Although they may feel like an afterthought or a chore, law school letters of recommendation are actually really important. They offer the perspective of a third-party into your abilities, character, and potential fit for law school.
A law school letter of recommendation offers qualitative insights that go far beyond the numbers (your GPA and LSAT scores), and in a sea of figures, this kind of detailed information can sway admissions decisions—especially for a close call applicant. When your application is right on the cut-off line for admission at a particular school, the recommendation of someone who really knows what you’re capable of can differentiate you from other law school applicants with similar academic records, provide context for your successes and failures, and add depth to your application by highlighting your strengths and work ethic.
In this post, we’ll offer our own best advice for law school letters of recommendation, as well as tips from top schools, sample letters, other guidance, and answers to FAQs about this piece of the law school admissions process.
Top Tips for Law School Letters of Recommendation
There are a few best practices to keep in mind as you decide how to get the best letter of recommendation for law school that you can:
Choose the right person to write the letter. Who should you choose? They need to be able to emphasize a few different things.
They should be able to speak to the nature, depth, and length of your relationship, whether it is academic or professional.
Your letter writer must be able to provide specific examples of your intellectual abilities. For example, which would you rather have in your letter:
- “Jane was always a great student. She got high grades in my class and was among my favorites.”
Or
- “Jane took three courses with me in a two year period, and she was one of the top students I have come across in my career. Her academic work received the high grades you see on the transcript, but what you can’t see is that she was a strong collaborator with other students, and had superior communication skills that improved greatly over time. Her final project in the last course she took from me was one of the best I ever received. It earned a prestigious award from the university and was mentioned in the alumni magazine.”
For academic letters of recommendation, the writer should be able not only to talk about you, but to compare you and your performance to their peers. They should be able to dig into your research and writing skills, strengths in legal analysis and reasoning, and class participation.
A writer of a professional letter should explain situations where you demonstrated analytical skills, leadership, problem-solving, critical thinking, a strong work ethic, or decision-making that was effective and ethical.
Any letter writer should be able to get into your relevant extracurricular activities or hobbies, professional experiences, or volunteer work that showcase your potential as a future lawyer. They should also be able to specifically describe—with detailed, illustrative anecdotes—your character traits like reliability, integrity, and collaborative spirit. And ideally, any letter writer you choose should be able to express their confidence in your ability to thrive in law school and successfully contribute to the legal profession.
What do top schools want to see in a law school letter of recommendation?
Some of what top law schools want to see might surprise you! For example, law school letter of recommendation tips from Harvard emphasize that two well-chosen letters of recommendation are often better than three. And law school letter of recommendation tips from Yale repeatedly ask you to choose “substance over signature,” meaning that it is far more important to select a writer that knows you very well than one that is well-known to the public.
Some of the tips the top schools offer are more intuitive. For example, letter of recommendation tips from UPenn are in agreement with Harvard and Yale (and many others) on at least this point: it is important to start the LOR process early and give your writers plenty of time and all the details they need to get the job done.
What else do law school admissions committees want to see in your law school letters of recommendation?
It’s not that hard to imagine what law school admissions committees are concerned about. The admissions office of every law school tracks the successes and failures of each student that attends the school—and they are highly invested in student success.
This means they are looking for signs that an applicant can succeed at their school in every piece of the application, including law school letters of recommendation. Some schools provide their own recommendation form to ensure they get specific details from recommenders, but in every case the school is looking for reassurance that you won’t be one of the people who gets admitted but goes on to drop out—either because they hate law school or find it too challenging.
How does the law school letter of recommendation fit into the overall application process?
Law school letters of recommendation are a required part of nearly every application packet. Most law schools require either 2 or 3. The timing is different for each school’s admissions process, but you can expect that you’ll need them to be submitted at about the same time as the rest of your materials or soon thereafter.
Don’t delay this piece of the process!
What is LSAC and how does it work?
The Law School Admission Council or LSAC is a required part of applying to law school. A non-profit organization, LSAC manages the application process for nearly all law schools in the United States.
First, LSAC administers the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), although many schools also accept the GRE. LSAC also provides a centralized platform for submitting applications, transcripts, LSAT scores, personal statements and other essays, and letters of recommendation to multiple law schools through the LSAC credential assembly service (CAS) system.
