How do you write a strong personal statement for law school?

Amy Best

Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

Amy Best is ASU Law’s Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid with a student-first approach. She has previously worked in admissions at Iowa Law and Northwestern Pritzker, and earned her JD at Iowa after working in book publishing in New York.

Writing your law school personal statement can feel like one of the most intimidating parts of the law school application. The personal statement is your open-ended opportunity to demonstrate your story to the ASU Law admissions committee and help the committee get to know you. A strong personal statement shows who you are, what drives you and why law school is the right next step. As the required essay for the law school application, the personal statement is a very important component. Below we share tips for creating a strong personal statement.

What makes a strong personal statement?

A great personal statement is memorable – in a good way. Here are actionable tips to create a compelling personal statement:

• Illustrate motivation: share your motivation for studying law and the experiences that shaped this path. You can choose any topic you would like for your personal statement. Regardless of your topic, you should leave the reader with an indication of why law is the right next step for you.
• Be authentic: write about what you think is important for the admissions committee to know about you, not what you think the committee wants to hear. Your personal statement should reflect your voice and your story. If you are including specific interest in ASU Law, be truthful about what excites you about what the school offers.
• Maintain a focus on you: your growth, your goals, your experiences. People are influential in your story, but the focus should stay on you and not someone else.
• Highlight your legal interests or career vision: include why law matters to you, even if it is not the main focus of the story you are sharing.

How should you structure your personal statement?

The personal statement is an essay that showcases your story. Here’s how to approach the writing process:

• Start with a compelling hook: an anecdote, moment of insight, meaningful experience or unexpected challenge that illustrates who you are.
• Use specific anecdotes: your personal statement should not be a recap of your resume or your transcript. Your personal statement should be a story demonstrating the skills, perspective and experiences you will bring to the class.
• Format correctly: use readable 11-point font, double-spacing, one-inch margins and make sure it is two to three pages. 
• Proofread carefully: typos or formatting errors will be noticed and impact how the admissions committee perceives your attention to detail.

How should you approach the personal statement writing process?

Here’s a step-by-step framework you can follow to write a strong personal statement:

1. Make a list of significant experiences or values that are meaningful to you.
2. Consider why law school is the next step you need to take.
3. Reflect on which topics connect most to you and the story you want to share.
4. Choose one or two key topics that show who you are.

1. Build further around the topic you selected – what happened, what you learned and why it matters for law school.
2. Start by capturing attention.
3. Showcase your skills, growth and aspirations as you write your story.
4. Link to your goals for your future career vision.

1. Read your draft aloud; check for flow, clarity and tone.
2. Confirm you’ve answered: Who are you? Why law school? Why this school?
3. Get feedback from mentors, advisors or peers (ASU Law allows the responsible use of generative AI in the preparation of application materials).
4. Ensure formatting and length meet ASU Law’s requirements.

What common mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid these pitfalls for your personal statement:

• Don’t just repeat your résumé — think about the information the admissions committee already has, and how to build on that rather than reiterate it.
• Avoid overused clichés or generic topics without a unique voice or insight. The admissions committee wants to get to know you.
• Make sure to proofread and follow formatting rules. The admissions committee will catch typos, grammatical issues and other issues.
• Your personal statement does not have to accomplish it all. Use addendum to provide more context for your application so your personal statement can stay more focused.

When written with intention and authenticity, your personal statement becomes more than an application requirement — it introduces you and what you will bring to the class. We look forward to seeing how your unique story and ambitions connect with ASU Law's program and mission.