do you write essays in law school

How Much Writing Do You Have to Do in Law School?

How much writing is there in law school?

Becoming a lawyer means you have to become good at a very specialized type of writing. In law, it’s not so much a matter of how much you write as how you write it. But as the saying goes: “Practice makes perfect,” and with business deals , agreements and even people’s futures on the line, if you miss an important point or choose the wrong words, the ramifications can be huge.

Here’s the main point you need to understand about writing and law school. You probably won’t be writing anything extraordinarily lengthy while at law school, but writing it will take a long time. You might spend hours on a single paragraph, tweaking it to make it just right. For the layman, legal writing might just look like a lot of words strung together, but every one of them is there for a reason and getting them right is crucial.

Your law review papers will be the longest

Most law students agree that the volume of writing isn’t so much of an issue. Your longest pieces will be law review papers, and the footnotes alone can be extensive and time-consuming. But they warn course work grades are often based on essays or papers, and the marks you get on these will make or break your pursuit of a law degree.

In the first year, chances are you’ll have to do a course covering legal research and writing. As you may have guessed, it will involve quite a lot of writing. But thereafter, the volume of written work decreases. The most important thing will be being able to write well and cram a lot of information into a few clear sentences.

So if you’re worried about required writing, the volume isn’t all that huge, but if you want to do well, you will probably need to practice not only your writing but your reading.

Practice reading?

At law school, you need to learn how to write like a lawyer, and there’s no better way of doing that than to learn to read like a lawyer. That means being able to grasp the language that is used – and believe me – although it’s English, it’s not the kind of English you’d usually use when you hang out with your buddies.

According to many law professors, reading like a lawyer is the biggest hurdle for most students. You may need hours to read a case that’s only a few pages when you first become a student. The good news is that the more you read, the better you get at understanding all the legal language, and the better equipped you’ll be when the time comes to do your own writing.

It’s a learned skill – and you will use it a lot

If reading the terms and conditions for the app you’re planning to download makes your eyes go blurry, and wading through contracts before you sign them gives you a headache, you’re not alone. Legal writing is a learned skill and uses its own special language and terminology. If you have a genuine eagerness to become a lawyer, you will need to master it.

You shouldn’t be considering a legal career if you don’t like writing. Legal writing is a bit like “blood and guts” and becoming a doctor. You might not see them all the time as a student, but when you do, things aren’t going to work out for you if you’re squeamish. Lawyers deal with words. There’s no such thing as a lawyer who doesn’t write.

Do you want to be a lawyer but not sure you’ll cope?

For a start, be absolutely sure you know what being a lawyer is like. A lot of students don’t. It’s nothing like what you see on TV. The reality of working in the legal field isn’t featured in courtroom dramas. The truth (and nothing but the truth) is that many lawyers will seldom see the inside of a courtroom. If you do end up in court, most of it will be very un-dramatic and quite boring.

Before you apply for law school read up on what being a lawyer would entail and how your career would progress. If law still sounds like just the thing for you, you can get a head start on your fellow students by reading “Thinking Like a Lawyer: A New Introduction to Legal Reasoning” by Frederick Schauer. Hint: It will likely cover a lot of the work you’ll be given in your first year.

If you can grasp that legal reasoning, you’ll likely be able to manage the writing as well. Writing starts with thinking, and once you think like a lawyer, you should have the skills to write like one and get through law school.

(Photo courtesy of Mathieu Marquer )

Learning to write like a lawyer is like learning a different language. It really is that different from your every day English. It sucks the first year because it takes so much time, but it gets faster as you become more familiar on how to write like a lawyer. It’s definitely one of the more difficult aspects that weeds out a lot of first year students.

Well, this makes law school sound a lot more unfun than I already thought it was going to be. I hated languages when I was in high school, so the thought of law writing being like learning a new language makes me think that this may not be what I want to do. I want to be a lawyer, but I don’t want to hate being lawyer. I think I’m going to have to consider long and hard on this decision.

hey its been 5 years did you end up going to law school??

Lawyers have to write a lot and research even more then write down what they research. This is a very time consuming process and the amount of writing that you have to do is sometimes overwhelming. This is definitely nothing like you see on the TV there is a lot more writing involved than you might think.

It’s not even writing what you research; it’s synthesizing the information from numerous sources and coming up with a cogent argument that pulls it all together.

I’m 14 and really want to be a lawyer but I feel that reading fast and staying active while reading has always been a huge challenge for me. I’m also quite smart…mostly in the science category but I don’t really like any career in that aspect…my only choice is law…and I’m kinda scary I’ll suck in law

Honey, there are literally *thousands* of other occupations available to you. Law and medecine are only two of them.

The movie “Clueless” comes to mind. lol The main character’s dad is a lawyer and he has to write so much. His daughter and step son help him one time and they spend hours highlighting dates in stacks and stacks of paper. Ugh. I do not want to be a lawyer.

I don’t think you should really decide whether or not to be a lawyer based on the movie Clueless. Just saying…

Writing in law school is something completely new. I found that out when I start the new term. All the vocabulary is different and also the way of writing. Although difficult, it is quite possible with a lot of persistence and also practice. It might be time-consuming, but you get it after a while.

Most students are quite shocked when they learn that the job of a lawyer is 90% writing. That’s not only school, but he real world too. I blame it on TV shows that make it look so much different than it really is. If you don’t like to write, you don’t want to be a lawyer. It’s as simple as that.

Is there enough writing in law school that if I don’t like it, I should think of doing some other career? The thought of being a lawyer is appealing to me and I was thinking of going to law school after graduating from college, but I don’t like to write much. What’s your opinion?

This is a bit deceptive. I don’t dispute there may be a lot of writing if you want to go to law school, but there is going to be a lot of writing a matter what major you decide to pursue in graduate school. Just like there is a lot of writing when you’re in college, it doesn’t get any better when you decide to go to graduate school. That’s just the nature of academics. So, yes, there is a lot of writing you decide you want to go to law school, but there will be a lot of writing to matter what postgraduate education you pursue.

Writing Papers in Law School

Writing assignments are useful tools for challenging students to put complex thoughts into understandable language. The amount of writing required in law school can vary across courses, years, and schools. Students also sometimes have different reactions to their writing experiences. Here, we estimate how many pages students wrote during the 2019-2020 school year and show how the number of pages written is related to perceived gains in writing abilities.