Part of CAS, the LSAC letter of recommendation (LOR) service allows applicants to manage their letters of recommendation through their LSAC account. The user provides the contact information for each recommender, decides which letters to send to each law school they apply to based on their requirements.
How does the LSAC JD application process differ from the LSAC application process for LLMs and other law degrees?
Overall, the LSAC application process is similar for both JD and LLM applicants; both processes use the LSAC CAS to collect and distribute application materials to law schools, for example. But the specific requirements differ due to the distinct nature of the programs.
JD applicants typically need to take the LSAT or GRE, while LLM applicants usually do not. However, if the LLM applicant is international, they may be required to take an English proficiency exam. Also, LLM applicants must have an existing law degree and their academic record for that degree will receive a higher level of scrutiny than the undergraduate work of most JD applicants.
Finally, there are typically specific requirements for various LLM programs. For example, someone applying to a program for an LLM in taxation may need to demonstrate evidence of a specific interest in taxation or relevant professional experience.
Other FAQs about the LSAC system and letters of recommendation
How far in advance should you request a letter of recommendation for law school?
Ideally, request a law school letter of recommendation from your professor or other writer before the application cycle opens during the summer. You want to aim to give your recommender a few months if possible, but at least 4 to 6 weeks to comfortably write the letter without being under pressure. This ensures they have enough time to craft a thoughtful, detailed, personal recommendation.
Of course, things don’t always proceed in an optimal way, and you might not have as much time as you want! Just keep these tips in mind:
- Always ask as early as you can. This is especially true if you need multiple letters from different professors. Don’t be timid about it; asking earlier is always better.
- Be considerate. Professors often have many recommendation requests, so be respectful of their schedules. Meet with them during office hours if possible.
- Give them everything they need up front in one convenient package. When asking, have your transcripts, resume, test scores, an explanation of your goals for law school, information about LOR requirements from your schools, and anything else they might need as writers ready for them to receive in an organized package.
What is the ideal timeline for requesting and submitting letters of recommendation for law school applications?
LSAC recommends that you choose your recommenders 18 months before your 1L year would start. Other sources like the US News month by month guide say that you should be asking your writers about their letters of recommendation no later than September, the year before you’d be starting.
In reality, many law school applicants aren’t working this far ahead. But there’s no doubt that earlier is better when it comes to law school letters of recommendation.
How can my recommenders submit their letters to the LOR service? And should I get in touch with LSAC to confirm they got my letters of recommendation?
When you set up your LSAC application, you will need to provide contact information for each recommender. From your LSAC account, you can assign recommendations to each law school on your list based on their requirements. The system will only send the LORs you assigned as part of your CAS report to the law schools you apply to.
Once you add a recommender, LSAC sends them an email with instructions on how to access the online submission portal and upload their letter. They can submit letters on paper or electronically, but letters sent by fax or regular email will not be accepted.
To submit letters of recommendation to the LSAC LOR service, your recommenders first log in to their LSAC account which they get access to through your application. From there they upload their letter electronically through a specific section on the LSAC website. If they prefer to submit a paper letter, they can download a recommendation form from the LSAC website, fill it out, and mail it in.
You do not need to contact LSAC to follow up on the receipt of your letters of recommendation as you can access your CAS report from your LSAC account. This shows you the status of all your submitted letters, including whether LSAC has received them.
More FAQs: Everything else you need to know about what a strong letter of recommendation looks like
Still have questions? Our clients do, and we help them work through them. The questions we typically hear about this are often focused on the substance of the letters:
- What should my letters of recommendation say?
- What should a good law school recommendation letter cover?
- What is the ideal content of a law school letter of recommendation?
It’s really important to remember that these answers are a little different for each applicant. Every person has a unique path to law school, and the way you illustrate things like your work ethic and ability to thrive as a member of the legal profession is also unique.
Also remember, you’re not the writer of this letter! You’re the person selecting the writer. The best thing you can do is choose the best person to deliver specific examples of your intellectual abilities, analytical skills, and history of problem-solving—the optimal message about you.
The reason you as the applicant need to answer these kinds of questions about what is in your perfect letter is so you can assess who can speak to the details about you that schools need to hear. It’s about more than your academic work or writing skills (although those are important, too!).
It’s about whether you’re really a great fit for law school, this law school, specifically, being a lawyer, and the greater legal profession. Who do you know who can explain all this in a brief written statement?
