Law School Admissions: Letters of Recommendation

Here are some of my tips for getting those letters of recommendation that law school applications ask for! I also want to offer a disclaimer that I applied for law school ~while~ I was in undergrad, so my tips are aimed at helping future law students who are also applying while they are still in college. However, I am always happy to help if you are applying after college as well! This blog post is also focused on academic letters as opposed to professional ones, since not everyone will have internships/jobs or professional connections who can write letters for them!

• Make strong connections early on. It’s hard to ask for a letter of rec from a professor who doesn’t know you very well, or hasn’t known you for a long time. Establish connections with professors/instructors as soon as you begin a course, if you feel like they might be a good fit for your (future) letters of recommendation. This can happen multiple ways. You can go to office hours, ask questions in class and after class, email the professors, and maybe even set up a time to meet with them and chat if they teach on something that really interests you or work(ed) in a field you want to know more about! I would also find a way to communicate your interest in law/law school if you can, that way they are aware of this interest long before you ever ask for the letter. You may also want to consider taking multiple courses by the same professor in order to extend the period of time that they interact with you, strengthening the connection. I had one professor in college that I really vibed with, and decided to enroll in another class she taught the following quarter in order to continue talking with her about law school and to ultimately ask for a letter. If you aren’t able to take another one of their courses, you can still email and keep in touch to maintain a connection.
• Choose your recommenders strategically. You want to be strategic about which professors you pick for these letters. If you have a professor who used to be a practicing attorney, they’re an ideal recommender. If you have a professor from the field you want to go into, they’re also a good choice. (for ex., someone who worked in taxes if you want to go into tax law, an environmental policy analyst for environmental law, etc.) Try to find recommenders who will be able to connect well with your interests and can convey that in your letter. If you aren’t able to get a professor who teaches in a topic related to law/politics or your interests, do not worry! Someone you have connected well with can be a great recommender no matter their background. See my last tip for more on that.
• Ask for the letter in advance of when you actually need it. Professors are busy people, and they need time to write your letter of rec. Some even need a reminder every now and then to complete it. Make sure to ask professors for the letter AT LEAST a month before you actually need it, and communicate the deadline to them to make sure that they know when they need to send it by (I would actually communicate a “deadline” that is a week earlier than your actual deadline, in case they are late).
• Asking: Send the email, or ask in person! I came across a great post on templates for emails asking for a letter of recommendation, and I have nothing to add on that subject, so go check out that post, linked here.
• Highlight what you’ve done and what you want to accomplish. Some professors need to be reminded about what your interests are and what you’ve done in their class. If a professor has agreed to write you a letter, I would send a follow-up email thanking them, including why you’re interested in law school and a list of anything relevant you’ve worked on or done that they might be able to testify to in the letter. For example, when I had asked an environmental professor to write me a letter, I mentioned the topic of a paper I had written in her course, which had to do with some current environmental legal issues. She was then able to include that in my letter of rec and added in some positive feedback about what a great job I did analyzing legal issues on the paper. This is probably something she would not have included had I not reminded her of it. It added a touch of personalization to the letter, showing the professor actually knew me and my work. You can also attach your resume to the email, if you think that would help the recommender in crafting their letter.
• Remember that letters of rec aren’t the hallmark of your application. Your letters of recommendation can only help you, not hurt you. Don’t be worried if your recommenders didn’t get to know you very well, weren’t teaching something related to your interests, or sent standard cookie-cutter letters for your application. The more important components of your application are your LSAT score and GPA. As long as you have the necessary number of letters submitted, you are good to go!