one single person's decision could have on the life of another. Injustice has always bothered me from as early as reading about the 2011 Ched Evans case; I feel that I could make a difference to the world by extending my studies in this subject through my adolescent years and in the future advance into a career in the law. Ultimately, I would like to train to become a barrister and advance to becoming a judge. I believe I would suit this due to my strong written and oral advocacy skills and especially my negotiation skills.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Currently, I am halfway through my law A level and although it is very academically demanding, I enjoy learning challenging substantive law which is why I would particularly like to continue my studies in the area. The other subjects I have studied at A level have given me an advantageous set of skills for studying law at university. English Language has helped me develop a sensitivity to language similar to that which is required in statutory interpretation. In my first year of English Language, I wrote a piece of persuasion commentary which has contributed towards my persuasive skills which are essential in developing into the legal system. Use of Mathematics has helped me gain a greater depth of analytical skills, helping me to gain better interpretation of legislation.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

During summer 2017, I attended the Newcastle University Bite-size Uni Summer School. This experience gave me an insight into the life of a university student for a week and taught me valuable lessons about university. Whilst at the summer school, I was given the opportunity to experiment with the different subjects on offer at degree level. The law session particularly evoked my interest as it was a completely different learning environment to A level law; we analysed hypothetical scenarios like a judge and had a wide debate in our class. I am particularly looking forward to studying law in practice at university as I believe my skills are well suited to this element of law. My extracurricular activities have helped me develop a range of not only strong skills but also valuable experiences. Currently, I have a part-time job at a restaurant; this has helped me deal with pressure and work to timed conditions. After working at the same place for over a year, I have been promoted and now I am responsible for training new staff. I volunteered to help support my school library and took on a role where I would organise the library and help pupils find books. The staff in the library were impressed by my hard work and dedication that they encouraged me to volunteer to work at my local library in Newton Aycliffe. Through dancing from as young as five, I have learnt resilience and perseverance. I took many knocks but never let that ruin my passion. Now, after all of my hard work, I am the World Freestyle Champion two years running (2016 and 2017). I am looking to join the law debate club at my college to develop these skills further.