That’s your assignment.
Below are some more answers to FAQs about what the best law school letters of recommendation look like—and as you read through these, think about who knows these stories about you and is willing to tell them.
What does a good letter of recommendation for law school look like?
Check out our law school letter of recommendation samples for inspiration:
Law school letters of recommendation template
[Letterhead or sender’s contact information]
[Opening paragraph should explain the purpose of the recommendation letter and the relationship between the writer and the applicant.]
[Body should speak to the traits discussed throughout this post. For each trait, the writer should provide supporting details and specific anecdotes.]
[Close by summing up and reiterating a strong recommendation]
[Sign and indicate position/title and place of employment]
Law school letter of recommendation sample one (from academic writer)
Dear Admissions Committee:
I enthusiastically recommend Frank Washington for admission to Yale Law School. I have known Frank for three years in my role as Dean of Students at State University and as his instructor in Honors Moot Court. Frank stands out among his peers in several ways.
First, he is an exceptional and engaged student. Frank is among the top 5% of the students I have taught and advised at SU. Last year, our team examined whether a proposed voter identification law disparately affected people of color, women, or other groups. Frank quickly spotted the broader constitutional, legal, and policy issues at stake and developed thorough, logical arguments for both sides. Although many of his peers relied on weaker policy arguments, Frank relied on the Supreme Court’s reasoning in previous voter identification and discrimination cases to show that a ruling for the respondent would essentially change the law significantly and lead to numerous challenges to election results. It was thrilling to see an undergraduate student understanding and excelling in the work of appellate advocacy.
Second, Frank is extraordinarily mature, introspective, and helpful. Since his freshman year, he has immersed himself in public service and professional legal experiences. As a result he has learned how to work effectively within both less professional, unstructured environments and larger, corporate settings. Frank always conducts himself professionally in either setting, regardless of those around him. He is also a mentor to underclassmen, both in his role as an officer in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and informally as a mentor to some of our younger debate students.
And speaking of Frank’s time on campus, I cannot overstate how highly I respect his leadership and service. I have always seen this as a continuation of his military service from before he was in college. He has stepped up to help run various student organizations including NSCS and our students’ pre-law group. One of his contributions in this regard was to hold pre-law “office hours” for underclassmen in NSCS to help ensure that students with an interest in studying law are on track to finish school and be ready to apply. He started this tradition and spent his time in office hours as a volunteer, sharing his knowledge and helping to build out this piece of NSCS for upperclassmen to continue to contribute to the organization. This is just one example of Frank’s service mentality, dedication to servant leadership, and serious approach to both success and the public.
Before my time as a Dean of Students, I served on the Admissions Committee, so I can appreciate how difficult it is to distinguish between good, great, and superior applicants in the pool. But let me assure you without any hesitation that Frank will be an excellent, dedicated student who will take full advantage of the resources YLS has to offer. He also has so much to contribute, especially to a school like Yale that is itself dedicated to leadership and service. I know Frank will be someone you’re proud to call an alum.
Please, don’t hesitate to reach out If you need any further information that will help you in the decision-making process.
Sincerely,
Mike Vargas
Dean of Students, State University
Law school letter of recommendation sample two (from professional writer)
I am happy to recommend Veda Pierce to Harvard Law School without reservation. I hired Veda personally over 8 years ago, and my relationship with her has evolved through various stages of her career as a consultant and essential team member. Over the years, what has stood out to me most about Veda is her exceptional ability to analyze complex, multi-faceted ethical challenges and to issue-spot and identify the core of the issue and propose solutions that worked for all stakeholders in highly sensitive, context-dependent situations. I know that Veda is now hoping to use these talents to solve legal problems for people in need. I know her abilities will ensure a successful trajectory of public service and make her an exceptional student at HLS.
During my time serving as VP of Communications and Marketing at Dark Horse Digital Assets, I hired Veda as an intern. During her first year she was my direct report. Veda quickly advanced far beyond her internship and we brought her on as a full-time position we created specifically for her. Veda’s nuanced analytical skills were particularly evident as she developed and implemented a sophisticated targeted digital communications program for us, speaking to potential new clients in a persuasive way that helped us grow the business and earn trust. Veda repeatedly demonstrated an ability to spot complex issues and identify practical, actionable solutions during this precarious time when the company was growing, further cementing her value to the team. Veda listened thoroughly and carefully to the concerns of each stakeholder, understood the risks and rewards of each step we were contemplating, and proposed solutions that were not just acceptable options, but were progressive and in support of the concerns and needs of our diverse team members across departments.
