Sample Essay

"Some people believe that law is a tool to ensure social justice, while others believe that it is a tool of the privileged classes to ensure inequality. Having dedicated the past four years of my life immersed in the study of law, I have come to consider law a product of complicated interactions of societal cultures and values. If designed and implemented properly, law can provide a cohesive bond to help society carry out the effective functions that are necessary to facilitate the orderly co-existence of individuals. In this sense, I believe law should be progressive and dynamic enough to meet the increasing demands of modern society, necessitating progressive ways of thinking and governing. In order to maintain its effectiveness of its laws in a society, change is required.

As a firm proponent of social justice and a believer in the utility of law in assuring this justice, I aspire to become involved in the re-evaluation and improvement of Taiwan's current civil laws, as well as social welfare regulations to protect the position of an individual within society. I feel that I need to further my education, thereby advancing my insight and knowledge that is necessary to implement such a change.

I have a great amount of concern for the underprivileged socio-economic classes within society. This classification includes many groups: women, children, elderly and other minorities. While advancements in Taiwanese society have occurred in terms of economic development and political liberalization, I feel the advancement of social issues have not been as successful. Indeed, many social issues have long been left unadvised. While the majority groups in Taiwan have enjoyed the fruit of economic prosperity and political liberalization, minority groups have been left out. It is therefore the duty of government, through the creation of social law, to insure that all members of society are afforded similar entitlements. Without this assurance, we are left with a society that is uncaring and unsympathetic. If society does not use its laws to protect the members of minority groups then it merely becomes a tool for the privileged class to protect the social order.

I have also been very interested in the role of gender in the functioning of modern Taiwanese society. While women have enjoyed new-found freedoms in the job market, they still experience discrimination. They face discriminating laws in the office, home, and in larger society. This is largely the fault of laws that have been enacted in the past, and due to lack of public support, rarely questioned. For instance, Taiwanese law regarding the separation of a family automatically award custody of the children to the father. There are almost no instances to the contrary and there is no requirement for paternal support. What is perhaps far worse, the female is responsible for assuming at least half, if not more, of the couple's entire cumulated debt. I believe that this unfairness is a result of family law that was enacted some fifty years ago, and never formally challenged.

These injustices in the system extend to all the underprivileged groups. There are few laws regarding domestic violence in Taiwan, where this issue goes largely ignored. Elderly members of society receive no guarantees of government support in their old age. I have a particular interest in this group as I feel they have been a significant contributing group to our society, and yet we offer them no guarantees. There is no social welfare for the elderly; if his/her family abandons an older individual, there is little the government can offer.

And in terms of Taiwan's youth, the government has recently enacted a juvenile court decision to handle the cases of crimes committed by young people - yet they do not employ any youth counselors. The role of this court is to merely hand out sentences for legal infractions. The traditional minority group in Taiwan is the aboriginal population. They account for roughly 10 percent of the Island's population. This group, which has long been isolated from modern society, has a very difficult challenge in assimilation. Because of their isolation from the mainstream, they are not afforded any of the social privileges of society.

I became involved in these social issues in my undergraduate education at ABC University. It was there that I first began my studies in Law. In my education, I examined the many governing principles of law and its application to society. This field has greatly held my interest. I became involved in many activities outside of the classroom that allowed me to further examine the role of law in society. I worked for a volunteer legal organization that provided free legal advice community residents who were unable to afford other professional advice. I gained a great deal in this position and increased my understanding of the practical nature of law. I also served in the capacity of campaign assistant for a Taipei City congressman. I greatly admired this individual because he had possessed a Ph.D. in Law, and was widely considered an expert in the field of social law. I also shared his beliefs in the progressive reform of social law.

Upon graduation, I have been working in the capacity of a paralegal for a large local law firm. This responsibility has provided me with first-hand practical experience in working with legal issues. I have gained familiarity in the daily routines of a legal office. I believe that all my law experiences - education, work, volunteering, and interest in societal issues- have given me great direction in regards to my future career, and show my diligence in pursuing such a career.

And the best place for me to pursue my future interests is in the United States. As a multi-cultural and multi-racial society, the U.S. has long been a leader in the handling of complex social issues. I believe the experience of studying and living in the U.S. would be invaluable for my future goals in law. Surely, Taiwanese society has a different set of political, social, and economic issues than those in the U.S. Nonetheless, I believe that assimilation is possible and that comparison can be very valuable.

Taiwan desperately needs highly motivated individuals who are committed to furthering the cause of social issues. I believe that with the proper education graduate study will afford me I can become one of those individuals. There is a great deal of work to be done to assure the equal protection of all individuals, a task that I feel is vitally important. I believe that I have exhibited significant interest in pursuing further study in Law and that my commitment to this effort will benefit society as a whole. In the end, I would like to contribute my efforts to a governmental or non-profit organization that is dedicated to the advancement of the underprivileged members of society."