The Key to Successful Letters of Recommendation for Law School Applications
Your letters of recommendations are an important, but sometimes overlooked, component of your law school application. It is important to make sure that they are strong, personal, and contribute to your overall application narrative. You want to pay attention to who you’re getting to write your letter of recommendation as well as how they are writing it.
Part One: How Many?
Schools vary on the number of letters of recommendation required and/or accepted so you want to make sure you check in LSAC for each individual school. Typically, schools will allow 2-4 letters of recommendation. I usually recommend three as a safe number, and I’ll explain more below.
Part Two: Who?
Law schools want to see that you are a driven, motivated, will contribute positively to their law school campus and culture, and ultimately that you are able to tackle the academic challenges you will face in school. They want to know that you will be successful and use the law school investment wisely.
The ability to speak to your capabilities in the classroom as well as your research, writing, and analytical skills is a main reason why law schools prefer academic letters of recommendation. How many academic letters you need often depends on how long ago you graduated from college. If you are currently in a master’s program, you may use professors from that institution.
A) Seniors in College - Recently Graduated Students (1-2 years out of college)
School strongly prefer that you have two academic letters of recommendation from professors who know you well and are committed to your success. If you include a third letter, try to get a mentor or supervisor from an internship or someone who knows you well outside of school/professional capacity who can speak to your intellectual and analytical abilities. Recently graduated students may get a supervisor from their work/current position.
B) Applicants Who Graduated College/Graduate School 3-5 Years Ago
Law schools will still prefer that you have at least one (but sometimes still two) academic letters of recommendation. This may seem like a daunting task, especially if you are on the tail end of this group, and you haven’t kept in touch with any of your professors. Presenting the following information in this packet will help your recommenders write strong letters even if it has been a while since you were in college. If you have been working consistently, one letter should come from your current or most recent place of employment.
C) Applicants Who Graduated More Than 5 Years Ago
Sometimes going to law school is a mid-career change. At this point, the recommenders from your work and professional life may be a better reflection of who you are as an applicant than the professors who knew you in college. That being said, law schools still have a strong preference for academic letters because they want letters that can speak to your intellectual abilities, analytical skills, and research experience. You should always check with the schools you are applying to because some schools require academic letters of recommendation no matter what. If you are applying to schools that offer more flexibility and do not have a clear preference, and if you truly do not feel as if you have professors who could write a personal letter of recommendation then I suggest getting letters more recent from your professional life instead. No matter how much time has passed since you graduated from college, all law schools will value a letter that can speak to your academic abilities.
Some law schools, like Yale Law School, explicitly state that they have a strong preference for two academic letters of recommendation from every applicant. While they address the difficulties of students who have been out of college “for some time” in obtaining these academic letters, this should not be mistaken for an open invitation to disregard the need to try to obtain academic letters.
Yale Law School requires at least two letters of recommendation. We strongly prefer letters from at least two professors with whom you have studied who can speak to your academic performance and who have had a chance to personally evaluate significant aspects of your academic work. Letters from employers, college deans, coaches, chaplains, colleagues, and others may be helpful, but are not preferred. If possible, they should not replace letters from two faculty recommenders.
Applicants who have been out of school for some time or who are otherwise unable to obtain two faculty recommendations may substitute letters from employers or others who know them well. These letters should address the qualities that academic recommendations typically address, for example: the applicant's ability to write and think critically, as well as their overall suitability for the study and practice of law.
A note on academic letters of recommendation: There can be the temptation to get the letter of recommendation from the professor who gave you an A or the top professor in the field, even if they didn’t really know you that well. I assure you, this is a mistake, You want your letters to speak to who you are, and not be so generic that they could have been written about anyone. Trust me, admissions readers can tell the difference.
Part Three: Ensuring Strong Letters Every Time
So now that you have chosen who should write your letters of recommendation, how do you go about ensuring that your letters are strong and work in your favor for applications? You want to put together a packet of information to give to your recommenders. Sometimes, this is referred to as a “brag sheet.” This information can be a helpful way to help your recommenders know how to talk about your experiences and characteristics in a way that really makes you shine.
You might be asking whats a brag sheet?
A brag sheet should include the list of law schools you are applying to, when you plan to apply, and when you would like their letters of recommendation submitted by. Despite its name, a brag sheet is usually more than one page.
Pro tip: Always give your recommenders at least one month to complete your letters, and try to have them submit your letters to LSAC at least one month before you plan on submitting your application. If you haven’t read my blog on law school application timing make sure to check it out. If you’re unsure of which schools you want to apply to, you can give them a preliminary list that you update later.
You want to give them a sense of what classes you took with them and your contributions (if your recommender is a professor), a list of memorable moments, why you want to go to law school, and your contributions outside of the classroom or workplace. The information on the brag sheet (which again, should really be more than one sheet) is meant to guide your recommenders on the qualities you want to emphasize to the school and highlight specific moments they might want to mention in their letters. Letters that include specific examples by the recommender are stronger than letters without such examples.
Letters of recommendation may seem like an annoying formality, but they can be vital in the law school application process.
If you are looking for more detailed advice, you can now purchase my Guide to Law School Letters of Recommendation which includes a breakdown of the T14 preferences for letters of recommendation, checklist for all applicants (regardless of where you are applying or how long ago you graduated), and detailed instructions on each part of your full law school recommendation packet.
As always, if you want to get personal guidance on your letters of recommendation or your application process as a whole, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with me at www.smontgomeryconsulting.com/consultation.
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Guide to Law School Letters of Recommendation
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Guide to Law School Letters of Recommendation
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