Apparently, there is a new trend where employers are asking law students applying for internships and clerkships for copies of the personal statements they used when applying to law school. One attorney told me she does this when hiring and that many of her colleagues do the same. She says:
“I feel like there’s so much focus on grades and academics in law school and its easy to lose sight of who you are or where you come from. I like the idea of learning a little about the applicant and then speaking with them about it when they interview.” For a recent hire in a family law practice, she learned through the personal statement of how divorce impacted the applicant’s life – that person got hired! It’s certainly something to think about!