Law Personal Statement Example (With Gap Year)

My life was always a combination of two different cultures. Living in France, the active contact between French and Russian culture allows my cultural background to be favourable and beneficial for my future, both in my studies and working experiences by bringing in the traditional meaning of what defines cultural diversity. I was lucky to move to Norway when I was 13.

This cultural transition allowed me to better adapt myself to new environments, which is beneficial in a way that one must understand and easily apply new knowledge that are encountered in life. My language repertoire is something to be proud of. Speaking French, English, Norwegian and a sound knowledge of Spanish allows me to interact with many different people.

By learning as many languages as I can, I will be able to defend and understand plenty of clients. My passion for languages is related to my desire to establish an understanding of different aspects of the world, to acquire a holistic view on the legal, social and cultural aspects of it.

It happened in a bistro in France. A young girl aged 11 was eating with her mother. Suddenly, the little girl asked her mum: “Mummy, am I free now?”. This little girl was I. My mother and I grabbed a bite to celebrate the case we had just won in court, one that had almost taken seven years to finally reach a solution.

Being involved in the case, a question often came up to my mind; how can anyone serve people who need urgent help to obtain their rights in their singular, life-consuming conflicts? It was thus clear for me that pursuing law studies was my main motivation as to accomplish meaningful acts in my life and in the lives of others.

I wish to apply for a gap year to fortify my desire for new languages. I will attend a Russian language course at the Lomonosov Moscow University in Russia. I am to successfully graduate and receive a diploma of Faculty of Foreign Languages Studies.

This diploma will reinforce my Russian roots, and will benefit the university, which is to gain a student capable of communicating with a culture, speaking a rare language. The acquirement of this language will definitely be a crucial asset in furthering law studies. I will be able to undertake a project that many other people might not have the ability to do.

I have always had a passion for anthropology since my father is a certified anthropologist. Traveling around the world with him allowed me to get an insight on different cultures. My IB anthropology classes have allowed me to get a new understanding and a broader vision of the world.

Throughout different processes such as debating, discussing and writing essays, anthropology allowed me to improve many skills that are crucial for law studies. For instance, Victor Turner’s 4 stages of social dramas will serve as a basis for any future resolution of conflicts.

Engaging in Model United Nations has granted me the opportunity to further the above skills and introduced me to the development of oral communication skills, as well as training for resolving a conflict. Defending a given cause was comparable to the daily struggle lawyers have to face in a broad variety of conflicts.

My passion for law stems from personal life experiences and practical applications. Personal conflicts I encountered allowed me to engage in court hearings, being one of the people involved in the case. My motivation for winning the case was for me to be freed from a difficult situation. I had my own lawyer and being curious, as I’ve always been, I asked plenty of questions about the system and his motives for why he wanted to defend my case and how could he be the best defender.

When the case ended, the feeling that emerged was one of the most memorable in my life as it was a turning point in it. I deeply want to give others the chance to experience such a feeling by defending my own case one-day. This created an enthusiasm towards the law system and acted as motivation to go deeper in its understanding with beneficial results for the people in trouble.