Law students report on their writing assignments with three LSSSE questions:

Universal Background Checks: This would require a background check for all individuals seeking to purchase firearms, regardless of the source of the firearm. This would help to keep guns out of the hands of individuals argumentative essay on gun control with a criminal history or history of mental illness.

Shorter papers (fewer than five pages in length) are quite common law school. Only 16% of respondents did not write any short papers. Most students (59%) wrote between one and six short papers, although 15% of students wrote ten or more.

Medium-length papers (5-19 pages) are another staple of law school. Slightly more than half of law students (52%) wrote one to three papers of this length during the previous school year, and another quarter (27%) wrote four to six papers of this length. Only 10% of students did not write a medium-length paper in the previous year.

Long papers (20+ pages) are somewhat less common. About 31% of students did not write any long papers during the previous school year, although more than half of students (58%) wrote between one and three long papers.

We can also use information from these three writing questions to create a very rough estimate of the total number of pages each student wrote for class assignments over the past year. Law students tended to write between 26 and 100 pages total. This range accounts for about 60% of law students. Over a quarter (27%) of law students fell specifically into the 51-75 page range. But nearly one in five law students (19%) wrote over 125 pages in the previous school year.

Part of the purpose of writing assignments is to assess how students are assimilating and analyzing information. Another purpose is to enhance students’ writing abilities. In a separate section of the survey, LSSSE asks about the degree to which law school has contributed to the development of the student’s writing ability. Interestingly, when we correlate students’ responses to this question with the number of pages of writing they did over the course of the year, we see a gradual increase that plateaus at around 76-100 pages. That is, in general, students who write more pages of text believe that law school has helped them become better writers but only to a certain point. Beyond about a hundred pages of writing (combined across all their classes), students are not more likely to say that their experience at law school has contributed to their ability to write clearly and effectively.

Law school provides consistent opportunities for students to hone their writing and reasoning skills. Most law students write a handful of short- and medium-length papers each year. Students generally feel that law school contributes to their ability to write clearly and effectively, including those students who only wrote 25 or fewer pages in the previous year. However, students who wrote more (up to around 100 pages) tend to respond more favorably to the writing skill development question than students who wrote less.

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How to Write a Law Review Note Worthy of Publication

Writing in Law School

And, if you want more specific guidance on Law Review Notes, check out our guide to everything you need to know to get your Note published.

Legal Research and Writing

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Are You Going to Law School Because You're a Good Writer? A law school tutors explains how writing for law school and law practice differs from writing students have done before, and how important it is to go in with an open mind - even if you've been told how great your writing is previously!

Handling Law Review and Other Law School Journals

Memoirs of a Staff Editor: What They Don’t Tell You About Law Journals Are you considering writing on to a journal because everyone tells you that you "should"? You hear a lot in favor, but what about the downsides? Here's one 2L's not-so-positive experience, which might help you make a more informed decision.
Write-On Competition Stephanie Gregoire talks about how to handle a write-on competition for any type of law school journal.
How to Get Law School Journal Work Done Without Losing Your Mind If you expected law journal work to be exciting and stimulating, well, you're likely to be disappointed! Here are some tips for getting through the boring parts, until you can do more interesting work.

How to Write a Law Review Note That's Worthy of Publication

Choosing a Theme for Your Law Review Note If you have to write a Law Review Note, check out this series on how to write a good one and get published! First up, what should you write about?
Writing Your Law Review Note So you've picked a good topic, now you actually have to write your Note. Here are some tips.
Presentation and Style of Your Law Review Note Now it's time to make your Note as technically perfect as it can possibly be. Don't let all of your hard work go to waste!

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Exam Writing 101

Below, you’ll find general drafting tips for law school essay exams, advice on IRAC and IRAC-alternatives , and strategies for spending your exam-writing time wisely and turning out really great answers .

Best of luck!

General Drafting Tips for Law School Exams

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4 Ways to Improve Your Legal Writing If you're wondering how to improve your legal writing, you're not alone! Here are four things you can do to make your legal writing assignments better.
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IRAC and Organizational Alternatives

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The Elusive Mini-IRAC: A Key to Law School Exam Success IRAC, the notorious structural underpinning of many a law school final exam is a relatively straightforward concept. But how do you handle an exam or practice essay when it isn’t that simple? The Mini-IRAC is the key.
Help! My Professor Said Not To IRAC IRAC is so well established, and so useful, that it comes as a shock when a professor says, “I don’t want you to IRAC the exam.” What is a student to do?

How to Spend Your Time While Writing an Exam Answer

Copy and Paste: Your Worst Enemy on a Law School Exam? When Lee is grading exams, she always has her eyes out for habits law students pick up that can negatively affect their grades. One of them is using copy and paste .
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Are You Wasting Time on Your Law School Exams? Almost every student I work with feels like they are running low on time when it comes to finishing an exam. So how do you work more efficiently? Here are two suggestions that I typically give to students to help them write more efficiently on law school exams.
Pacing Yourself Through Finals, Part 2: Test Taking Time Management So, you know your material, but do you know how to budget your time during an exam? Read here for some suggestions on how to pace yourself when you're taking your finals.

Strategies for Great Law School Exam Answers

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Want some help preparing for exams? Check out our law school tutoring options , and set yourself up to do your very best!

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Law School Personal Statement Dos and Don’ts

The personal statement, one of the most important parts of your law school application, is an opportunity to highlight your writing ability, your personality, and your experience. Think of it as a written interview during which you get to choose the question. What one thing do you wish the admissions evaluators knew about you?

To help you write a law school personal statement that best reflects your abilities as a potential law student, we have some recommendations below.

