Law school admissions for 2023 are open in most parts of the world. There is still time to apply for summer or fall intake. Have you got everything ready for the application? If you thought you could get through with an average law school letter of recommendation, it’s probably time to change your perspective. A strong law school LOR can up your odds of getting admission. In this blog, we have included:
- Steps on how to write law school LOR
- Must-haves and pitfalls to avoid in Law school LOR
- Law school letter of recommendation sample
What is Law School Letter of Recommendation?
A law school letter of recommendation is a document written to a law school admission panel recommending an applicant to their law program. It is written by someone who has had a close personal and professional association with the applicant such as a professor, employer or HOD. The document endorses the applicant’s character, academic qualifications and professional achievements.
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| LOR for Graduate School | LOR for Higher Studies | Letter of Recommendation for Internship |
Why Is Law School Recommendation Letter Important?
Here are the reasons why a law school reference letter is considered so important in your application.
It supplies information that other documents don’t:
Documents like GPA or academic resume or mark list don’t supply much information about the applicant. LOR supplies a complete picture of the applicant.
It validates one’s candidacy:
A strong law school reference letter would prove that the applicant can be a suitable candidate for their law program. It also shows how this particular candidate is distinguished from other applicants with similar backgrounds.
It underscores the applicant’s abilities:
An LOR can give an objective narrative of the applicant’s accomplishments and abilities, which will be different from how they are portrayed in a personal statement or transcript.
It establishes that the applicant can succeed:
Law schools would admit only the applicants who are dedicated to the program and have the potential to be successful in it. A law school recommendation letter throws light on these areas.
Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing a Law School Letter of Recommendation?
In order to write a powerful LOR for someone, you need to have a clear idea about what he or she is up to. Asking the following questions to the candidate will help you draw some useful insights.
How do your career goals align with your decision to pursue law school?
Having a precise idea about the applicant’s career goals will help you customize the LOR. It will help you justify the applicant’s choice of law school and highlight their potential for success in it.
Why do you deserve admission to law school?
Asking this question to the candidate will help you find out the skills, relevant exposure, qualities, strengths, aptitude, etc that the applicant considers as reasons for their suitability for the program. Supply enough examples to prove your points.
Describe the challenges you have faced and how you addressed them.
Asking this question will help you get insights into the applicant’s passion for solving complex problems, resilience and determination to pursue their goals. With the help of a recommendation letter for law school sample, you can present these points convincingly.
What relevant exposures and accomplishments do you have to your credit that will be helpful to you in law school?
This will help you narrow down the specific examples of exposures or accomplishments to underscore in the LOR to demonstrate that the applicants have the potential to succeed in law school.
Are there any other areas that you think should be covered in the letter to make your recommendation stronger?
If you think that there is any other aspect of the applicant that must be talked about in the context of the candidate’s application, elaborate on that as well.
By asking these questions yourself and to the candidate, you can collect sufficient insights in order to write a comprehensive and powerful law school LOR for your candidate.
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What Do Admissions Officers Expect to See in a Law School LOR?
Law school admissions officers would be expecting to see the following key qualities in a letter of recommendation.
| Professionalism: | A professional tone and fine writing skills in the LOR would reveal the credibility of the referee. Also, the LOR must show a clear understanding of what law school requires and how the candidate being recommended meets those requirements. |
| Enthusiasm to recommend: | The LOR should reveal that the referee is enthusiastic to recommend the applicant to the Law school. A lacklustre LOR would leave the admission panel unconvinced about the applicant. |
| Specific examples: | The admission panel wouldn’t be satisfied with the listing of skills, accomplishments or abilities. They would rather like to see specific examples through which each of those areas can be proved. |
| Relationship between the applicant and referee: | Admissions officers want to understand the nature and depth of the association/relationship between the applicant and the referee. They would expect the LOR to be written by someone who knows the applicant personally. |
| How the applicant is distinguished: | Since the selection officers review several LORs, they wouldn’t be easily convinced by an average LOR. So, the LOR you produce must show how your candidate can be distinguished from other applicants. |
| Fulbright Recommendation Letter | Harvard Recommendation Letter | Sorority Recommendation Letter |
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How Long Should a Law School Letter of Recommendation Be?
There is no strict rule as to how long an LOR needs to be. The point is to make it concise and comprehensive at the same time. The ideal length of the LOR can be about 500 words or 2500 characters. It can be one to two pages.
Law School Letter of Recommendation Sample
We are happy to give you access to our collection of recommendation letter for law school sample. We have them written for different law school programs. Go through a sample before you start preparing your LOR.