As a new employee at Dark Horse, Veda rapidly became a trusted member of our team. Today, she is a hard-working, reliable colleague who meets and exceeds deadlines without sacrificing innovation or quality. She inspires similar ambition in her direct reports while soothing their concerns and offering support for their challenges. This ability to build trust and lead with “soft” interpersonal finesse is invaluable in leadership at the C-suite level. As Veda prepares to start law school and a life pursuing justice for others, I am certain that she will excel—as a seasoned highly-skilled professional and an ethical, admirable person.
Veda’s ability to lead, work with, and generally treat others with care will permeate her relationships with other law students, contribute to a productive intellectual environment, and advance her legal career.
Veda has my strongest recommendation, without any reservation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions—I’m always eager to speak with anyone about Veda and her contributions to this organization.
Sincerely,
Holly Martins
Vice President, Communications and Marketing | Dark Horse Digital Assets
Law school letter of recommendation sample three (for transfer student)
Re: Letter of recommendation for Gilda Mundson, transfer applicant
Dear Admissions Committee:
Gilda Munson has asked me to write a recommendation letter on her behalf as she seeks to transfer from Syracuse University College of Law to Columbia Law School. While I will be sorry to see Gilda leave SU, I heartily support her candidacy to transfer and recommend her without reservation.
Gilda was a first-year student in my criminal law and criminal procedure courses in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. I have had ample time to interact with Gilda and observe her this year, both in and out of the classroom. If you accept her, you will gain a brilliant, engaging, and thoughtful student. In contrast to many of her peers, Gilda balances her responsibilities as a law student with her responsibilities as a mother. In spite of these challenges, she has achieved her current class rank of three—and I credit her seriousness, her strong work ethic, and her commitment to creating balance in her life as the reasons for this success.
Gilda is always prepared for debate, questions, and discussions in class. She is incredibly focused on her long-term goals, but also each smaller task at hand. Equally important, she is respectful of her classmates, including when their opinions differ from her own. She also graces the classroom with a curious mind, engaging personality, and quick wit. In other words, she is a model participant in my classroom—and of a caliber I have only rarely seen over my years teaching and in practice. Unsurprisingly, Gilda regularly seeks feedback on her written work and exams, even though she almost universally does well. She handles feedback and criticism gracefully and with gratitude.
Furthermore, despite her practical challenges with time, Gilda easily manages the rigorous law school environment. She is a strong writer with sharp legal reasoning abilities. I see a tremendously broad range of writing and analytical ability at SU College of Law, and Gilda is clearly at the top of my class and others. I have been here nearly ten years, and I would place her in the top 3% of students I’ve taught.
I spent years as a law school admissions professional prior to teaching. From the perspective of both an admissions committee member as well as a professor, I am confident in Gilda’s ability to succeed at any law school including CLS. Please, if you have any questions about this student, do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
Rita DeSoto
Professor of Trial Practice
Syracuse University College of Law
How to write a letter of recommendation for law school
The short answer is: if you’re the applicant, don’t! You shouldn’t be writing your own letters of recommendation for law school. Why not write them and give those drafts to your recommenders?
First of all, letters written by applicants are easy to spot, and can be viewed as inauthentic. Technically there is nothing unethical about this practice since your writer is still reviewing the content—but this is really bad practice and frowned upon by law schools.
In fact, the preferred practice is to waive your right to review the letters so your references can be completely candid. This shows you have confidence in the relationship and the strength of your application.
What about specific questions in a letter? Can you offer guidance to your writer for prompts like, “Is there any other information about the applicant which you would like to share with admissions committees?”
You can, but you should also give them that space to just answer. Maybe they have their own ideas about other things they think people should know. You may be surprised by some of the things they mention, and why.
For example, I have seen a professor mention the creative design work of an applicant that was technically outside of their law school goals. He explained that he mentioned this work because he felt the applicant was creative, hard-working, and a real “go-getter” who went after and realized their goals.
That applicant got far more than they expected with this unconventional answer—and they certainly wouldn’t have thought about flagging those design activities in their own writing.
