When you complete your law school application you will almost certainly be asked to submit a number of reference letters. Many prospective law students have asked me who they should ask to write them and here are a few pointers.
The key to any reference letter is that it is relevant and comes from someone that knows you and can speak to why you would succeed in law school. Letters should be current (written within the last 6 months), and keep in mind that admission’s committees are not looking for character references. To this end, the best letters come from your college professors who know you and are familiar with your academic achievements. This usually means that you had the professor for a semester or you had performed research for the professor. In addition, if you received a high grade in his/her class this will also help.
If for some reason you cannot get a professor to write a letter or you have been out of school for a long time there are other options. 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 would 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. Finally, another good area is a relevant reference provider (someone who can speak to your intellectual ability) that attended the law school that you are applying to. Keep in mind that college professors are at the top of the list but these other categories are also options.
It is also important to develop a strategy when selecting the base of reference providers that you select. Specifically, pick reference providers from a wide range of areas that the admission’s committee will find useful. For example, select a couple of professors, a couple of lawyers and a couple of people from other relevant areas. When I applied to Harvard 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, others came from professors where I did well in their class and others came from my previous employers. Each was strategically selected and the selection worked well for me.
Do not fall into the trap of submitting what I will call an irrelevant reference letter to a law school. This includes a letter from a professor who is a friend of your parents or who you have never met. Also, letters from friends, family members, or people that you have not met (even if they are famous) will generally be disregarded. These types of letters will actually hurt you as the admission’s committee will wonder why you could not find a relevant reference.
Make no mistake that reference letters are important. Give your selection some careful thought as in addition to the content, the people who are deciding whether or not to admit you will certainly review who you have selected.
You can also see this article on LSAT Freedom. LSAT Freedom is an excellent LSAT preparation course who offers LSAT preparation online.
– (Barron's Publishing) - Author Ian E. Scott. You can order Law School Lowdown on Amazon by clicking here.
