Personal Statement Guide

Kirby’s Ten (or More) Commandments of Law School Personal Statements

Please note these are not “suggestions.”

1. A personal statement should be personal. Avoid generality, show don’t tell, and back up your claims with real experience.
2. Personalize your essay as much as possible – drop the formalities and write about something that is truly meaningful to you.
3. Don’t try to be something you are not – cut out the hype. Be honest.
4. Speak from experience, not from desire.
5. Avoid cliché quotes, legal jargon, and controversial topics.
6. Avoid anything overly idealistic – you may not have the credibility to back up your ideology.
7. Avoid anything that mentions Law and Order or Legally Blonde. Or Mad Men. Or Saul.
8. Avoid using the phrase, “My parents say I like to argue…”
9. Avoid talking more about friends, family, family-friends, etc. more than yourself.
10. Avoid passive voice and passive constructions. Employer substitutes for verb forms of “to be” whenever possible.
11. Avoid: “thing,” “aspect,” “factor,” “very,” “quite,” and “etc.”
12. It’s can only mean “it is.” It cannot show possession.
13. Whenever possible, eliminate “a,” “an,” “the.”
14. Punctuation marks should always go inside “quotation marks.”
15. Avoid absolutes: “There is no doubt;” “It is well-known;” “obviously;” “Everyone knew that…”
16. Avoid: “to some degree,” “more or less,” “on the other hand.”
17. “Impact” should never be sued as a verb, only as a noun. Avoid “impactful.”
18. Do write about experiences that have shaped you as a person: challenges/adversity you may have overcome, community involvement, study abroad and cultural engagement, or any experience that may have changed your point of view in a positive way.