Discuss possible personal statement topics with your pre-law advisor (or someone else) before you invest a lot of time writing.
Choose a narrow topic. Offer details about a small topic rather than generalities about a broad topic. Focus on a concrete experience and the impact it has had upon you.
Be yourself. Do not tell law schools what you think they want to hear — tell them the truth.
Pay special attention to your first paragraph. It should immediately grab a reader’s attention. Reviewers are pressed for time and may not read beyond an uninteresting opener.
Keep it interesting. Write with energy and use the active voice. You do not have to explain how your experience relates to your desire to attend law school. Tell a story. Paint a vivid picture. The most interesting personal statements create visuals for the reader, which make your personal statement more memorable.
Keep it simple and brief. Big words do not denote big minds, just big egos. Choose your words with economy and clarity in mind, and remember that your reader has a huge stack of applications to read. A personal statement generally should be two to three double-spaced pages.
Proofread. Ask several people to proofread your essay. Grammatical or mechanical errors are inexcusable.
Include information from your background that sets you apart. If your ethnicity, family, religion, socioeconomic background, or similar factors are motivating you to succeed in law school, be sure to highlight them. You can do this in the personal statement itself or in a separate diversity statement. If you are writing a personal statement and a diversity statement, make sure the two essays address different topics.
Consider your audience. Most admissions evaluators are professors, third-year law students, or admissions professionals not long out of law school. Therefore, you want to come across as an attentive student, interesting classmate, and accomplished person. Again, consider what you most want them to know, beyond the information provided in the rest of your application.
Read the application carefully. Most law schools allow you to choose a topic, but some will require you to address a specific question. Follow whatever instructions are provided.
Do not play a role, especially that of a lawyer or judge. And stay away from legal concepts and jargon. You run the risk of misusing them, and even if you use them properly, legal language may make you appear pompous.
Do not tell your life story in chronological order or merely re-state your resume. Furthermore, resist the urge to tie together all of your life experiences. The essays that try to say too much end up saying nothing at all.
Do not become a cliché. You may genuinely want to save the world. Maybe your study abroad experience transformed the way you look at the world. But these topics are overused. Before writing your essay, consider how your story is unique and highlight your individuality.
Do not use a personal statement to explain discrepancies in your application. If your academic record is weak in comparison to your LSAT scores, or vice versa, address that issue in an addendum. Emphasize the positive in the personal statement.
Do not offend your reader. Lawyers rarely shy away from controversial topics, but you should think twice before advocating a controversial view. You do not want to appear to be close-minded.
If you are in the bottom of an applicant pool, do not play it safe. You have nothing to lose by making a novel statement.

Which program are you applying to?

Sample law school personal statement essays, get accepted speak with an admissions expert today.

Sample Essays

You are a thoughtful, intelligent, and unique individual. You already know that—now you just need to convince top law school adcoms that you're a cut above the rest. To do so you need to write a powerful personal statement for law school. Let's first discuss what that personal statement should be and then examine examples and what made them powerful.

A law school personal statement tells the part of your story that reveals your motivation for attending law school and the reasons you will make a great lawyer (or whatever career you want to pursue after law school).

By reading the sample law school essays provided below, you should get a clear idea of how to translate your qualifications, passions, and individual experiences into words. You will see that the samples here employ a creative voice, use detailed examples, and draw the reader in with a clear writing style. Most importantly, these personal statements are compelling—each one does a fine job of convincing you that the author of the essay is a human being worth getting to know, or better yet, worth having in your next top law school class.

These sample law school personal statement essays are here to stimulate your writing juices, not to shut them down or persuade you to think that these essays represent templates that you must follow. The writers of these essays, who were all once law school applicants just like you, sat down, thought about their stories, and crafted these essays. However, their first step, significant self-reflection and thought, you can’t see. They didn’t use a template or try to shoehorn their story into someone else’s story. You shouldn’t either. But you should take the same first step that they took: Think about your life, the influences upon it, and why you want to obtain a legal education.

Your story will be different from these author’s stories, but as you review all four of the sample essays you will see commonalities among them, which are highlighted below. You will also see that they are very different essays written by individuals reflecting their different life experiences and dreams. The authors of each of these essays were all accepted to law school, in some cases to elite U.S. law schools.

Now let’s explore what you can learn from each of these outstanding sample law school essays.

Lessons from Law School Sample Essay #1: The Archaeologist Enthusiast

Attention-grabbing opening - The author of the essay immediately grabs the readers’ attention by placing them in the midst of the scene and vividly conveying what the author felt and saw as well as the excitement she felt.
Vivid, visual opening and consistent use of opening imagery - You can practically feel the dripping sweat and the heat at the opening of this essay because the applicant used vivid, sensory language that we can all relate to. She also quickly develops a metaphor comparing archaeological excavation with research in general and legal research specifically. She uses the imagery of archaeology (“finding the shard of glass,” “reconstructing the pot”) consistently throughout the personal statement to convey not only the unusual experiences she’s had in the past, but to show her love of research and analysis.
A clear theme that ties the essay together- Her essay has a clear theme, which she states at the end of the first paragraph and in her conclusion. (You may not need to state it twice; that depends on your essay.) The applicant also relates every experience in the essay to her theme of research, analysis, and discovery.
Solid structure - Because her theme is so strong, the essay is easy to follow even though she has diverse experiences that aren’t obviously related to each other – archaeology in Spain, research on Colombian environmental policy, working for an online real estate company considering entry into the art market, and her travels.
Good use of transitions - Transitions help your reader move from one topic to the next as you connect the topic in the preceding paragraph to the topic in the next. They can consist of a few words or a phrase or simply repetition of the topic by name as opposed to using a pronoun. The first paragraph in this sample essay ends with “research and analysis” and the next paragraph begins with “The challenge of researching and analyzing an unknown subject” as she turns from her introduction to her enjoyment of academic life and the research she had done in college.

While one could argue that perhaps she has too many subtopics in this essay, because of the strong theme and excellent use of transitions, the essay holds together and highlights her diversity of experience, curiosity, and sense of adventure.

Most importantly this law school personal statement earned its author a seat at an elite T10 law school.

Click here to read the essay >>

Start your journey to law school acceptance

Lessons from Law School Sample Essay #2: Returning to School

This sample law school personal statement is about half the length of Essay 1 and concentrates on the author’s post-college work experience. In its brevity and focus it’s the mirror image of Law School Essay 1. The contrast between the two highlights the diversity that can work in law school essays.

This applicant writes about the impact of his work experience on his law school goals – with no discussion of extracurricular activities, hobbies, or travels. He had a tight word limit on his personal statement and simply had to be concise. Regardless of the narrower focus and shorter length, this essay also shares certain elements with Essay 1 and in both cases it leads to an engaging personal statement and acceptance. Let’s review them:

Engaging, vivid opening that grabs attention - The applicant plops the reader right into his story and challenge: how to persuade the tired, grouchy doctors that the product he’s selling is better than the one they have been prescribing.
A detailed story of his developing interest in law and relevant experience - Using just enough details, he tells his story starting with research that led to evidence-based persuasion. He also highlights his success, which led him to be named Rookie of the Year. He then goes on to explain that he now seeks new, more-lasting intellectual challenge than he currently has as a pharmaceutical sales rep because the industry, or at least his segment of it, changes slowly.
Direction within law - Based on his background in science and his work in Big Pharma, he has direction in law. He clearly states that he wants to go into medical law. Given his background and work experience, that goal builds logically on his past, and is distinctive.
Ties the essay back to the opening - At the end of his essay, he references “his grumpy physicians” and “staring at his professor…” Sometimes applicants will start an essay with a catchy opening that grabs attention, but has little or nothing to do with the rest of the essay. When reading that kind of essay, the opening feels like a tease or a gimmick. In this essay, the applicant paints a picture of what he faces on a typical workday at the beginning, refers back to the opening scene in his conclusion, and contrasts that experience with what he hopes to face when in law school. It’s not a gimmick. It unifies the story.

