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Law Personal Statement

I know the exact moment when I realized that I wanted to be a lawyer.

I was a junior in high school, giving an opening statement to a jury in a mock trial, arguing that the defendant was guilty of the charges against her. As I looked into the eyes of the jurors, I felt empowered because my arguments were influencing them. I was getting justice for the victim. That feeling thrilled me, and I wanted to do it again. I still feel that way. I want to be a lawyer so that I can help people and influence how our laws are applied

Outside of mock trial, I do not have much experience in the field of law. As an undergraduate, I volunteered for a task force on underage drinking. My job was to attempt to purchase alcohol at local convenience stores to identify violators. But my participation was short-lived, as I looked about fifteen years old and no one would sell to me. No, my jobs have been in other areas. These jobs helped me to learn the skills, and the lessons, necessary to succeed in the law. I worked as a research assistant, where I created databases and conducted focus groups and interviews. This taught me how to perform detailed, systematic research. Jobs as a historic tour guide and as a bookstore clerk gave me experience in working with the needs and concerns of diverse groups of people. And, by working as a camp counselor, I discovered the type of law I want to practice. At camp, I worked with children and adults who were mentally and physically handicapped. Many of the children came to camp hungry and dirty, from homes with absent parents. There was nothing I could do to help these children beyond reporting the conditions to my supervisors. However, I decided that someday I would be in a position to protect people, like my campers, who cannot protect themselves. I decided to become a prosecutor who works in special victims units

The College of William and Mary's senior honors program has allowed me to explore special victims law via independent research: through content analysis of romance novels and interviews with romance readers, I hope to determine the effect rape scenes in romance novels have on perceptions of rape. This project, which I am presenting at the Southern Sociological Society's annual conference, is the culmination of my sociology major. I have focused my major on criminology and social research to better understand how our society creates, identifies, and deals with criminals. This duel focus has allowed me to better understand how our justice system works. I have learned that law practice is not the clear-cut process that television programs and mock trials show us. Instead, it is a complicated and oftentimes frustrating system, in which justice is not guaranteed

In addition to studying crime and justice in America, I have explored international perspectives of these topics. In criminology classes I learned about other forms of justice, such as Australia's experimentation with the restorative justice system. History classes and participation in student cultural organizations have illuminated how Asian countries deal with these issues. Also, by traveling to South Africa, I was able to see firsthand how that culture deals with the problems unique to their criminal justice system, especially with the end of the apartheid system

Since I was sixteen, I have wanted to be a lawyer. I have worked to make that possible-I have studied the law and society, learned the skills I need, and worked hard so that I could accomplish my goal. I made a connection to the law that day, speaking to that mock trial jury. I was empowered, and I will not stop until I succeed.

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