Law Personal Statement Help

Hello,

I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

Reply 1

daniel.moore

My interest in law began when I saw how confusing and overwhelming the legal system can be for ordinary people. I realised how important it is to have someone who understands the law and can help others navigate it. I want to study law not just to understand rules, but to make a real difference in people’s lives. This passion has grown through school, volunteering, and reading about real legal cases. I believe law is a powerful tool for fairness, and I want to be part of that.

Reply 2

TCUoS

Official Rep

Original post by she.studies

Hello,
I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

Hi there!
Personal statement can be tricky, especially when your motivations are sincere but you’re worried about sounding like every other applicant.

You could focus on specific moments rather than general feelings, you want your experience to feel personal and motivated. Were there any personal moments (family, friends, school, work) where you witnessed something that made you want to understand the law better? Was there a moment where you saw the impact legal support can have?
Even stories, books or events can be a catalyst for wanting to go into law. Rather than saying "I've always wanted to help people since I was young", you could instead say "Experiencing/watching ___ at X years old empowered me to want to make change" etc. Bringing anecdotes makes it memorable.

You could also be more specific about what areas of law are more important to you and what prompted that. What sort of people do you want to help? Families, children, marriage, school, businesses? Coming across determined and purposeful can make your application stronger.

I would recommend reading books/ doing research on current theories and research work in Law and then not only mentioning this in your personal statement, but critically engaging with it. This means not just believing and agreeing with everything, but actually questioning it. Why do you agree/disagree with this piece of work / book? What evidence do they provide? What could they do more to develop their study? Having your own voice/opinions is really important when creating a memorable personal statement.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Lia | University of Southampton Student Ambassador

Reply 3

she.studies

Original post by TCUoS

Hi there!
Personal statement can be tricky, especially when your motivations are sincere but you’re worried about sounding like every other applicant.
You could focus on specific moments rather than general feelings, you want your experience to feel personal and motivated. Were there any personal moments (family, friends, school, work) where you witnessed something that made you want to understand the law better? Was there a moment where you saw the impact legal support can have?
Even stories, books or events can be a catalyst for wanting to go into law. Rather than saying "I've always wanted to help people since I was young", you could instead say "Experiencing/watching ___ at X years old empowered me to want to make change" etc. Bringing anecdotes makes it memorable.
You could also be more specific about what areas of law are more important to you and what prompted that. What sort of people do you want to help? Families, children, marriage, school, businesses? Coming across determined and purposeful can make your application stronger.
I would recommend reading books/ doing research on current theories and research work in Law and then not only mentioning this in your personal statement, but critically engaging with it. This means not just believing and agreeing with everything, but actually questioning it. Why do you agree/disagree with this piece of work / book? What evidence do they provide? What could they do more to develop their study? Having your own voice/opinions is really important when creating a memorable personal statement.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
Lia | University of Southampton Student Ambassador

I did an internship with a law firm where I went to court with the client and saw the crime they committed in a different perspective. Would that work?

Reply 4

nwar

Study Forum Helper

Original post by she.studies

Hello,
I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

Make sure you focus at least some of it on your academic interests as well! You can study any degree, become a lawyer and help people in the legal system, so why do you want to study law? Talk about what caught your attention in the first place and be honest. It might be cliché, but I genuinely think that’s okay if it’s honest; genuine interest will shine through on your ps :smile:

Reply 5

butteredupsy

Hi, I ran into this problem when I was writing my ps too. I found that the less vague you are, the less cliche or cringe it comes off, it’ll feel more authentic - Just be technical, straight to the point.

Focus on specific issues you're interested in and discuss how the law could be used as a tool. For example, I’m interested in climate change, so I wrote about it and linked it to law by discussing an online course I took about climate litigation (practical skills I learned) and an essay advocating for environmental courts in Scotland.

Avoid just saying “I want to inspire change in the legal system” or something like that, because what does that really mean? Show, don’t tell. Elaborate, discuss court cases, your own experiences, etc. “I took part in x and noticed y which changed my view/made me feel z"

Try not to overly use the word passionate too lol.

I think though, that writing a personal statement can just feel a little cringe, I haven’t reread mines since I sent it in. I think that’s just part of the whole thing lol.

Reply 6

idkejsksjsja

Original post by she.studies

Hello,
I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

Hi I got offers from all my universities. My biggest advice would be make it about you use 'I think' 'I believe' a lot because your personal statement is personal to you and add something unique about yourself or how a specific experience made you choose this specific course. Use persuasive language and also watch podcasts and read books about law you can even add quotes in ur ps. Link your subject ofc (A levels) and how they helped you develop skills and passion. Goodluck

Reply 7

TCUoS

Official Rep

Original post by she.studies

I did an internship with a law firm where I went to court with the client and saw the crime they committed in a different perspective. Would that work?