This applicant was accepted at several T14 law schools.

Click here to read the essay >>

Law School Sample Essay #3: The Twilight Zone

There is a story behind this law school personal statement. This applicant, a very early Accepted client, during her first meeting said that she wanted to write about a trip to Country X. When asked about the trip, she said, “Oh, I’ve never been to Country X, but I know many people who have visited, and I haven’t done anything interesting.”

Surprised at this unexpected approach, her consultant asked if she had any creative writing experience. The client said she didn’t. The consultant said that she too lacked creative writing experience and suggested they discuss what the client had done as opposed to what she hadn’t. This essay is the result of that (and other) conversations. It is an oldie but goodie.

Let’s take a look at the lessons in this sample law school essay:

Don’t ever feel you don’t have a story to tell. Every single one of us has a story, and you don’t have to make one up or borrow someone else’s. Tell yours proudly and authentically.
Launch with a vivid, engaging opening. While her opening is a more frightening than the other openings, it definitely grips the reader’s attention and starts her story.
Always have a clear theme. Everything in this essay relates to the impact of the earthquake on her and specifically her decision to become a public interest lawyer.
Tell a story. This personal statement tells the story of the earthquake’s impact on the applicant. In telling her story, she highlights her community service, her internship, and the evolution of her goals.
Use effective transitions. As she moves from topic to topic, the author effectively carries the reader along. Look at the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next one throughout the essay. You’ll see that in every case, there is either a word, phrase, or concept that ties one to the other.
Write a conclusion that really brings the essay to a close and contributes to the sense of unity while still looking forward. The applicant repeats her thesis that her career direction was shaped by the earthquake and its aftermath. She touches on key experiences (and achievements) that she wants the reader to remember, looks briefly forward, and ties back to the Twilight Zone opening.

This client was accepted to her top choice law school.

Lessons from Law School Sample Essay #4: Change

This essay takes a different approach than the other three essays. The theme opens the essay followed by images and sounds that make the change she is experienced something the reader can also experience or at least imagine because the applicant uses sensory language. The writer also takes a chronological approach to tell her story of change and how it shaped her.

The author in this essay chooses not to directly address her reasons for wanting to attend law school. However, the essay still works. The essay highlights her communications skills, research, international exposure, bilingual language skills, and initiative.

However here, too, there are lessons to be learned and some may sound familiar.

Clear theme - Yes, this takeaway is in this essay as well as the preceding three. In fact, for any effective essay, you need a clear theme.
Effective use of specifics and anecdote - Whether referencing the “bleak Wisconsin winter,” the fact her mother added “barbecued brisket” to her menu in Texas, or the cultural challenges she faced in Bolivia, she effectively illustrates her ability to deal with change and adapt throughout her life.
A conclusion that shows her evolution and growth - She subtly, but clearly reveals an evolution in her adaptability from complete adoption of the mores of her surroundings in New Jersey to more nuanced adaptability where she chooses what she wants to adopt and reject as she deals with change as an adult. Finally, while change is something she has to deal with throughout most of the essay by the conclusion she views it as an opportunity for growth.

Takeaways from These Law School Statement Samples

There are an infinite number of ways to write a law school personal statement that will help you get accepted.
Begin your essay with an opening that grabs your reader’s attention. In today’s age of short attention spans and very busy people, there should be no long, slow warm ups. Put your reader in the scene as soon as they start reading.
Use sensory language to engage your reader and help them imagine experiencing what you were going through. Reference scenes, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes as appropriate.
Have a clear theme. Unless you are James Joyce, a stream of consciousness will not work. Know the core idea you want your essay to convey and ruthlessly ensure that every subtopic supports that idea. If it doesn’t, either make the connection clear or delete.
Use transitions to take your reader with you through your story.
Use specifics and anecdotes to support your theme in a distinctive way while highlighting your achievements.
Write a conclusion that contributes to the unity of your essay. Highlight key points in your conclusion. While you can take your theme into the future in your conclusion, it still must relate to your core idea and build on what preceded it. If you can tie your ending back to your opening, your essay will have a stronger sense of coherence.

How would I like to see these essays improved? I would like to see them, with the exception of Essay 2, address why they are applying to a given school. Essay 2 didn’t have room for that.

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Academic Writing

How to Write a Law Essay

Last Updated: August 11, 2023

This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD . Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013. This article has been viewed 239,974 times.

In a college legal studies course, and in some law school courses, you may be required to write a research paper addressing a legal topic. These essays can be tricky, because the law is constantly evolving. To secure a top grade, your essay must be well-researched and coherently argued. With proper planning and research, you can write a stellar legal essay. [Note: this article does not address how to write law school essay exams or bar exam questions, which require different techniques and strategies.]

Choosing an Essay Topic

Step 1 Carefully read the assignment prompt.

A narrow essay prompt might read, "Discuss the evolution and impact of the exclusionary rule of evidence in the United States." A broad prompt might read, "Discuss how a civil rights movement led to changes in federal and/or state law."
If you are invited to choose your own topic, your professor may require you to submit a written proposal or outline to ensure that your chosen topic complies with the prompt. If you are not sure if your topic is within the parameters of the prompt, propose your topic to your professor after class or during his or her office hours.

Hopefully, your course readings, lectures, and class discussions will have given you enough background knowledge to select a topic. If not, review your class notes and browse online for additional background information.
It is not uncommon to change your topic after doing some research. You may end up narrowing the questions your essay will answer, or changing your topic completely.

Step 4 Choose an essay topic of interest to you.

If you can, try to focus on an are of the law that affects you. For example, if your family is involved in agriculture, you may be interested in writing about water use regulations .

Researching Your Topic

Step 1 Identify what types of sources you are required to use.

