As it is Law School application time, many have asked me what makes up a good reference letter and some have even asked me to write one for them. Here are a few tips regarding selecting the proper person.
In general, the more letters you have the better but all letters should be relevant and come from someone that knows you and can speak to why you would succeed in law school.
The best letters come from your old college professors that can speak to your intellect and your ability to do well in law school. The professor should of course know you and be familiar with your work and this usually means that you had the professor for a semester or you have performed research for the professor. An unhelpful or non relevant letter from a professor would come from a professor who is a friend of your parents who you have never met. This type of letter is useless and will not get you very far. Similarly, if you know a professor but have never been in his/her class, the recommendation will only serve as a character reference and this is generally not what the admission’s office is looking for. What they are looking for is a letter that will demonstrate you will do well in law school and this letter must be from a person who is in a position to give a reliable opinion about this.
Another good letter is a letter that comes from a lawyer that knows you and can speak to your scholarly potential. This is especially the case if the person will be able to illustrate why you will do well in law school. Another great source is a past or current employer especially if the employer can write about your analytical skills, problem solving ability or scholarly ability.
When I went to law school, each of my letters was selected to cover off an area that I thought would interest the admission’s committee. Namely, one came from someone that attended Harvard, another came from a Judge that could speak to my scholarly ability and the others came from professors that I had for law school classes in my first year. Each was strategically selected and the selection worked well for me.
That worked for me and it could also work for you. Give who you want to select some careful thought as the people who are deciding whether or not to admit you will certainly review who you have selected.
