In my career to date, it has been necessary for me to acquire some awareness of the law especially in the areas of contracts, copyright and employment. The more involved I have become in the legal side of commerce, the more fascinated I have become by the law generally. As a consequence, I have undertaken significant private study in the above areas and in criminal law which also interests me greatly. I also attend the courts when possible to watch the law and lawyers in action and would now rather see a well fought and interesting legal case than watch a sporting match or a good play.
My goal now is to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to become a specialist lawyer in the area of commercial law and to work for a major company to assist that company in achieving its strategic goals and avoiding legal ‘pitfalls’. I am aware that a successful lawyer has certain characteristics such as: being an excellent communicator with high level inter-personal skills and a team worker; having critical thinking and analytical skills of the highest order; having an excellent ‘eye for detail; having a readiness to be aware of changes in a fast-changing legal environment and, most importantly, having a genuine passion for the law.
I have a strong academic record and I have succeeded in my P.R. roles because of my critical thinking and communication skills and my ‘eye for detail’. I would not be making this application if I were not convinced that I have the potential to further develop the relevant skills and personal characteristics that I already possess within the program, in order to become a first class student of the law and a practitioner.
The conduct of commerce without a sturdy legal framework would be chaotic but even within that framework, a badly constructed contract or dubious activity can bring down upon companies a dramatic loss of reputation from which it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to recover. I hope to be one of the ‘gatekeepers’ protecting company managements, their shareholders and employees from the results of such situations. I have been particularly interested in the Volkswagen ‘emissions’ case along with the many recent cases involving misleading (some rather more than misleading) advertising campaigns such as the Wrigley ‘Eclipse’ gum case heard in the US Federal Court. Many of the latter type of cases seem to arise either from an ignorance of the law or an indifference to it which can only be explained by poor legal advice or failure to involve company lawyers in campaigns and providing them with all necessary information to enable them to prevent legal challenges. I should be very interested in assisting in research into the causes of problematic advertising and ways to prevent them occurring.
I admit that my background has not included any formal legal study, however I can assure the reader that my determination, diligence and, most importantly, passion for the law will enable me to succeed within your prestigious program. I believe that my career to date will enable me to bring useful insights to other students and that I have the potential to become a highly trained, skilled and dedicated practitioner of commercial law.