If you are prohibited from citing internet resources, you can still use online research to guide you to physical primary and secondary sources in your local library or bookstore.

Look at footnotes, citations, and indexes in tertiary sources. These are great for finding books, articles, and legal cases that are relevant to your topic. Also take note of the names of authors, who may have written multiple works on your topic.

Also find search engines for related fields, such as history or political science. Ask your librarian to recommend specialized search engines tailored to other disciplines that may have contributed to your topic.

Never cut and paste from the web into your notes or essay. This often leads to inadvertent plagiarism because students forget what is a quotation and what is paraphrasing. When gathering sources, paraphrase or add quotation marks in your outline.
Plagiarism is a serious offense. If you ultimately hope to be a lawyer, an accusation of plagiarism could prevent you from passing the character and fitness review.

Step 7 Look for arguments on both sides of an issue.

Drafting the Essay

An effective introduction takes the reader out of his world and into the world of your essay. [2] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source Explain why the subject is important and briefly summarizes the rest of your argument. After reading your introduction, your reader should know what you are going to discuss and in what order you will be discussing it.
Be prepared to revise your introduction later. Summarizing your essay will be easier after you have written it, especially if you deviate from your outline.

State each argument of your essay as a statement that, if true, would support your thesis statement.
Provide supporting information drawn from primary and secondary sources that support your argument. Remember to cite your sources.
Provide your own original analysis, explaining to the reader that based on the primary and secondary sources you have presented, the reader should be persuaded by your argument.

Formatting Your Essay

Proofreading the Essay

Open up a Word document. On the Quick Access Toolbar at the top, click on the down arrow. The words “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” will appear when you hover over the arrow for two seconds.
Click on the arrow. Then click on “More Commands.”
In the “Choose commands from” drop-down box, choose “All commands.”
Scroll down to find “Speak.” Highlight this and then click “add.” Then click “okay.” Now the Speak function should appear on your Quick Access Toolbar.
Highlight the text you want read back to you, and then click on the Speak icon. The text will be read back to you.

Step 3 Search for common typographical errors.

Do not rely on a spell checker exclusively, as it will not catch typos like "statute" versus "statue."

Revising the Essay

Step 1 Share the essay with a classmate.

You can share the essay with someone outside of class, but a classmate more likely has the requisite knowledge to understand the subject matter of the essay.

Step 2 Incorporate your professor’s comments.

Expert Q&A

About This Article

To write a law essay, start by writing a thesis statement on your chosen topic. Phrase your thesis statement as an argument, using words like “because” or “therefore” to state your point. Write an outline of the arguments you will use to support your thesis statement, then use that outline to build the body of your paper. Include any counter-arguments, but use your evidence to convince the reader why your point of view is valid, and the counter-arguments are not. Be sure to cite all of your sources in the format preferred by your professor. For tips from our reviewer on finding the best sources for your topic, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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HLS Writes!

Writing is arguably the most crucial skill of practicing lawyers and legal academics alike. While only some lawyers will enter careers involving significant oral advocacy, nearly all lawyers regularly write, provide feedback to colleagues on their writing, and respond to feedback on their own writing. At HLS, we recognize that excellent writing is not a solo enterprise, but takes a community. J.D. students receive their first intensive writing experience in the First-Year Legal Research and Writing Program (LRW). Upper-level J.D. students and LL.M.s develop their writing skills further through rigorous writing opportunities in courses, clinics, and independent writing supervised by a faculty member, completing in the process the J.D. Written Work Requirement and the LL.M. Written Work Requirement, respectively.

Writing Opportunities

During their time at HLS, students can develop their writing skills through writing-intensive course work; independent studies in which a student writes a paper under a faculty member’s supervision; some clinical work, and writing groups, which provide a forum for structuring research and writing time and receiving peer in addition to faculty feedback. There are further writing opportunities through moot court, journals, and work as a research assistant for a faculty member. Explore below, by subject area, possible supervisors for an independent writing project.

Writing Resources

Wondering where to begin? The Harvard Law Library has developed helpful guides on narrowing down a research topic, how to conduct research in various legal subject areas, and how to cite using the Bluebook or other citation systems.

Once a writing project is completed, students might consider submitting their work for one of HLS’ writing prizes and/or exploring possible paths to publication.

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Law Library

Writing Academic Papers for Law School

Substantial Writing Requirement
How to Find and Narrow Your Topic
Researching for Your Paper
Other Support for Substantial Writing

The thesis of your substantial writing paper must meet several requirements:

It must be original
It must take a position, advance an argument, or propose a solution
It must be concrete, identifiable, and manageable
It must be novel, useful, nonobvious, and sound

Your approach to the topic may be descriptive, prescriptive, or both.

You should also do a preemption check on your thesis, which means you make sure no one else has argued your exact same thesis/argument. You research the key terms of your thesis to make sure that no scholarly work comes up in your list of results with the same thesis.

Types of Theses

Most law review theses fit into three main categories: proposing a solution to a legal problem, bringing an interdisciplinary idea into the law, and comparing two or more legal ideas.

Common Arguments

A law review thesis will usually engage in one or more common types of arguments. These may include:

an argument from precedent,
an interpretive argument,
a normative argument, or
an institutional argument.

For more information about these types of arguments, see Elizabeth Fajans & Mary R. Falk, Scholarly Writing for Law Students 37-38 (5th ed. 2017).

Solution Theses

There are a few helpful ways to think about generating a solution as your thesis.

This type of thesis might transfer a solution from one area to a new area.
It might re-categorize claims and facts that have been made elsewhere.
It might challenge assumptions about an area of law.
It might extend or modify an existing theory or doctrine.
It might borrow distinct legal principles to respond to new events.
It might use analogy and metaphor.

For more information, see Elizabeth Fajans & Mary R. Falk, Scholarly Writing for Law Students 55-56 (5th ed. 2017).

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Last Updated: Jan 19, 2022 3:40 PM
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How do I create a law school outline? (an in-depth guide)

Writing your law school outlines (and starting early in the semester!) is one of the most important things you can do to maximize your chances of graduating at the top of your class. Many students struggle with outlining because they do not know where to begin.

Below is a step-by-step process on how to write a law school outline. To do so, you will need to gather your materials together. We recommend you have the following on hand:

Class notes
Any supplements you use

We also recommend you have a cup of coffee in hand since outlining can be grueling! (But it can also be fun!)

Note: if you haven’t yet downloaded our free guide on how to succeed in law school, do so here !

