When applying to law school, your goal is to establish that you’re an accomplished student and a conscientious, upstanding citizen. Put simply, you want to present your best self to an admissions committee. But what if there’s a flaw on your record that disrupts the exemplary image you’re trying to convey? That’s where writing an addendum for law school may be useful.
An addendum is an optional statement that you can submit with your law school applications to explain any aberration on your legal or academic record. However, many applicants struggle to write an effective addendum or to understand whether they should include one at all.
In this post, we’ll unravel the ins and outs of law school addenda to give you a clear sense of how and if you ought to write one. We’ll go over which situations warrant an addendum, how to successfully compose one, and we’ll show you well-written examples and help you understand why they work.
The purpose of an addendum is to provide you with a space in which you can clarify anything in your academic or legal background that an admissions committee might see as a red flag. While the idea of discussing what may be a low point in your personal history likely seems unappealing, think of an addendum as an opportunity to frame a negative experience in the way that you want it to come across, rather than leaving it up to misinterpretation.
By proactively addressing any irregularities in your record and displaying subsequent correction or improvement, you also have the chance to demonstrate that you can take responsibility and learn from past mistakes and obstacles.
It’s not always the case that an addendum is necessary to explain an imperfect situation. In this section, we’ll go over the scenarios that most often lead applicants to submit addenda and help you determine whether or not an addendum is appropriate for you.
The most frequent reason that applicants choose to send an addendum with their law school applications is poor academic performance in college that’s resulted in low grades and/or a low GPA.
A useful rule of thumb is: if your weak academic performance was caused or contributed to by unforeseen events or extenuating circumstances, you should include an addendum. For example, valid reasons that you should discuss include bad grades due to a medical issue, family emergency, or death of a loved one, just to name a few.
An addendum is also necessary if, for whatever reason, you’ve received failing or near-failing grades (a D or F) or you’ve faced academic probation or dismissal.
On the other hand, a challenging major or strenuous course load are not good reasons to submit an addendum. Doing so will most likely come off as trivial and sympathy-seeking. For instance, if you’re an English major whose otherwise excellent GPA dipped one semester because you decided to try organic chemistry, trust that admissions committees will be able to read between the lines.
Similarly, admissions officers understand that many students’ grades improve after freshman year once they’ve adjusted to college life. So unless your first year grades are catastrophic, it’s probably not necessary to address them.
If your LSAT results aren’t what you’d hoped for, you should consider writing an addendum if your score was adversely affected by circumstances beyond your control, such as illness or a car accident on the day of the test. These are sound explanations, particularly if you later retook the test and got a markedly better score.
In fact, if you’ve taken the LSAT more than once and received significantly different results, it’s a good idea to account for why, no matter the circumstances. Frame your low score as an anomaly and explain how your improved score better indicates your true capabilities.
However, don’t use an addendum to justify a bad score due to inadequate preparation or nervousness, especially if you’re unable to show improvement.
Some applicants use an addendum to situate their low LSAT score in an ongoing struggle with standardized testing. We suggest doing this only if your testing difficulties are substantial and verifiable and you can prove that you’re an otherwise outstanding student.
In other words, your LSAT and other standardized test scores need to be fairly low and your GPA needs to be fairly high for this explanation to be convincing. An addendum would be appropriate if, say, you received a 150 on the LSAT but had a 3.8 GPA from a competitive college, and your SAT scores were mediocre as well.
Besides academic performance, here are the most common reasons that applicants write addenda:
It’s safe to say that if any of the above apply to you, you should address it in an addendum and err on the side of full disclosure.
Particularly in the cases of collegiate misconduct or criminal behavior, it’s crucial not to omit or gloss anything over. Not only do you want to convince law schools that these incidents do not reflect the responsible, rule-respecting person you are today, it’s also important not to set a precedent of hiding elements of your history, since you’ll need to disclose past infractions when applying for admission to the bar.
That said, law schools do vary in their requirements of what incidents must be reported. Some may only want to know about severe infractions, such as felonies and misdemeanors, while others will require that you disclose any legal or disciplinary troubles, down to traffic violations.
Certain schools may also allow you to omit sealed or expunged charges. Make sure to read application guidelines closely to understand what to talk about in your addendum. Remember that it’s better to risk full disclosure, no matter how unpleasant, than to have it come out later.
If you’re still just not sure whether an addendum is necessary for you, imagine reading your application materials from the perspective of a stranger and see if anything sticks out. If so, an addendum is likely worth writing. Another good option is to ask the opinion of a trusted advisor, professor, or friend in law school.
