Law is order, and good law is good order”-Aristotle. For as long as I remember, I have always been fascinated by the legal structure of our country and the law in general. Our great nation was founded upon religious convictions and the ideals of equality,liberty and sovereignty(Huggins,2015).I remember Barack Obama giving a speech on 30th June, 2008 – “The America We Love”. It was a speech about patriotism where he told a story about the men at Lexington and Concord and about the sacrifices they made.They were among our great nation’s first patriots(Lamparello,2015). That speech moved me emotionally and made me aware of our nation’s greatness in its ideals and founding principles . Keeping in view of the current political climate, our need for ideals and values need to be stronger than ever. I have always felt a calling for law and I think now is the time to answer it.
I have been always been fascinated about America’s rise to independence and its journey towards being the most powerful nation on earth. Coming from a modest background,I am the only member in my family to have an affinity for law.One of the major reasons which has made America a force to be reckoned with is the degree of political freedom and the ideals upon which this nation was founded upon.With me as a lawyer, I believe I could defend this great nation and its ideals. It would be a great honour and privilege for me to be a representative of the American legal system.For me, the journey to being a lawyer starts here.
I have also followed a lot of legal articles and journals over the years . Some of my esteemed admission committee members have recently published dissertations on “Challenges in the Identification of the ‘General Principles of Law Recognized by Civilized Nations” and “Partisan Gerrymandering and the Illusion of Unfairness”( Allen, 2015). I found both dissertations very enlightening and captivating. It made me come to terms with a lot of the burdening issues that affect the legal structure in our country.
My work background as a correctional training sergeant supervisor at the Illinois Department of Corrections and managing the army IPERMS database at the Illinois Army National Guard has been a major learning experience for me. Working at the department of Corrections as an administrator had its challenges. A lot of intense situations presented themselves which needed to be dealt with in a professional manner. Being around with inmates and seeing the true nature of crimes made me view crime in a different light.It made me see the consequences of the judicial system , which prompted me to be a catalyst to make it a better system.
As a database operator in the Illinois Army National Guard, the army taught me about the value of sacrifice and devotion towards my country. Being around with military personnel gave me a fresh outlook about the sacrifices our great “brothers and sisters” make for our country. It instilled in me a new level of respect towards the men and women who put their lives on the line on a daily basis.
I have also been a campaign manager for Attorney David Lawler who was running for Williamson County Circuit Judge as well as for Branda Zanotti for States Attorney in Williamson County.Those experiences gave me a brief overview of the world of backdoor politics and how politics influence laws in really high places. The law is not clean and fair in many of these high places and it affected my way of thinking and made me alter my perception of the true state of affairs of the law in our country.I also served as an elected county precinct committeeman and conducted monthly democratic meetings for five months. Although my work was administrative in nature, yet I managed to gain a brief oversight on local politics and how our legal framework is the essence of making politics relevant and facilitating the need for change. I was also the regional campaign manager for Sheila Simon when she was running for Comptroller.That experience made me gain valuable insight about the world of finance. I also maintained voter information for Illinois State Senator Gary Forby , which was my first foray in the world of politics. It was my first real experience, where I was full of idealism and hope. I stepped into that world thinking that I could be a catalyst for change and do my bit in making this great nation even greater.
Through all my experiences and working experiences, I have realized that law is the ultimate foundation to an upstanding society. The need to make positive changes in our country comes from a steady legal base. Our law holds this country together and I want to be a play a part in that. Inspite of coming from a political and millitary background, I do feel that I have the relevant experience and the moral compass of someone who loves this great nation. I feel I can adequately represent my country in upholding its legal values.
References:
Allen, R. J. (2015). A Proposed Evidence Law. BU Int'l LJ, 33, 359.
Huggins, A. (2015). Incremental and inevitable: Contextualising the threshold learning outcomes for law. UNSWLJ, 38, 264.
Lamparello, A. (2015). Legal Education at a Crossroads: A Response to Measuring Merit: The Shultz-Zedeck Research on Law School Admissions. Loy. L. Rev., 61, 235.