Even better, join our FREE law school prep course here !

How to write a law school outline—five key principles

Before we even discuss the in-depth guide on how to write a law school outline, we want to cover these five key principles that you should not lose sight of!

1. Outline early on in the semester

If the class has begun and you haven’t started outlining, start now! There is no reason to put it off. The sooner you have your outline, the sooner you can start to review it.

2. Your class notes are your most important resource

Remember that your professor writes the exam. So, whatever he or she says in class is gold! That is more important than anything you find in a supplement, casebook, etc. Always use your class notes as your primary resource. Supplements can be used to fill in the gaps where your class notes are unclear or when you do not understand something.

3. Make your own outline

The process of outlining helps you more than anything else and it will be much easier for you to learn an outline you made. It will be tailored to your exact learning style.

4. Do not type up your class notes and call it your “outline”

That is a rookie mistake! Class notes are important but they will not be nearly well-organized enough to be used as an outline.

5. Organize your outline in a way that makes sense

We discuss this below!

How to write a law school outline: an in-depth guide

1. First, figure out the overall structure of your outline by looking at your syllabus

For your Contracts course, for example, you may talk about contract formation first (offer, acceptance, consideration). Then, you may talk about defenses (illegality, insanity), and the Statute of Frauds. You may also talk about remedies (for both the UCC and common law).

Look at the main headings in your syllabus to see the overall organization of your class. If your professor does not have a detailed syllabus, check your casebook to see the main headings that appear above the cases you are assigned.

A bird’s-eye view of your outline might look something like this (this is admittedly a bit abbreviated):

1. Contract formation

a. Offer b. Acceptance c. Consideration

2. Defenses

a. Illegality b. Insanity

3. Statute of Frauds 4. Remedies

a. Common law b. UCC

2. Start with the first issue (e.g., offer, above) and find the rules to go with each issue

The absolute best resource to find the rule is your class notes. (Your professor writes the exam so it makes sense to know the rules they want you to know!) Your professor should either state the rule directly or point it out in a statute, restatement section, or case during class. Take very good notes on whatever your professor says the rules are.

For example, let’s just take offer, above. Here are some of the rules that go with it:

i. Rule: an offer is a manifestation of intent to enter into a contract. ii. Elements: An offer requires both (1) intent and (2) specific terms. The specific terms are price, quantity, and identity of the offeree. It also requires intent from the perspective of a reasonable person.

What if you leave class not knowing what the rule is? Sometimes professors can be very vague and you may leave class not knowing what the black letter law is! If this is the case, first start by looking at your class notes—after all, your professor likely referenced a statute or case that had the rule in it. (If so, then get your rule statement from the statute or case). You may have to start to train yourself to really start listening for this in class! If you still cannot find it, look up the rule in a supplement (like an Examples & Explanations book or the Restatement, etc., depending on your class).

law student outlining, in depth guide to outlining, jd advising

3. Break down the rules into manageable parts

Rather than having one long sentence for a rule, try to divide it or break it down into parts. This makes it much easier to learn when you are reviewing your outline. We also think it is a good idea to format your outline to draw attention to the rules. (We underlined the elements below, but some people like to use one specific color for the rules—do whatever you like best!)

For example, instead of writing what is above you could break it down as follows:

i. Rule: an offer is a manifestation of intent to enter into a contract.

ii. Elements: An offer requires both

(1) intent and

1. Look at this from the position of a reasonable person.

(2) specific terms . The specific terms are

2. quantity , and

3. identity of the offeree .

Wouldn’t you much rather look at an outline that is neatly separated into its logical elements rather than a few long sentences (like under note 2 above)?

4. Add cases (or at least the rules from cases)!

If you take our advice and outline early, you will have plenty of time to add the important cases that you discuss in class. (If you start outlining late, it is probably a better idea to still include all the landmark cases—but for the other cases, just make sure you have the rule.)

Do not include long descriptions of the cases. Do not include case briefs for each case! Try to summarize a case in one or two sentences. Write the summary in your own words. It does not have to be eloquent or well-written!

You can use your class notes, casebook, or a commercial briefs book to find the rules. We recommend that you use your class notes (it is your best resource) and you can use your casebook or any commercial briefs as a backup.

We’ve added in the cases, in orange below.

2. Fairmount Glass Works v. Crunden: Even if one or more terms (below) are left open, a contract does not fail for indefiniteness if the parties intended to make a contract.

a. Harvey v. Facey: Saying “lowest price you’ll accept” is not an offer. Need the price .

a. Owen v. Tunison: if offeree is not identified (in this case, a land sale contract), there is no offer.

b. Lefkowitz: Coat case. This was an offer because all terms were identified (first person in store gets coat for $1).

5. Use hypothetical examples or important points your professor made in class to illustrate a rule

It is crucial to include hypothetical examples and important points that the professor makes in class in your outline because they show you how the law is applied to facts. Further, your professor is likely to test these points. You can see hypothetical examples and points added in red font below.

i. Hypo: “Will you sell us the property?” Is that an offer? No, a question cannot be an offer. No price term either!

a. “We are authorized to offer you all of the fine salt you order.” Is that an offer? No. Because no quantity. Just saying “offer” doesn’t make it one.

i. What makes an ad an offer? When there is nothing left to negotiate!

6. Identify and draw attention to the minority rules, exceptions to the rules, and the parts of law that are unsettled

Outline the ambiguities, contradictions, and exceptions in the law. If there is a minority rule or an exception to the rule, state it. If you are assigned two cases that contradict each other, include both. We don’t have an example for this portion of the outline, but the point is DO NOT avoid gray areas or ambiguities—rather, draw attention to them! These are commonly tested on exams!

Once you have your outline made, constantly review your outline! Go back and repeatedly review it so you can memorize it. It is best to make it a habit to repeatedly review your outline (however you learn best!). If you are an auditory learner, cover up your outline and try to say it out loud. If you are more visual—which most students are—then it may be more helpful to cover up portions of your outline and see if you can rewrite the elements. We have more tips for learning your law school outline later in this guide!

Looking for a unique way to outline?

We are very proud of our new law school study aids , which include visually appealing outlines! (Please see a few samples of outline pages below.) We recommend students incorporate images from our outlines into their own outlines. These images make your outlines easy to understand and learn!

Our law school study aids are available on a monthly basis and also include over 1,500 flashcards, hundreds of practice problems written by top professors, and multiple-choice questions. You can try it for free today!

