Letters of Recommendation

Getting Started

One important part of your law school application will be letters of recommendation. These letters provide insight into who you are and can help a law school better understand what you can bring to future class discussions. Pre-law students often ask:

• How do I send letters of recommendation to a law school?
• Who should serve as a recommender?
• Do I need a lawyer or judge to recommend me?

Thinking about the purpose of a letter of recommendation can be helpful in planning your next steps. The American Bar Association requires accredited law schools to only admit individuals “who appear capable of satisfactorily completing its program of legal education and being admitted to the bar.” Law schools will already have your resume and official transcript, so letters of recommendation are often used to help fill in the gaps. For example, a professor writing a recommendation might discuss your ability to think critically and confirm for a law school that you are ready for post-baccalaureate programs; and a supervisor might discuss your professional performance and how projects you worked on could help you be ready for law school.

Selecting Recommenders

Law schools will often ask for two to three letters of recommendation. It may feel challenging selecting only a few people to speak about you. Most law school applicants will ask their college professors to serve as recommenders, and many law schools encourage or require at least one academic reference. This is because professors are often best positioned to talk about your performance as a student, your readiness for graduate and professional education, and how you contributed to your classes. If you’ve been out of college for several years or have been working while in college, a professional reference may also be appropriate. Your supervisor may be a great recommender because of their ability to speak to your work ethic and professionalism. This can especially be helpful if you’ve taken a gap year although keeping in touch with a professor is something to consider.

Most law schools will begin accepting applications in early fall, so begin asking your recommenders several weeks before you plan to apply. This is especially important if your recommender plans to mail your letter of recommendation to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) or directly to a law school. Most law schools will allow you to use LSAC to electronically submit your letters of recommendation, once received, alongside your application. However, some juris doctor and graduate law programs do require you to use LSAC for submitting letters of recommendation.

It is better to select a recommender who can write objectively and with enough detail about you. For this reason, family members and close friends may not be appropriate to give law schools an honest insight into who are as a prospective law student. Similarly, asking a local judge or attorney who hasn’t personally worked with you extensively or can write about you beyond basic details may also not be the best recommendation. Personal knowledge about you is more important than prestige. An authentic, detailed, and personalized letter of recommendation will often stand out more than a prestigious letter of recommendation that does not address how you might contribute to your future law school community as a student.

Always check each law school’s application to see what each program requires, and remember, you can always reach out to a law school’s admissions office if you’re unsure.

Have someone in mind to serve as recommender? Not sure how to ask them to write a letter of recommendation? Consider using these email templates as a starting place for asking. Make sure to update your personal information, but law school applicants can use these for help contacting their recommenders for the first time about this.

An effective email usually contains one or more of the following details: why you’re asking them specifically, when do you need it by, how to upload or send a letter, and an offer to answer questions or share additional information to help draft a letter of recommendation.

Submitting Your Letters of Recommendation

You may have had to submit a signed, sealed letter of recommendation for a scholarship application. You won’t have to worry about delivering letters of recommendation for law school. To help ensure that candidate applications are more accurate and objective, you will likely never have to touch a letter of recommendation when applying to law school. Using your LSAC account, you can request letters of recommendation from recommenders through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). You do have the option to waive reading them before submitting your application, and this can signal to a law school that you’re confident in the recommenders selected. If you’re concerned or would like a copy for your personal records, you can ask your recommenders directly for a copy.

Recommenders also have the option to submit their letters of recommendation directly to LSAC through the mail. This can take up to two weeks for LSAC to process once it is received, so be sure to plan for your recommender to have time to write and mail it, and for LSAC to process it. Make sure your recommender understands that paper letters must attach Letter of Recommendation Form (“LOR Form”). Some law schools also allow recommenders to directly submit letters of recommendation. If you’re unsure, always contact the admissions office of the law school you’re applying to.

Otherwise, you can check the status of your letters of recommendation in your LSAC account. You can also send email reminders to prompt your recommenders, but you may be better off reaching out to them directly. Recommenders generally do not appreciate daily or weekly email reminders. It is also suggested that type a clear description or label for your letters in your LSAC account. This can help make sure you attach the right letters of recommendation to your application.

LSAC has provided more information, including help troubleshooting common issues, on their website. Click below to learn more.