Attributes of a Good Solicitor that a Personal Statement should have

A good solicitor is persuasive and a master orator. The personal statement should be able to persuade the authorities to shortlist the candidate. Authorities can be persuaded if the personal statement reveals the qualities of honest intelligence combined with sincerity.

Revealing Intellectual Qualities

The personal statement like any other essay should develop an idea without breaking the flow of thought. This reveals the intellectual capability.

Confident Honesty Speaks Through

Honest statements reveal self-confidence. But students should never mention negative aspects of personality in an attempt to be honest. They should only be careful enough to avoid pompous statements in the essay.

A Mature Personality

Varied experiences in life make a person a unique individual. Both positive and negative experiences should be written down. Events that evoke sympathy should be mentioned. This touches the reader. But care should be taken not to overdo this. The manner in which these experiences have shaped the individual should be mentioned chronologically.

Uniqueness of an individual is what the law authorities look for in prospective solicitors. They want to know if the individual has developed as a person shaped by events that take place outside the safety net woven by family and educational institutions. Mature individuals also have clarity of thought.

Clarity of Thought

How well the student is able to identify the goals in life is revealed through the essay. This clarity of thought is much appreciated for it is an essential quality a lawyer should have. Clarity of thought also reveals if the candidate is capable of understanding the different aspects of a case. Single-pointed approach makes a bad barrister.

Students with all the above mentioned-qualities can function well, both as a team member and a team leader.

Avoid Idealism

Authorities want lawyers who would be leaders valuing the social power given to them. Idealism is not a possibility in the legal world.

Team Member and a Team Leader

Interests other than those academically mentioned should also figure in the personal statement. Description of these interests depicts if a student is self-motivated, capable of working in a team and has the capacity to turn a team leader.

Investment of Time

The law school personal statement should reveal the time invested in preparing the final version of the draft. The essay should contain a well-researched answer to why that particular profession was opted upon.

Concentration on Self

Finally, the writer should not resort to quotations and achievements of some other personality to begin or conclude the essay. This technique at best diverts the attention of the reader.

Sincerity of Approach

If studying law is the main goal in life, let the essay reveal it. Let the authorities know how sincere the candidate is. This sincerity should be conveyed in the concluding part of your essay.

Points to Remember while Writing

• Plan the essay well. It should be written in a flowing manner. This indicates the capability of the writer in holding the attention of the reader.


• The first part of the essay should be attention-grabbing.


• The language, style, voice and manner depict the individuality of the writer. These make a good statement that can be easily spotted by the trained eye of the reader.


• Clear language should be used to facilitate easy understanding of the subject.


• The style should be conversational. The personal statement is speaking to the authorities in place of the candidate. The authorities want to know the candidate as a person and understand his thoughts and perception.


• The positive voice of the writer indicating unique attributes should ring though.


• It can also read like a true story of the candidate.


• The personal statement should be repeatedly reviewed prior to submission.

Points to Avoid while Writing

• Wrong grammar and spelling mistakes make the reader immediately reject the application.


• Personal statements should also not contain the boring figures of marks and grades obtained.

Admission authorities spend one-third of the time allotted for each candidate on reading their personal statements. These essays have to be perfect.

Thousands of aspiring students write statements. Half of these face outright rejection. Only the best personal statements are shortlisted. As the personal statement speaks for the writer the best attributes should be depicted through the written piece.

College and University Products on our marketplace

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are a UK or Overseas student applying for a place in a UK University, to stand out from the thousands of others, it is essential to have striking Personal Statement, for more information and professional guidance, see http://www.personal-statement.co.uk