Torts sample:

Constitutional Law sample:

Contracts sample:

Check out this recorded webinar on how to write a law school outline.

Go to the next topic, when should i start my law school outlines , seeking success in law school.

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How to Write a 'Why This Law School' Essay

Here's how to respond when a law school asks about your specific interest in them.

Writing a 'Why This Law School' Essay

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Law schools value applicants who show they have done their research about where they are applying, because the investment of time and energy shows genuine interest and because research is a core legal skill.

Strong law applicants tend to have carefully considered why they are applying to law school , and they understand that their application essays need to express their interest in a legal career.

However, many are stumped when law school applications ask them a narrower question: Why are you applying to this law school?

Most commonly, law schools may ask this question through a supplemental application essay , sometimes called a “Why X School” or “Why This School” essay.

For example, the University of Notre Dame Law School offers applicants an optional statement of no more than two double-spaced pages “to express a specific interest in Notre Dame Law School.” The School of Law at the University of California—Irvine has a mandatory essay of up to 750 words about why you are interested in their school.

Other schools may ask applicants to address this question within their personal statement with a short-answer prompt. It is also a common interview question.

By asking applicants about their specific interest in a school, admissions officers turn the table on applicants. After all, applicants take pains to distinguish themselves by showing that their grades and test scores don’t reveal other factors that set them apart. With a “Why This School” question, law schools say: We’re unique, too. Why are you choosing us?

Ironically, many applicants have given little thought to what separates one law school from another! As you can imagine, admissions offices are not thrilled about this. They certainly don’t see themselves as gatekeepers to a generic, interchangeable institution.

Answering a “Why This School” essay can be frustrating. How do you articulate your interest without resorting to boilerplate flattery about a school’s prestigious faculty and beautiful campus?

Learn About a Law School Through an Event, Interview or Visit

Since many applicants apply to a wide range of law schools, they may not know much about each one.

One of the best ways to learn about a law school is at a law school forum or information session. Many schools host online events, which can be convenient for applicants unable to visit the law school in person.

Look for these things

If you have a chance to speak with an admissions officer, you can ask good questions to learn more about how the school sets itself apart from others.

You may also learn about a law school by talking to current or former students about their experience on campus.

Research What a Law School Offers

Use search engines like Google News or LexisNexis to find any mentions of the school in the press. Did the law school recently open a new building or center, or announce a new policy that might affect your interest?

Most importantly, carefully review the law school’s website . Law school websites are one of the best ways to learn about a school: how it sees itself, what it offers and what’s going on. While law school websites might look unremarkable at first, close reading can reveal valuable details.

Compare multiple law school websites and notice the differences between them in style and content. Often, the words and images they use are meticulously crafted to present and promote a distinct identity. Without copying their phrasing word for word, reference these ideas in your essays to reflect an understanding of a school’s unique character while avoiding cliches and generalities.

Find Areas of Overlap

Law schools differ in their size, geography , culture, curricula, special programs, campus activities and many other ways. These distinctions provide perspectives on how each law school stands out.

Based on your research, make a list of strengths for each of your target schools that are relevant to your interests as a candidate. For example, if your personal statement is about your dream of becoming a prosecutor, look for clinics, research centers, programs, professors or distinguished alumni in the criminal law field.

Focus on a Few Specific Points

When elaborating on the reason you are interested in a school, don’t try to “flood the zone.” Broad compliments may sound insincere.

In a “Why This School” essay or interview response, center your answer on a few concrete reasons.

Try to keep the reasons varied. For example, rather than mention three clinics you find interesting, think about other potential points of intersection, like a personal connection or a geographic interest.

Think realistically about your plans for law school and beyond . It would be more effective to thoughtfully explain why a professor’s research interests align with your own than to rattle off every relevant course in the catalog.

Ultimately, “why” questions are about connecting a law school to yourself. Answer with confidence by researching and identifying a few specific ways in which a school’s unique offerings match with what sets you apart.

Tips to Boost a Law School Application

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Tags: law school , graduate schools , education , students

About Law Admissions Lowdown

Law Admissions Lowdown provides advice to prospective students about the law school application process, LSAT prep and potential career paths. Previously authored by contributors from Stratus Admissions Counseling, the blog is currently authored by Gabriel Kuris, founder of Top Law Coach , an admissions consultancy. Kuris is a graduate of Harvard Law School and has helped hundreds of applicants navigate the law school application process since 2003. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Law School Optional Essay Examples: When and How to Write Supplementals

Reading law school optional essay examples is a wonderful way to learn the format and expectations of this supplementary law school application component. Law school optional essays, like a law school letter of continued interest , are a useful tool in drawing attention to your application and helping you increase your chances of getting in. While there is some disagreement on whether optional essays are always required, knowing how to write them well is important. In this blog, we’ll learn what law school optional essays are, how to write them, some common essay prompts, which schools ask for optional essays, and some optional essay samples to help you in writing your own.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 7 min read

What is a law school optional essay.

A law school optional essay is a secondary, supplementary essay you can submit as part of your application to law school. As the name implies, they are not always required of students and are different from a law school personal statement . For example, law school diversity statement is a common optional essay in the US and Canada. An optional essay is similar in structure and intent to a personal statement, but will usually be written in response to a specific prompt. Optional essays are usually submitted concurrently with your primary application.

Law school optional essays are a student’s response to supplementary prompts or questions. Some law schools will have specific instructions on writing and submitting an optional essay, or provide writing prompts or a list of potential questions.

There is some debate whether law school optional essays are actually optional. Some law schools state that students who do not submit an essay in response to at least one of their optional essay prompts are not considered for admissions. And given how competitive law school acceptance rates are, it’s in your best interest to write an optional essay if the school provides a prompt, question or topic. If they do not, you can brainstorm a topic of your choice to write a supplementary essay.

If you choose to do so, it’s vital that you respond to the prompt or prompts you feel you can provide an answer to.

Optional essays should be used strategically to bolster your application. It can be a useful tool to tell the admissions committee of your chosen law school more about you or provide them additional information about why you should be considered for admissions.

Want to see a summary of some of our key points from this blog? This infographic is for you:

How to write a law school optional essay

Law school optional essays follow the same formula as college essays or law school personal statements . They are an essay that highlights your personal experiences, perspectives and answer the given prompt. Some schools will allow students to submit an optional essay on the topic of their choosing, too.