Yes that is a great anecdote that you can discuss! It would be really interesting to talk about how this changed your perspective and how you now approach things differently. It shows you are flexible and have a learning mindset that universities look for 🙂 Mentioning the internship obviously shows you have relevant experience too. You could then try and relate it to a certain book or theory you've researched, it will make your personal statement flow well.

Lia | University of Southampton Student Ambassador

Reply 8

gayathri_05

Original post by she.studies

I did an internship with a law firm where I went to court with the client and saw the crime they committed in a different perspective. Would that work?

It most definitely would. The hardest part is starting the personal statement. Try to create multiple drafts where you try to formulate why you are interested in studying law and everything you did from that moment to further your interests. You should also give a brief description on the skills the experience has taught you and how that might be useful when you study law at university. And cliche as it might be, if your genuine interest in law is because it allows you to help people. Say it. That’s what I did and I got all of my offers.

Reply 9

she.studies

Original post by butteredupsy

Hi, I ran into this problem when I was writing my ps too. I found that the less vague you are, the less cliche or cringe it comes off, it’ll feel more authentic - Just be technical, straight to the point.
Focus on specific issues you're interested in and discuss how the law could be used as a tool. For example, I’m interested in climate change, so I wrote about it and linked it to law by discussing an online course I took about climate litigation (practical skills I learned) and an essay advocating for environmental courts in Scotland.
Avoid just saying “I want to inspire change in the legal system” or something like that, because what does that really mean? Show, don’t tell. Elaborate, discuss court cases, your own experiences, etc. “I took part in x and noticed y which changed my view/made me feel z"
Try not to overly use the word passionate too lol.
I think though, that writing a personal statement can just feel a little cringe, I haven’t reread mines since I sent it in. I think that’s just part of the whole thing lol.

This is going to sound silly, but I remember when I was 8 years old, I drafted a contract with my aunt to tell her not to disclose my secret to other people (obviously, she didn't, but I was 8 at the time). Would that be a good way to start off my Personal Statement or is it just weird?

Reply 10

butteredupsy

Original post by she.studies

Not at all. it can actually work really well, but try to keep the story short and use it to contrast a more recent experience that shows how you've matured or use it to show off your knowledge about legal contracts now. Try not to write too much on the memory itself, use it to show how you developed a deep interest or you now have a more informed understanding. Maybe research elements of contracts or something. You just have to show an active interest in the topic, I’d say the best way to do this is to show how you’ve progressed.

Reply 11

UniofLaw Student

Official Rep

Original post by she.studies

Hello,
I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

Hey!

I totally get where you’re coming from — starting a personal statement can feel like the hardest part, especially when you’re passionate about law and helping others but don’t want to come across as using overused phrases.

What helped me was focusing on specific experiences that showed my interest in law rather than just stating it. For example, did you volunteer somewhere, take part in a debate, or come across a particular legal issue that made you want to dig deeper? Start with a moment or story that shaped your interest — it makes your statement more personal and engaging.

Also, don’t worry too much about sounding “unique” from the very first line. Instead, aim to sound genuine. Admissions tutors can tell when someone is being authentic vs. writing what they think they’re supposed to say.

If your motivation really is helping people through the legal system, explain why that matters to you. Maybe you've seen someone struggle to understand their rights, or you’ve realised how much impact legal professionals can have on real lives. That personal connection can set you apart without feeling forced.

Good luck, you’ve got this!

Musfira
LLB

Reply 12

McGinger

Useful free Moocs to do over the summer :
Inside the UK Supreme Court - Online Law Course - FutureLearn
Incarceration: Are prisons a suitable punishment? - FutureLearn Course
International Human Rights Law - Online Law Course - FutureLearn
And good BBC R4 podcasts on current Law issues :
BBC Radio 4 - The Law Show - Available now

Reply 13

JE9

Original post by she.studies

Hello,
I am having trouble with starting my personal statement for studying Law. I genuinely want to be help people in the legal system, but don't want to sound cliché. What should I do?

I’d suggest trying to write in a less emotive manner, for the aim of expressing your interest.

Instead, minimise your generalised assertions, and maximise your specifications for the ones you do make, with analysis and detail.

Clichés arise when you write what you imagine admissions tutors will want to read- if you view it simply as an essay to express your personal motivations, you will become more original.