Law Personal Statement Example 117

My introduction to law was learning about 'qualified immunity', the injustice caused by it in America and how power inequalities can harm innocent individuals. I believe that it often grants immunity to police officers who have used excessive force, preventing criminal justice reform and equality. This has inspired me to study and pursue law.

After listening to the 'Law in Action' podcast, that explained the legislation behind Covid fines, I noticed that there is not a system of appeal. I believe that this could encourage less privileged individuals to wait until they are called into courts to justify their situation.

This emphasised the importance of legal aid, especially in deprived backgrounds, and to fix this, law must change and evolve to become anti-discriminatory. My belief of the inequality of law increased after learning about the single justice procedure, since those charged with minor offences may have their case decided without their say.

This sparked my interest for pro bono work, as I believe it can be instrumental in closing the gap in discrimination and help local communities. I am excited to discover opportunities about this throughout my course.

Attending a lecture on human rights law, I learnt about the government's policy of creating a hostile environment for illegal immigrants and the reduced rights they may suffer, such as not having the right to vote. I also became aware of the circumstances where deportation may be challenged, for example, having a child or being a refugee. This encouraged me to apply this information to current events such as the 'Windrush' scandal. The hostile environment led them to be stripped of their privileges of being a UK citizen, leading to wrongful deportation. From this, I aspire to continue the study of human rights law at university.

My debating skills were challenged when I had to mitigate a plea in a summer school. Working as part of a group, under pressure, we presented strong arguments despite the limited time we were given. This taught me the skills of meeting tight deadlines as a part of a group, dealing with shared responsibility and constructively working with my peers. In preparation for presenting my argument, I learnt how to become reflective on the way I speak in order to create a more persuasive argument and apply new terms such as 'actus reas' and 'mens rea' to the given context. As a result, we successfully reduced the defendant's sentence by 6 years.

After writing a sociological crime report on Oscar Pistorius, I noticed the contrast between the legislation behind murder in different countries by doing extensive research on how murder trials are carried out in South Africa and the importance of systems of appeals. This captivated my interest in criminal law.

In English literature, I have learnt to scrutinise interpretations by researching the context of the text and by presenting it in essay format. I have learnt to evaluate theories by applying them to realistic situations and drawing conclusions by taking sociological theories into account. By studying Music, I demonstrated my confidence through performance, even if I lack this, and to aurally analyse music, paying close attention to detail to unfamiliar pieces. These skills can help me critically and meticulously analyse legislation leading me to express my arguments confidently.

Additionally, I enjoy studying Dutch and German, which has taught me the importance of communication skills, how to be able to express ideas unequivocally and gain a different perspective. Independently studying languages has taught me to become more resilient, disciplined and exercised my determination to succeed. Being a part of a youth orchestra, has challenged my skills to quickly adapt and lead my section, which has taught me how to be clear with instructions.

I am most excited to learn about how the law can help disadvantaged communities, bridging the inequality gap. A law degree will help me pursue this.