What are the guidelines for writing a letter of recommendation for law school?
Most law schools have their own specific guidelines for letters of recommendation, so be careful to provide those for your writers. If you need a different letter for different programs, make sure you’re clear about that.
In general, most LORs will touch on the same basic ideas that we’ve already covered. But you want to be sure your writer does answer any specific queries or touch on any unique points your school is asking about.
Just be honest about what you need.
How do I get strong letters? How and who should I ask for a letter of recommendation?
To get the strongest letters, choose the best recommenders—those who know your work and potential very well. Make sure they have everything they need, including ample time and the specifics of each program you’re applying to. Tell them exactly what you need from them and let them decide if they can support your candidacy.
Here are some other tips for how to ask someone to write your law school letter of recommendation:
- Ask in person if possible. When you’re asking, don’t be afraid to ask for a strong letter and explain why you need it. It’s easier for you to sense a reluctant recommender if you are there in person, and you don’t want that person writing for you!
- Remind them of the details. Especially if you were in a larger class or cohort, remind them when you took the class, where you sat, what you wrote about—things like that. They may feel embarrassed about forgetting the details, so make sure you don’t leave them hanging that way.
- Make it easy to decline. Along these same lines, don’t seem desperate or make your ask with a gift, for example. You want to avoid doing anything that guilts your potential writer or makes it feel harder to turn you down, because a reluctant writer won’t help you nearly as much as an enthusiastic writer.
And remember, don’t write your own letters of recommendation for law school.
And now, the dos and don’ts of who recommendation letter writers should be:
Who should letters of recommendation be from for law school? Who do top law schools want to see?
Top law programs such as HLS and UC Berkeley like to see letters from people who know you and your work well—who are themselves good writers. Academic sources like professors are ideal, but supervisors at work, volunteer positions, or administrators who have had the chance to work closely with you can also do a great job.
Who should you ask to write a law school letter of recommendation?
Most top schools like to see at least one or two academic letters of recommendation. The writer of this type of letter doesn’t have to be a full professor; they can be a lecturer, adjunct, or teaching assistant who has a lot of experience with your academic work.
Can a letter of recommendation for law school come from an employer?
Yes, work supervisors and other professional associates can create a professional letter of recommendation for you. This is especially true for students who have been out of school for a substantial period of time.
Who should I avoid in choosing recommenders?
Top law schools all seem to agree: avoid letter writers who are family friends or family members.
And never choose a letter writer based on their status or title alone. First of all, this rarely, if ever, results in a strong letter of recommendation. Second, as HLS points out, it is obvious when the writer has only a passing knowledge of the applicant and was chosen for their “signature over substance.” Don’t do this.
And remember, pay attention to these signs you’ve chosen the wrong law school reference.
Can a letter of recommendation from a law school alumnus improve my application?
Remember that old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”? Well, the opposite is true when it comes to law school letters of recommendation. In other words, if you do have a potential recommender who is an alum, their specific knowledge of the school might be helpful—but only if they also know you well enough to be a stellar recommendation writer on their own.
Have they observed you personally over time? Can they speak to your hard work, intellectual abilities, and analytical skills? Do they have specific stories and details to share about how you would make a great law student and contribute as a member of this law school’s community?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then you’ve found a good recommender! But don’t choose someone merely because they’re an alum.
How many letters of recommendation are needed for law school?
The number of letters each law school requires varies, but most schools ask for two and some will allow up to five. 2 or 3 is average for most law schools.
Can I submit more letters of recommendation than a law school requires? Is 4 letters of recommendation too many?
Follow the guidelines each law school sets. Some schools such as the University of Chicago will accept up to 4 letters—but do not submit more than the school states that it will accept. More is not always better, and if you submit more letters and some are weak, that can weaken the application overall.
Are LLM letters of recommendation any different than those for JD applicants?
Law school letters of recommendation are very similar for both JD and LLM applicants. The LSAC process for LLMs is very similar, and letters are still handled by the LOR service in the CAS.
LLM letters of recommendation should explain any details of why you are a great fit for the specific LLM program and area of study you’ve chosen.
Ready to take the next step?
Do you have more questions about law school letters of recommendation or want help with your LORs? Click here to book a Quick Call to see if we can help.
Leave a Reply