LLB Law Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I remember sitting on my living room floor, eyes barely blinking taking in the movie playing out in front of me with my mouth slightly open in slack-jawed amazement. I was watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame and I had just reached the part where Esmerelda stood up for Quasimodo. At the tender age of seven, I understood that society discriminated and that not everyone has the power to make themselves heard. Watching as Esmerelda defended a stranger when even his master turned a blind eye, I knew then and there that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to give the oppressed a voice, a fighting chance. I wanted to speak up for the little guy and my insatiable need to find a way to do this coupled with my tenacity and passion for understanding and evaluating the rules I was governed by, drew me to Law.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Contrary to popular belief, Physics is a subject that I know will help me in my journey to pursue Law. The basis of Physics is understanding the theory and laws derived by physicists much like a lawyer would need to understand and apply the laws in court when representing their clients. Answering paper 5, has also taught me to be concise, and direct yet explicit and specific. All my subjects have trained me to think creatively, critically and helped to further develop my analytical skills. Economics has also helped me learn how to write factual pieces with two sides of an argument, a skill I believe will help me identify what the opposing council will try to use against my client which will allow me to be prepared with a counter argument. According to the Pareto theory, I know that in court, if the prosecutor wins then the defendant will lose out and a settlement may not always be in the best interest of everyone but necessary. It is one of the disadvantageous of the court of law as no two people can benefit and sometimes, there will be a ruling that appears to be unfair to one.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

All through my primary and secondary schooling I have been actively taking part in public speaking competitions and presentations together with debates, winning most of the competitions allowing me to enhance my confidence as a public speaker as well as training me to be quick on my feet. I have also taken part in my first Model United Nations conference this year hosted by Help International School and won their best delegate award. At the conference, I had the opportunity to practice policy making as done in the UN, similar to what a policy or contract lawyer would do. I was also one of the pioneers that started up my school’s Business Cafe and oversaw the day to day operations, on top of leading a group of people and coming up with the business model. For my attempts, the school awarded me with the Business Entrepreneur award for Business development. My experience taught me how to be a team leader and improved my planning and researching skills, all of which I believe a lawyer should have. I am a determined, hard worker who is stubborn about my goals but flexible about my methods and will stop at nothing to achieve my target. I am also very observant and I pay attention to details without losing sight of the big picture. Above all, I am passionate about law and I believe that I am well suited for this degree and given the opportunity, will shine and potentially be one of the success stories of the university.