AboutEvelyn R. Calvoni Expertise I can answer questions about law school and the process of applying to law school. I recently graduated in May 2008, so it's all fresh in my mind. I can answer questions about how to apply to law school, the LSAT, getting letters of recommendation, writing your personal statement, etc. I can also answer questions about what life is like during law school and the different opportunities students should take advantage of during their law school experience, i.e., law review, networking events, moot court, clinics, internships, what classes to take, etc. I can also answer questions about what it's like to look for a job, what are good jobs to get right out of law school, and general questions about writing cover letters and resumes. I can also answer questions about judicial clerkships after law school.
Experience I am a recent law school graduate (May 2008). I have been through the process and have taken advantage of many different opportunities throughout my three years in law school. I've done internships, a clinic, been on law review, been on moot court, and participated in several moot court competitions. I am currently clerking for a state Court of Appeals judge.
Education/Credentials I have a BA in Political Science.
Question Hello. I hope to attend law school in the Fall 2009 semester. I just graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice and aspire to be a federal court judge. However, I am lost as to which schools and programs I should be researching that would best prepare me for that career path. Some of my other concerns surround the personal statement such as do books on the topic really help or should I invest in an application consultant (they're expensive), how do I find what is unique about me when I think I'm average, as well as how do I link my uniqueness with why I should be admitted. How long did it take you to write your essay? How long is the typical personal statement?
Thank you.
Answer Hi Marsalla,
Congratulations on graduating from college! It's great that you're considering law school.
I don't think there is any particular school or program that will prepare you to be a federal court judge more than any other school or program. In order to become a federal judge (from my understanding), it takes quite a while. You'll have to be a practicing attorney for a while, and you have to get appointed as a federal judge. All federal judges, whether they are district judges or appellate judges, are nominated by the President and confirmed by the US Senate. I believe having experience as a state judge first would help in getting nominated, but I'm not sure it's a requirement. In any event, my point to you is that I don't think there is any school that can prepare you for that. Most programs in most schools focus on specializing in areas of law. For example, some law schools are big on public interest or environmental law or corporate law, etc. I think any law school will suffice so long as it's accredited and has a decent reputation. You'll have to do a lot more after graduating from law school in order to become a federal judge anyway. I would recommend choosing a school that has classes in which you're interested, and one that is in the same city/state where you want to practice after graduation.
With respect to your personal statement, well, it's a very personal thing - no pun intended! It took me a very, very long time to write my essay - I think months! But I made the mistake of having a lot of people review it for suggestions. I would recommend finding two people to review your essay and give you feedback: one person who is familiar with you as a person and can tell you if it portrays you accurately, and another person (maybe an English professor) who can check it for grammar, style, etc. Otherwise you'll have too many people giving their feedback and it'll confuse you and you'll just keep re-writing it.
If there is nothing super unique about you, talk about your beliefs and what you stand for. That's pretty much what I did. I started off by talking about my parents' divorce when I was a little girl. Both were Russian immigrants and I didn't learn English until I went to school so I didn't know English when they divorced. Therefore, when my step-father, who didn't speak Russian, moved in, we couldn't communicate with each other...so we sang songs because that's all I had learned in school at that point. I used that to demonstrate my ability to acclimate to change, and that was the foundation of my essay. I talked about moving from NY to AZ during my freshman year of high school and how I had to acclimate again then as well. And I just talked about how good I've become at adapting to change. I then somehow segued into the fact that I want to be a child advocate and explained why. That was essentially my personal statement. So it's okay if you've never fought in a war or served in the Peace Corps! Just talk about you, what you believe in and what you stand for, and make them think "wow!" The typical personal statement is 3 pages double-spaced.
I don't know anything about application consultants except for that, like you said, they're very expensive. I know someone who hired one but I honestly can't recall how much it helped him. I think if you have a good undergrad GPA and do well on your LSAT and write a good personal statement, you should be okay. You may also want to consider applying out of state. It just expands your options. I really didn't want to leave home, but neither of the 2 law schools in my state would have me, and I had applied all over the county because I wanted to go to law school no matter what. So I ended up moving for 3 years. It's easiest if you go to a school in the state where you want to practice because then you can network during your 3 years in law school, but it's not mandatory. In any event, if you do go out of state, try to get jobs and internships during your summers that are in the state where you want to practice. That's what I did, and I think it helped me get a job at home after graduation.
I'd be more than willing to look at your personal statement and help you with that, if you'd like.
