The dreaded LSAT exams.
The monotonous lists of essay questions that ask you why you’re interested in pursuing law and what kind of strengths you would bring into the school you’re pining after.
The financial aid forms that make your mind turn to mush.
These are aspects of law school applications most undergraduate students experience to some degree or another, and they have definitely tormented me this past year. I’m a senior and a peer writing tutor at DePaul, and I’d like to share some pointers for the prospective student who is thinking about sending applications to law schools in their near future. Curious about going but haven’t decided on fully committing? That’s fine! Most of these steps, crafted to remind a peer writing tutor of their qualifications, will serve to get you thinking about whether a career in law will best suit you.
Well, what kind of strengths or qualifications can a peer writing tutor bring to the applicant pool?
Versatility and Flexibility
As a tutor, you see multiple forms of writing, and you consistently multi-task to fulfill your responsibilities, which include checking your work messages, discussing work with writers, providing written feedback, attending professional development inservices, and documenting and recording your appointments through letters. When you don’t have an appointment, you are expected to cultivate a portfolio, maintain it, and work on other projects. Lawyers will be asked to multi-task and manage their cases and appointments, and since you’re always a busy bee, transitioning into the field of law won’t be overwhelming. Apply the flexible time management and organizational skills you used as a tutor to be on track with your appointments!
You’re a Good Writer!
Odds are, if you work at The UCWbL, our administration leaders thought your writing samples were impressive and your communicational skills were top notch to be able to provide good feedback to fellow writers. In the legal world, writing is not only a must, but it’s crucial a lawyer knows how to convey their main point, provide substantial details to defend their claims, and integrate concepts into one cohesive whole. Lawyers need to be able to write through long processes and make things understandable and accessible to their clients. As a peer writing tutor, you’ve been exposed to a plethora of argumentative essays, reflections, business memos, and other types of writing via appointments. Your exposure is key. Making the most of your own writing experiences—as well as of your exposure to multiple writers’ writing processes—will make you stand out as a writer and communicator.
Rapport-Building with Writers
Interacting with people and knowing how to maintain a professional and helpful demeanor is an important skill. Tutors are expected to build rapport with their writers since this develops a mutually beneficial relationship that conveys trust and professionalism. Writers are more likely to share their ideas regarding their work and be more open to feedback if a tutor takes the time to be friendly and empathetic. Clients are essential to lawyers’ work. A lawyer’s job is to have their clients’ best interest at hand, and they establish this by creating meaningful rapport.
Critical and Analytical Skills
Being able to constructively critique writing is both important as a peer writing tutor and as a lawyer. When you see information that could be expanded or clarified, knowing how to compose feedback that addresses these issues demonstrates that you are capable of analyzing and interpreting information given to you. Lawyers do a lot of reading; sometimes one case brief along with the history of the legal issue at hand can be at the very least 50 pages long. Thinking critically will help you sort through the important thematic issues, and then focus on the details afterward. The tutoring mentality of “global issues first, local issues second” would be valued in any law firm. Knowing how to prioritize aspects of reading and writing is a skill you can bring up in your application.
If you’ve been thinking of applying to law school, these writing tutor skills are often shared with lawyers—who knows, maybe working in the legal field will be your next great fit! Consider using these qualities in your resumes, statement of intent, or on-campus interviews.
Part 2 to this blog post will consist of going through the writing process when writing a personal statement for law school, and I will relate it to my own experience this year. Stay tuned!