While you don’t want to run the risk of unnecessarily drawing attention to minor missteps that might otherwise be overlooked, you do want to prevent misunderstandings and show that you can take accountability for your actions.
An addendum should be a short, concise document—in most cases, one to three paragraphs will suffice. It’s rare that you’ll need to write more than one double-spaced page.
In creating your addendum, your goals are as follows: to acknowledge what happened, to give further context as to why, and to explain why the incident should not negatively impact your chances of admission.
Strive to present your situation clearly and without extraneous detail. This isn’t the place to use the creative flourishes that you might in a personal statement. However, you should incorporate enough detail to ground your reader, making sure to include important specifics such as dates and place names.
It’s important not to editorialize, complain, make excuses, blame others, or seek sympathy or pity. Instead, simply state the facts in an even-handed tone. Admissions committees are looking to see that you’ve grown from your experience, so do take responsibility for your actions and failings and keep your perspective positive.
On that note, an addendum doesn’t need to be gloomy. It can be a good idea to highlight positive elements of your candidacy so long as they’re relevant to the subject at hand. For example, if you’re addressing a weak GPA but your LSAT score is impressive, briefly (and without sounding self-congratulatory) point out that your LSAT results better demonstrate your talents.
Here’s a simple, three-paragraph structure that can be used to write any type of addendum. Adapt it as necessary, making sure to follow the guidelines of the law schools to which you’re applying.
Law School Addendum Paragraph 1
Your first paragraph should serve as an overview of the situation. State what happened, sticking to the objective facts.
Law School Addendum Paragraph 2
Next, describe what caused the situation and how you’ve changed as a result. Though you don’t want to deflect blame or take an overly emotional tone, this is where it would be appropriate to discuss the personal. You should mention any circumstances in your life that led to the incident, what effect it had on you, and what you’ve learned. You should also express, if applicable, recognition of mistakes.
Law School Addendum Paragraph 3
Conclude by explaining that you’ve been on a better, more positive path since the incident. For instance, if your addendum addresses failing grades due to a bout of illness, note that you’ve earned straight As since your recovery. Or if you have a DUI in your past, mention that you’ve had a clean record for the past four years and that your driving privileges have been reinstated.
If your addendum covers an ongoing issue such as addiction, chronic illness, or a learning disability, it would also be beneficial to clarify in this paragraph why you believe you won’t face the same difficulties in law school.
Here are two examples of addenda to show you how applicants have handled different issues.
Low GPA addendum
In February 2017, during my freshman year, I was a passenger in a car that was struck by a drunk driver. While I walked away with only minor injuries, my roommate was killed. After this incident, my academic performance suffered, which is reflected in my low grades that semester, including a D+ in GOV 206: Urban Politics and an F in GER 102: Elementary German.
My grades that semester were the result of the trauma of the accident and the loss of my roommate and close friend. I became depressed and was not able to focus adequately on my coursework. In retrospect, I should have opted for pass/fail options for some of my classes or taken a leave of absence. Though it did not occur to me then to ask for help, when I went home for the summer, I started seeing a therapist who helped me begin to process what had happened.
My grades greatly improved when I returned to school in the fall. I found a new therapist near campus and have continued to do well academically. Though I know I cannot undo my work from that semester, my GPA after freshman year averages out to 3.75, which I believe represents my capabilities as a future law student.
Criminal record addendum
In July 2015, when I was eighteen years old, I was found in possession of two grams of marijuana near my family’s home in Philadelphia. Under Pennsylvania law, I was charged with a misdemeanor. As a first-time offender, I paid $500, received six months of probation, community service, and entered a diversion program. At the end of the program I applied successfully to have the charge expunged from my record.
In high school, I occasionally smoked marijuana to relax an overactive mind. I was later diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication, which has been very beneficial. Though I knew marijuana was an illegal substance in Pennsylvania, I did not accurately weigh the risks of using or possessing it. I should have known better. This incident forced me to grow up and I now have a much greater appreciation for the law than I did as a teenager.
I have not used marijuana since my possession charge and have had no further legal run-ins. I’m happy to report that today my criminal record is completely clean.
These two addenda work well because they are clear, concise, and factual. They present the applicants’ points of view while maintaining a neutral and mature tone. They demonstrate that these law school candidates are able to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes. Most importantly, they help admissions committees better understand the scenarios in question and lay to rest any doubts that these candidates are unfit for law school.
Not all applicants need to include an addendum when applying for law school, but for those who do, an addendum is a chance to clarify a less than ideal situation and to show accountability and growth. To write an effective addendum, keep things simple, brief, and respectful in order to illustrate that you’re a strong candidate for law school and will make an excellent future attorney.
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on law school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into law school using his exclusive approach.
