Essay Contest Entry

Josh Guest

Prelaw Advisement:

Before I talk about why I am studying law, allow me to tell a story about a friend of mine named Percival.

Percival doesn't move very often anymore. He doesn't have much time left. There was a time when Percival ran free and easy, but not anymore, even when conditions are perfect. Forget about seeing Percival in action if it's cold outside. Percival is my 1991 Honda Accord. Sometimes, for no particular reason, he won't unlock to let me in. Then I have to walk. I don't roll down the windows in Percival anymore for fear that they won't ever go up again. Percival whistles every time I hit the gas because of the crack in his muffler. The brake light warning lamp has been illuminated for a few months now. He is barely road legal. Percival has trouble seeing. One of his headlights is crooked, the window washing fluid pump can only spray on one side. But that doesn't even matter because whenever I put more fluid in, it all flows right out as fast as it goes in because of a crack in the reservoir.  On the bright side, Percival's springs are hanging in there. They can support me over bumps and ridges so long as I am the sole passenger. However, if there is ever a second person in the car, Percival hits bottom on every bump, every time. But I digress.

I want to go to law school because I want to help families and troubled youths. While working in a small-town law firm over the last summer, I did a lot of the heavy lifting for three lawyers working in a general practice. I learned about property law, corporate law, water law, immigration law and others. My favorites were criminal law and family law. I witnessed the ugliness of divorce and the trauma sustained by the parties involved. It is a terrible process for all associated: the children, the parents, even the attorneys. Yet I wanted to be a part of it because I felt like I had something special to contribute to help mitigate the pain of the children and to protect the client, often the female, from losing all they owned.

I was touched by what I saw while working with clients for whom we worked as a court-appointed representation. Many of our court-appointed clients had no family or friends to turn to. They often called me from jail. I can see why many people had given up on these seemingly lost souls. Yet I felt a kinship towards them. I derived great satisfaction in being positive whenever our criminal suspects called or when we visited them in jail. They would yell, and I would smile and calm them. Angry clients never bothered me, no matter how frequently they called, no matter how loud they yelled, no matter how unreasonable they seemed. I loved those people and felt the desire to love my brother when he was most unlovable.

Jeffrey R. Holland once spoke about his visit to a Bible study course commencement service held in a federal penitentiary. One of the inmate graduates said of the visitors from the outside, "You people are a light in a dark place. If it were not for love like yours, we would not be able to get from where we are to where we need to be" ["Borne Upon Eagles' Wings" BYU Speeches of the Year: 1974-1975, 2]. In many instances I have felt the need to help those wayward souls get from where they are to where they need to be. One particular client comes to mind:

 

The court appointed our firm to represent a certain young man who was charged with burglary and theft. With some of his buddies he had thrown a brick through the window of a local restaurant and robbed it. His transformation began as he confessed to the crime and agreed to pay the damages and do his community service. His countenance changed as he made his way through the repentance process. One day he asked us about how he could find a way to get his life in order so he could get a high school diploma and get into college. My boss took the young man under his wing and helped him find a way to fix his errors and get a fresh start. These lawyers were not just running a business, they were preaching the Gospel.  I saw these lawyers emitting a hope for a better day, a better life.

My heart tells me I have to be a part of it.

I have saved up some money to apply for law school. I have a little money saved up for the LSAT, application fees, and the LSDAS services, but I don't have much beyond that. I know I can succeed in a good law school.  I am willing to work as hard as it takes. Yet as the standards get higher and higher, I realize I need a little outside help just to put me over the line, just like that young man who wanted to graduate high school and go to college.

Now back to Percival. I don't intend to get rid of Percival. I have no desire to own a new car. Percival and I have a lot in common. We do our best with what we have. We work when we don't want to, well, at least I do. We find ourselves running against the wind, but we don't mind. We still have many miles to go. I am going to law school, with or without this LSAT prep course. Just as I know that Percival will get me from point A to point B with or without his back bumper. After researching and weighing the benefits against costs, I have decided to take the ACE prep course, even if that means forgoing some more of Percival's and my needs. Whatever happens, I'll keep going. I am willing to pay the price. But if you could see fit to help me out here as I try to equip myself to help our nation's troubled youth and families, I would be much obliged. I feel a sense of stewardship for every opportunity offered me by this wonderful University. I promise to make good use of the trust put in me by the Preprofessional Advisement Center. And I may even find a way to spare some money to get Percival those brake lights he has always wanted.

Thank you for your consideration.