How I Found Ideas for My Harvard LLM Personal Statement: Part 1

Introduction

In this post, I show how I brainstormed and found ideas for the personal statement that got me admission to the Harvard master of laws (LL.M.) program. You can view the final version of the essay here.

In my previous post, I discussed the conceptual framework I use to help people generate ideas and stories for application essays based on their backgrounds. It's part of my original 5-step methodology for writing personal statements. I applied the same approach when choosing a topic for my LL.M. personal statements.

I began by listing all of the significant experiences in my life. This process was free-flowing: I wrote down everything that came to mind, in no particular order. I didn't categorize or prioritize at first - just followed my associations.

I didn’t discriminate between long-term experiences and brief ones. I focused on what felt subjectively important and highlighted particularly formative experiences.

I spent a significant of time trying to find an overarching theme that would connect my personal personal experiences to broader concepts because I like framing my life in this way. However, this is a personal choice - you don’t have to do the same.

For me, the most formative experiences included, in no specific order:

• Participating in five All-Russian Olympiads in law (three in high school, two at Moscow State University), winning two first prizes and three third prizes. The one I won at 17 was especially impactful because it allowed me to choose any law faculty in the country without exams.
• Competing in moot courts, specifically the Concours Charles-Rousseau and the Philip C. Jessup competitions. I also coached a team for the Charles-Rousseau for three years.
• Growing up in extreme poverty with my father

• Teaching law of obligations to -year students at Moscow State University.
• Working as a researcher at the Higher School of Economics, contributing to projects for the Russian Central Bank and participating in the banking law reform.
• Learning German and French through three university classes and self-study to participate in academic programs abroad.

• Working at a German law firm for three years.

I will elaborate on a few of these experiences. You'll notice my descriptions are fairly detailed - not to overindulge myself to show just how much context I had to explore and analyze before I choosing stories for my personal statement. I recommend doing the same for your essays. This approach can help you feel more confident about your profile and make your choices more strategic and informed.

Formative experience no. 1: moot courts

The Realities of Competing in Russia

Moot courts were the most formative experiences of my university years. To grasp the significance, it's important to understand what a moot court meant for a student in a post-Soviet university compared to one at a Western institution, or at least, how it was when I participated.

1. Moot courts were the only interesting thing to do

Moot courts weren't just one option among many; they were the only truly interesting thing to do. The alternatives included daily lectures and seminars (3 to 5 per day), student conferences (I participated in 11 and eventually lost enthusiasm), and internships (typically sought in your 4^th or 5^th year if you weren’t doing a moot court). Beyond that, the options were sparse.

2. Moot courts were a means of upward social mobility

Moot courts were also a potential ladder for upward social mobility. Participating could earn you an interview with a law firm that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

More importantly, it could expose you to new ways of thinking and introduce you to a reality you may not have known existed – opportunities to go abroad, pursue a master’s degree, or build an international career.

3. Moot courts were a scarce resource

At my university, moot courts were incredibly scarce. Only two were typically advertised – the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Coaches prioritized winning over giving opportunities to more students, often selecting those who had participated before. This meant that out of 5 to 6 spots on the team, only 2 or 3 might be available to new participants. Considering the law faculty admitted about 500 people annually, the competition for these few spots was intense.

The Challenges of Participating in a Moot Court

Now that you know the stakes, let's dive into the challenges that came with preparation.

1. Limited access the academic materials

Access to essential academic materials, like books and articles, was a major hurdle. The organizers provided some, but it wasn’t enough to compete at a high level. My university had no subscriptions to international journal databases and no up-to-date English-language international law books in the library. To bridge the gap, we had to rely on friends studying abroad or use pirated materials.

2. Difficulty finding funding

Even if you made to the top, funding wasn’t guaranteed. Teams had to find their own sponsors. My team was fortunate, but I knew other teams that couldn't afford to participate in the international rounds due to a lack of funding.

3. No academic credit for moot court participation

Lastly, all the work we put int moot court competitions didn't count toward academic credit. You had to balance it with attending 3 to 5 classes a day and preparing for exams. For instance, when I competed in Jessup, I had five exams the same week we submitted our memorials - all of which required intense preparation.

Participating in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Competition: A Personal Experience

My fascination with moot courts began when an acquaintance mentioned the Jessup rounds in Russia. I was a year student at the time and signed up as a bailiffa volunteer who keeps time the oral pleadings. As a bailiff, I had the chance to observe the process and meet participants and judges.

I was more nervous and excited than the teams themselves. The procedure seemed mysterious, even bizarre, yet from the first moment, I knew I wanted to return. That year, I tried out for the team but didn't pass the interview. The following year, I made it.

In 2012, Moscow State University won the Jessup World Cup, and there was a lot of pressure on our team to maintain that standard. Team selection happened in May, and our two coaches gave us materials to study over the summer. Although I was in fourth year and had taken a course in public international law, it wasn't nearly enough to compete in Jessup - especially if we wanted to make it to D.C.

The case was released in September, and we started meeting at the office of one of our coaches at Linklaters. I was fascinated by the hypothetical case concerning the Alfurnan migrants, a small island nation sinking due to climate change and relocating its population to another country. The case touched on the issues of statehood, sovereign immunity, debt restructuring, and climate migration.

Our team met weekly for 3 to 5 hours, reviewing the research and arguments we had developed. The first few months were dedicated to gathering research and building arguments, and then we began writing the memorials. We were lucky that two former team members, who were doing their LLMs at Harvard, helped us access international law resources.

