Please explain why you are applying for this programme, what you feel you can contribute

to the
programme, what benefits you expect to gain and how it relates to your academic and/or career
development. You must submit a minimum of 100 words.

Who are you? What makes you unique? Do you have the intellect, experience, professionalism,
strengths, and passion that a law school wants in their LL.M. class?

Introduction - capture your reader's attention with enthusiasm and positivity from the
outset.
Main body - express how your skills, knowledge and experience relate to the course.
Around half of this section should focus on you and your interests. The other half should
focus on the course.
Conclusion - summarise why you're the ideal candidate for the programme in the most
powerful way possible. Emphasise your key selling point.

don't just summarize your CV in sentences and paragraphs. Lappin says that students should share their
short- and long-term career goals, and they should discuss why an LL.M. from the law school they are
applying to will help them get there.

1. Be (and show) yourself

Remember that an LL.M. personal statement should be a condensed reflection of your own
persona. Highlight your strengths and achievements, but do not attempt to be someone you are
not. Resist the temptation to use sample LL.M. personal statements.

2. Be focused and organized

Focus on answering the question or questions that you are asked to address. Make sure that your
statement is well-organized and that it has a logical structure. Typically, on the most basic level,
a statement will have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

3. Be specific

Personal statements only too often consist of collections of broad and unsupported statements
and phrases. Do not make that mistake. Be specific by providing relevant details to support what
you are writing. You were always determined to study international business law and to pursue
an LL.M. degree in this area? Good, but explain the precise reasons for your interest and how it
developed. You are motivated and hard working? Excellent now provide concrete examples to
prove it.

Applicants are often asked to explain why they are particularly interested in the law school to
which they are applying to. Do not just say that the school is excellent or esteemed or that it
provides a stimulating intellectual environment. Too many applicants before you have already
used those exact words. Instead, find out as much as you can about each law school and provide
meaningful and specific reasons as to why you are applying. For example, you could be
interested in a specific subject area that aligns with a law schools core strengths; perhaps you
know a faculty member and have a genuine interest in working with him or her; or you could
explain why a particular law school or Master of Laws program is best suited to prepare you for
your future academic or professional goals.

4. Be professional

Keep in mind that the LL.M. is a graduate degree aimed at current and future legal professionals
or academics. Not surprisingly, therefore, law schools are especially keen on selecting LL.M.
candidates that display an extraordinary level of professionalism, independence, and maturity.
Show that you are up to these requirements. Use examples that indicate that you have the ability
to overcome adversities and solve problems, that you act responsibly, that you have leadership
qualities, or that you have regard for other people and society at large. You will also want to
provide evidence that you have solid interpersonal skills and that you are a team-player who gets
along with other people.

5. Be interesting

Ideally, you have a life experience, interest, or activity that is unusual and lends itself as the topic
for your LL.M. personal statement. Did you volunteer for a humanitarian organization abroad,
have you founded your own business, are you an expert in human genomics, or do you fly jet
planes? Tell the admissions committee about it, tell them how it has shaped you, and how it
relates to your interest in the law and most importantly your LL.M. application.

6. Be ambitious, passionate, and a visionary (sort of)

Good applicants can show impressive achievements in their past. Excellent applicants, however,
will connect the past with the future and discuss their plans, demonstrating their potential to have
an important impact in law, business, politics, or other fields. Law schools think ahead and
already imagine you as a graduate of their school. Would they benefit from having you as an
alumni?

7. Be (reasonably) modest

Avoid being overly boastful. Instead of expressly saying how smart and distinguished you are,
let your credentials and the substance of your personal statement speak for themselves. If you
provide the underlying facts and information, LL.M. admissions committees can and will draw
the right conclusions. Overall, however, it is always a good idea to stay modest. Nobody likes a
showoff, including law school admissions committee members.