Optional essays need to include an introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, same as other college essays . A typical word count for the optional essay is only 250 words, although some schools will ask students to submit multiple optional essays or allow for a greater word count. Schools like Stanford and Yale are among the top schools which allow only 250 words for optional essays.

If you’re unsure how to begin writing an optional essay or brainstorm ideas, law school admissions consulting can help you develop the writing and researching skills you need to craft an excellent essay. Or you can read our examples below for some help and inspiration in writing your own.

Some things you need to consider when writing your own optional essay for law school, though, is to avoid repeating any information you shared in your personal statement or other parts of your application, use your optional essay strategically, and follow the instructions you’re given for the prompt.

Be sure to address the prompt directly. Brainstorm your answer and write a couple of drafts to see how your ideas flow on the page. Admissions committees will be evaluating not just your writing skill but your answer, so be sure your response to the prompt is compelling and informative of your skills and mindset. This is your chance to be a little creative and stand out from the crowd. Even if the prompt is a simple \u201cWho is your favourite author?\u201d type of question, don\u2019t just spout out a name that sounds impressive. Be genuine and discuss why that particular author is your favourite and what you\u2019ve learned from their writing. ","label":"Follow the instructions","title":"Follow the instructions"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

One of the most common law school optional essay prompts is “Why do you want to attend X law school?” You may have already answered this question in your personal statement or another part of your initial application, but it is a favourite question law schools ask of prospective students.

To answer this prompt, you’ll need to find your distinct reason or motivation for applying for that specific law school. Research the school’s program, culture, values, and mission and demonstrate your knowledge in your answer. For example, if you’re applying to Harvard Law School as it is arguably the best law program in the country, tell them why you agree the program is excellent and why having a top-tier law education is so important to you personally.

Some other common prompts for law school optional essays will be to ask you off-beat or quirky type questions, sometimes similar to law school interview questions , to see what kind of unique, stand-out responses you’ll submit. Other optional essay questions will be relatively simple to answer, such as “what is your favourite book?” or “what are your most important extracurricular interests?” These questions might sound simple for a 250-word essay, but it’s key to always tie your answer back to your motivation for applying to law school and reveal something pertinent about yourself.

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Below we’ve listed recent prompts provided by some of the top law schools in the US, including Stanford Law School, Harvard Law School and Georgetown University.

Some recent prompts from Stanford Law School include:

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There are some law schools which encourage students to submit an optional essay for consideration as part of their application. If you’re thinking of applying to law school in Canada, for example the University of Toronto, an optional essay is highly encouraged as part of your OLSAS application . If you’re researching potential law schools in Canada , it’s also a good idea to check out their admissions requirements as well.

Many of the top law schools in the US strongly encourage students to submit an optional essay or statement as well, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, and Duke University, to name a few.

Law school optional essay sample #1

Prompt: What important challenge does society face today?

The most important challenge society faces today is to collaborate for a better future. There are more people on the planet than ever before, and with so many different generations, cultures and peoples all trying to find common ground, it can create a sort of “too many cooks in the kitchen” dilemma. Society has been changing rapidly, and the world is changing more drastically than ever before. It is my belief that collaboration is our biggest challenge.

We’re all aware of the global problems facing our society today, and the various efforts around the globe to implement solutions and come up with the answer. However, with so many different voices clamoring to be heard and different perspectives all clashing in the discussion, it can be hard to see any forward progress. Solving our problems on a global scale will be some of the most significant challenge any of us will know in our lifetimes, so in my opinion learning to work together for a solution will be the biggest obstacle. It is my thinking that it is time we see new voices, and new solutions in the room.

This may of course contribute further to the problem since there are already so many individuals wanting to be heard. But we have also seen in recent years how the younger generations have been stepping up and adding their contributions in positive ways. In politics, in technology, in environmentalism, in law and in industries across the globe, there has been a turnover of new ideas. And I think focusing on new ideas and figuring out how to make them work now is far more beneficial than another debate. We already know what needs to be done. Our biggest challenge will be to stop thinking of our individual needs and start thinking collectively of our global futures.

Law school optional essay sample #2

Prompt: List and describe your academic interests and tell us how they are related to your future career.

My academic interests are broad, but I have always been interested in a career in the law. I studied my undergrad with a Bachelor of Communications with a minor in criminology and forensic science. I have always been fascinated with forensic sciences and I believe a thorough understanding of science and criminology are essential to my future goal to become a criminal defense lawyer.

As an undergrad, I also took several optional seminars and courses on criminology, and I interned at a local forensic lab during the summer as a file clerk. During my internship, I was allowed to safely observe many common forensic procedures and learn more about the inner workings of a forensic lab. It was fascinating to learn the science behind these procedures and witness how they are performed with my own eyes. My criminology seminars also afforded me the chance to speak to practicing lawyers and retired police officers about their experiences with the criminal justice system.

My major in Communications has also been invaluable to me as I pursue my goal to become a lawyer. As a lawyer I will need the skills I have learned in communicating effectively and clearly in any medium. I have also been able to develop my writing skills considerably, which will be a necessary tool in my skillset.

All of these experiences have given me a well-rounded and holistic view of my future career and given me a solid foundation to build on as I prepare to enter law school. I believe my undergraduate experiences and academic interests will add to my learning at law school.

A law school optional essay is a supplementary essay you can include in your law school application. They are a good way to boost your application and provide further information to the school admissions committee about your background, personal experience and motivations.

No; not every law school asks for optional essays, and not every law school will expect one. Even so, an optional essay can be a great tool to help your application stand out, especially with the right writing prompt.

One of the most common prompt is “Why do you want to attend X law school?”, although different law schools may provide a list of prompts for students to choose from.

An optional essay is typically no more than 250 words, but some law schools will allow some flexibility on this matter.

While it is not required, Harvard Law School does provide applicants with a list of optional essay prompts, so it’s a good idea to pick at least one to submit to help strengthen your application.

An optional essay may have a diversity prompt, but sometimes diversity statements are required separately as well.

Stanford doesn’t require an optional essay, but students who choose to do so are asked to submit at least two essays of 250 words maximum. Applicants are provided a list of prompts to choose two topics from.

The university doesn’t require an optional essay in their applications, but they do provide a prompt list for those who choose to submit one.

The only time it’s advisable NOT to submit an optional essay is if the prompt or prompts provided don’t resonate with you personally. Submitting a weak optional essay is worse than not submitting one at all. If you’re struggling on picking a topic or a prompt you like for an optional essay, don’t submit one.

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