Truth in the Law: A Personal Statement Scott Goldsmith

I had written and fully intended to submit one of “those” personal statements: the personal statement that says how noble the legal profession is, that goes on and on about the importance of selfless attorneys fighting injustice, and the one where I describe my father's stroke and how that singular event forever changed my life. But as I reread the statement, it seemed distorted and exaggerated. I was writing what I thought admission officers would want to hear, not what I really felt. And it occurred to me that attorneys must be fully honest with themselves if they are to be honest with clients about their cases, to do everything within their legal means to fight for their clients. Thus instead of submitting a statement that exaggerates one event, my statement is a more honest self-reflection in keeping with my desire to practice a profession that holds other people's life, liberty, and property in the balance every day.

Throughout my undergraduate studies I sought to be not just a successful student, but also a part of my community. I didn’t follow the traditional route of future law students by just studying political science in a classroom setting. Although I enjoyed my political science classes, there is only so...