Law Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Law has been an interest of mine ever since I was a child. Children often change their career choice from day to day; however, I was always firmly stuck with the idea of studying law to eventually become a barrister. I never came up with a backup plan because I never needed one; it was always the law. My interest stems from my desire to do something positive for society and hopefully be able to help people with what I do. The main area of interest within the law for me is criminal law; however, I was recently introduced to medical law, which I find very fascinating as it is not only a very important area of law, but it also contains a large degree of ethics as well. The main reason why I find medical law so interesting is because many of the issues, such as physician-assisted suicide and abortion, are so controversial that it is very difficult to come to a conclusion on them due to the many valid views.

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

My A-level subjects, psychology, history, and product design, are essay-based, which have given me transferable skills from essay writing that are invaluable for my law degree. A-level history has allowed me to gain experience in how to create a balanced argument, which is very beneficial within law to be able to see both sides of the debate. History has also taught me about how the world has become what it has and has inspired me to think about the choices I make and how they could affect mine and others’ futures. The history exam has also been very beneficial as it contains a source question which has given me analytical skills that will be essential during the course of my law degree. Psychology is also very useful as it has helped me in learning how to develop my arguments using my own research. After deciding to undertake an EPQ, I knew I wanted my question to revolve around an area of law. I came up with the question of ‘Could the UK learn anything from the rest of the world in regards to abortion laws, or have we got it right?’. This will allow me to complete a successful EPQ project, and being pro-choice, I am very interested in learning more about the abortion process and laws that are involved.

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

Throughout my exam years, I struggled with home life as I had to study and sit my GCSEs a few months after my mum had undergone a back operation. This made life very difficult as I had to study for all my exams, make sure my mum and brother were well, especially my mum as she wasn’t able to do much for herself. I would often cook dinner for them every night, do all the housework, and often have to do the weekly shopping to ensure there was food in the house. However difficult it became, I always kept up with my studies. This experience allowed me to discover that I can not only work under pressure but also handle it and do well under it. I have been a waitress at Ensemble, a local restaurant, for over a year. Working has greatly increased my confidence with being able to speak to people, and I have been able to learn conflict management from having to deal with difficult customers. It has also really improved my time management skills through the balance of school work, home life, and work itself. I have also completed work experience. I spent time in Hamer Childs Solicitors in Worcester doing general office work; it gave me an idea of what it was like to work as a lawyer, and I was able to look at previous cases. This really assured me that law was what I wanted to study and pursue as a profession because I was very interested in what I was learning and being shown, and I wanted to learn more about different areas of the law. I have always been very head-strong and independent, and always been a firm believer in that if you want something, you need to work for it as it won’t just be handed to you. I am very proud of what I have achieved thus far, and am still continuing to work very hard to get to where I want to be later on in life.