We submitted the memorials in December and had the national oral rounds in January. Balancing this with regular coursework was intense - I had seven pass/fail exams in December, followed by five graded exams in January. Despite the challenges, I managed to do well.

Russia has one of the largest national rounds, with 30 to 50 teams competing annually, and only the top 10% qualify for the international rounds in Washington, D.C. That year, 42 teams participated, and we placed third nationally. Globally, about 600 teams compete, and we made it into the top 10 at the international rounds in D.C.

Coaching for the Concours Charles-Rousseau

Moot courts had such a profound impact on me that I was eager to pass the opportunity on to others. In my third year, I participated in the French moot court, Concours Charles-Rousseau, and naturally continued as a coach afterward.

It was much harder to find team members for this moot court compared to Jessup because participants had to be fluent in both English (for research) and French (for writing and oral pleadings). The first year I coached, we only had two team members, and one struggled with writing the memorial. We didn't make it to the international rounds.

The second time around, the team was stronger, and we competed in Paris. Unfortunately, we couldn't find sponsors, so I funded the trip myself. In 2015, the costs were manageable – I wasn't renting my own apartment yet, the ruble to euro exchange rate was decent, and I had a good salary. I combined two or three months' worth of salary to covered the trip for four people.

The third time, we had a strong team, and one team member managed to secure a sponsor. We traveled to Cuba to compete. The case that year involved a dispute between the U.S. and Cuba over Guantanamo, and the organizers heightened the realism by hosting the competition there.

The Concours Charles-Rousseau taught me a great deal, and I used this experience in various application essays. Coaching allowed me to connect my passion for teaching with my desire to transition into academia, which I highlighted in my LL.M. applications, including the one to Harvard.

When the case involved investment arbitration, I used that experience to demonstrate my interest in the field, particularly in my motivation letter for the Master's in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) program in Geneva, which I was accepted into with a full scholarship. It also helped me secure interviews with Paris law firms for arbitration internships (sample motivation letter published here) and a teaching assistant position at Harvard with Prof. Ko-Yung Tung, where I co-designed a course on international investment arbitration.

On the Subjective Importance of Moot Courts

Can you see how it all adds up? How the socio-economic context of participating in a moot court makes the experience formative? For me, moot courts were, quite literally, a ticket to a new way of life.

First and foremost, they resonated with my idealistic worldview, offering an opportunity to become part of something bigger and brighter than anything life had presented to me thus far. They fostered a sense of belonging to a community of individuals who deeply cared about international law - a world where international law mattered, and international lawyers mattered. In this world, disputes were resolved in court through reasoned arguments rather than violence, and decisions were made by lawyers guided by integrity, not by politicians.

Moot courts validated my insatiable need for intellectual fulfillment (I mean, I have two PhDs!..) They allowed me to navigate the realm of abstract arguments while remaining deeply grounded in practical applications. Each hypothetical case was rooted in real-world scenarios, providing a rare opportunity to hone my legal skills.

On a practical note, I secured my first internship at Morgan Lewis thanks to Jessup – they specifically invited all team members to interview with them. White & Case in Moscow, at least at the time, also used Jessup to preselect candidates for internships. Additionally, moot courts equipped me with language skills that significantly enhanced my chances of landing a well-paid job. For non-native English speakers in an English-dominated world, language is a real barrier. Through my participating in moot courts, I was compelled to master English at a level I couldn’t have achieved on my own.

More importantly, moot courts offered a glimpse into an alternative reality. I began meeting people who had pursued their master of laws at prestigious universities and landed impressive jobs afterwards. They would casually ask me if I was considering the same path, as if it were a natural thing to do. Gradually, I started to believe that such opportunities were indeed accessible, even for someone with my background. Moot courts became a genuine means of upward social mobility, and you don’t get many of those where I come from.

Actionable Guidelines for Your Essay Writing

The way I described my journey may appear neat now, but the process of ideating and brainstorming for my personal statement was anything but tidy. It was truly chaotic. I accumulated a jumble of notes and insights over days, weeks, and even months.

Moreover, after this brainstorming process, I ultimately decided not to include the Jessup story in my essay at all.

I provide all this context to illustrate a few key points:

1. Subjective Value Trumps Objective Parameters: The subjective importance of an experience outweighs its objective qualities. If something was meaningful to you, it holds value. Period.
2. Most Stories Will Go Unused: You will likely not use 95% of the stories you uncover. That’s just the nature of writing - you end up using only a fraction of your material. Nevertheless, it’s essential to undertake this exercise thoroughly. Doing so will help you identify the strongest stories rather than just those that come to mind first.
3. Shift in Focus: This process shifts your focus from ‘bragging’ or ‘selling yourself’ - which can be a block for many - to self-analysis rooted in deep self-knowledge and emotional maturity.

Overall, this approach allows you to appreciate your life experiences not in comparison to others, but in the context of your unique circumstances. It emphasizes that the things you’ve done in your life are worthy of reflection and contribute to your value as a candidate for the program. This philosophy lies at the core of my approach to essay writing and informs why I do what I do.

If you'd like to learn more, I share more of my process writing the Harvard LL.M. personal statement here, Part 2, and here, Part 3. In this post I explain how I strategically chose what experiences to include and what to leave out. You can read about my philosophy on using personal stories, as opposed to professional, here (the overarching framework) and here (how I applied it to my Harvard essay).

I have also published a selection of my application essays and created a course, The Ultimate Guide to a Personal Statement That Gets You Admission, with a full roadmap for writing a winning personal statement, motivation letter, or statement of purpose.