I am considering writing an essay in reponse to some schools asking if anything else should be used to evaluate financial need.

Of course, this is after they ask you about your family's assets and/or income (i.e. Notre Dame).

On the FAFSA, I am filing as independent, obviously. But I assume these questions are for need-based aid from the specific school. My "special" situation is that my family (my parents) are very well-off - but are not willing to help me out at all - with tuition or living expenses - during law school. I have also been financially independent for the past 5 years as a graduate student (I receive a stipend/tuition waiver/work part-time).

I have no idea of a "nice" way to phrase this. Should I even bother - will it sound contrived and lame? Or just accept the fact I will get nothing need-based?

I thought about finding a reason they are hording their money - not lie, but emphasize a reason such as concerns about needing the money for healthcare/retirement instead of the "real" reason they tell me - they think law school/any grad school is a poor idea.

I think you may be in the clear. The below is from Boalt's financial aid website. It seems as though you need to either be 30 before Dec. 31 of your enrollment year or able to demonstarte that your parents have not been supporting you for at least five years.

Determining Financial Independence
A student is considered to be financially independent based either upon the student's age or demonstrated financial independence from his or her parents.

If the student will be at least 30-years-old by December 31 of the fall semester of the academic year for which grant eligibility is being determined, he or she will be considered to be financially independent.

Students who do not meet the age requirement for financial independence will be treated as financially independent if they demonstrate the following:

1. that they have not received more than $10,000 total from their parents in the prior five years; and
2. that they have not lived more than six cumulative calendar months with their parents in the prior five years; and
3. that they have not been claimed as a dependent by their parents on any of their prior five federal tax returns.

You may obtain the Statement of Independence by sending a request to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . Please note that along with the statement you must submit a photocopy of the first two pages of your parents' federal tax return for each of the five years you were not claimed as an exemption.

That is good to know. I probably won't get into Notre Dame anyways, but I'll check more carefully for each school before I divulge their financial info. I am not sure about qualification #3. I think it might only be 4 years - I think in 2004 they still claimed me as a dependent, even though I told them not to use me to save themselves money.

I don't know if I would sell-out your parents, it might come off like you're bitter and angry. And while you might be, it's probably not the message you want to give to the reader. (I'm not at all suggesting that your parents aren't being selfish, but don't air your dirty laundry.)

Rather than putting a negative spin on it, you could take the angle that your parents' wealth should not be a factor in whether you receive financial assistance b/c they're no longer willing to fund your education. And further, you could talk about the fact that while you might not agree with their perspective, it has taught you to be self-suffient and that you truly felt a sense of accomplishment when you graduated from graduate school.