Everything You Need To Know About Law School Letters of Recommendation

Applying to law schools requires juggling many moving parts, from researching schools and achieving a high LSAT score to crafting compelling essays and gathering relevant documents. Amid these competing priorities, students often underestimate the value of a letter of recommendation. While this aspect of your application may feel out of your control given that the content of the letters is at the discretion of your recommender, a strong letter of recommendation (sometimes referred to as an LOR) has the potential to elevate you as a candidate and be the difference between a good law school application and a great one. 

What is a Letter of Recommendation and Why Does it Matter? 

Every component of your law school application should contribute to a complete picture of who you are as an applicant. While your application may already highlight why you are a good law school candidate, LORs are an opportunity to provide a third party perspective on your skills and potential for success in law school. These letters also have the ability to differentiate you among other applicants who may share similar LSAT scores and GPAs, which is especially important when applying to T14 schools with relatively low acceptance rates or when you want to set your application apart for the scholarship committee.

Who Should Write Your Letter of Recommendation?

When beginning to think through potential recommenders, it is helpful to create a list of 3-4 people that could speak best to your skills, knowledge, and work ethic. According to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the best letters of recommendation are those that “compare you to your academic peers”. Many schools prefer, and often require, recommendations from professors of advanced undergraduate classes who can speak to your academic and personal achievements. After all, law school is an academic endeavor, which means that admissions officers want to know that you will be able to succeed in a rigorous educational environment. 

While you may feel as though your recommender must be someone well-known in their field, it is best to find a recommender who can write personable and unique feedback for you. You should consider asking for recommendations from individuals you have formed deep relationships with and who can speak honestly as to your abilities. 

Most schools only want 2 recommenders, with an optional 3rd. Applicants should only add the 3rd recommendation if they can find someone to provide meaningful insight to your application that the other two could not. For example, if you have been out of school for a few years, it might be beneficial to have a work supervisor be your third recommender. Each school may have different recommendation requirements, so it’s important to research the individual requirements for each school you apply to. 

How to Set Yourself Up For a Strong Letter of Recommendation

As you prepare to ask for a letter of recommendation, you should weigh whether it is best to make your request in person or via email. Approaching a potential recommender in person is the best policy, both because it's more polite to ask for a recommendation in person and because it allows you to gauge how enthusiastic the person is about writing you a letter and offer more information that may support their writing. Regardless of how you choose to make the request, you should give the recommender a minimum of a three weeks’ notice before applying. The longer advance notice given the better—especially if they are a professor. 

While the content of your letter of recommendation is ultimately at the discretion of the recommender, preparing them with the appropriate information will significantly influence the quality of the letter. After receiving confirmation that a recommender will write you a letter, you should share any relevant documents that may support their writing process. This includes documents such as your transcripts, resume, any application essays, and a list of schools you plan to apply to. Be sure to explicitly tell the recommender anything in particular you may want them to highlight as it may be helpful for each recommender to contribute to your holistic application. For example, you can ask one professor to talk about your academic credentials and role as a researcher while asking another to focus on your leadership capabilities in the classroom and communication skills. These letters work together to create a fuller picture of you as an applicant. 

Writing a letter of recommendation takes up a significant amount of time, so be sure to approach the recommender politely and provide the opportunity for them to say no. Sometimes, a no is because the person does not have the bandwidth to help in the moment. Other times, however, it’s the individual doing you a favor by letting you know that they may not have enough information about you to do justice to a recommendation letter for you. Once a recommender agrees to write your letter, be sure to express your gratitude to the recommender for their time and formally request the letters through LSAC’s LOR Service. If you are planning to apply for external scholarships, it may be worthwhile to ask recommenders if they are willing to provide a PDF copy of the letter.

While it is important to focus on crafting compelling essay narratives and scoring high on the LSAT, letters of recommendation provide valuable insight that cannot be conveyed elsewhere in your application. By being proactive, organized, and intentional you can best prepare your recommender to write you the strongest letter of recommendation possible.