Dear admission committee of XXX Law School
It is with great joy and privilege that I am writing this letter to recommend Mr Adithya to your esteemed Law School. I have known him in the capacity of professor of anthropology for two years while he did graduation in sociology at XXXX Institute, Bangalore. From various academic and personal interactions I had with him during this period, I can say that he is an exceptionally talented, hardworking and sincere student who can achieve great heights of success in whatever academic project he undertakes.
Adithya was a brilliant student who maintained consistency of hard work and academic accomplishments not only for my subject but also for all other subjects. By the end of the first semester, he was thorough with many concepts in anthropology and would ask my advice on future projects and dissertations. He was interested in knowing about the parallels between anthropology and modern civil and criminal laws. Many of my former students have opted to study law but what is special about Adithya is his genuine interest in the subject. He sees it not just as a career path but as something that he is closely bonded with. During a private conversation with him, I once asked him why he was so much interested in law. His response was it was the easiest way for him to contribute to the society.
Another great quality of Adithya is that he has a vision for his life and career. He knows what he wants to do in the next ten years’ time. Moreover, he is very mindful of the time and knows how to prioritize what is important for the moment. This helped him have free times to relax with friends and family and to use it for academic projects. Throughout my association with him, there has never been an instance where he was late for a meeting or failed to submit a report on time.
I have no hesitation to recommend Adithya for admission to your law program. I went through the program details and I am totally convinced that this program can transform him into a highly successful professional in this line of career. He not only has the potential to excel academically but also the skills, strengths and qualities that you expect in your candidates to be a good addition to your student community. I take this opportunity to strongly recommend Adithya and wish him the best of luck with his career decision. Feel free to write to me if you have any questions about Adithya.
Sincerely
Guidelines for Using Samples
Reviewing a law school recommendation letter sample is a great way to help you with a starting point as you begin to write. However, having some clarity about how to use the samples can be even more helpful. Here are some guidelines for you for using the samples.
- Don’t try to modify or copy from a Law school LOR as it can lead to plagiarism
- Read sample to help you brainstorm for relevant points
- Find out the structure and format to use in your letter from reviewing the samples
- Compare your own writing with the best law school letter of recommendation sample and find out the areas that need to be improved in your letter.
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How To Write A Letter Of Recommendation For Law School In Five Simple Steps?
If you haven’t written a law school LOR before, writing it can be a bit confusing. However, the following steps should make the process seem easier.
Collect details: | Before you begin, collect all relevant information that you may require while writing from the candidate. The questions that we shared above should help you in finding the right information. |
Write a strong introduction: | Next, write the introduction. It should be catchy and establish the purpose. Also, the introduction should explain why you recommend the candidate and how you are related to the applicant – the nature and length of your association. |
Supply examples: | Now that you have recommended your candidate, it’s time to demonstrate why you recommend with specific examples of the applicant’s exposure, experience, skills, strengths, accomplishments, character etc. Use quantitative examples when possible. |
Conclude: | Next, conclude your LOR with a strong recommendation. Show how enthusiastic you are to recommend the candidate and the confidence that the candidate will succeed in Law school. Include your contact details for future reference and show readiness to be contacted at any time for the same. |
Proofread and finalize: | To make your LOR look professional, serious and winning, it must be free from errors. Proofread your letter at least three times and correct all mistakes. Find out how the LOR has to be submitted and do it accordingly. |
Who Can Write My Law School LOR?
You must approach an authorized person who knows you personally to write your Law school LOR. Whom to ask and how to ask for law school letter of recommendation? Here are some suggestions.
Professors: | A professor who taught you at college is an authorized person to write your LOR. They know your potential to succeed in law school. |
HOD/Principal: | Your HOD or principal have your academic, extra-curricular and personal records. So, they could authentically recommend you to law school. |
Employer: | If you are applying for law school after working for an organization for a specific period, an LOR from the employer is quite acceptable. |
Make sure you approach the right person and request the LOR in advance.
Final Checklist
Have you got your LOR ready? Before you submit it, take a few minutes to validate it using the below checklist.
- Does the LOR strongly recommend the candidate?
- Does the LOR sound positive from start to end?
- Does the LOR supply sufficient examples wherever needed?
- Is the LOR free from plagiarism?
- Does the LOR meet the institute’s requirements – format, structure, letterhead, etc?
- Has the law school recommendation letter been proofread?
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Dos and Don’ts in Law School Letter of Recommendation
Here are some LOR must-haves and pitfalls to avoid.
Dos
- Ensure that your LOR is customized for the particular law school.
- Approach the referee in advance and request the LOR.
- Make sure that the LOR highlight the personal rapport between you and the referee
- Highlight how you would benefit in your career from the Law school program.
- Ensure that the LOR has a balance of both your academic excellence and personal qualities
Don’ts
- Ask someone who doesn’t know you well to write your LOR
- Proceed with an LOR that doesn’t portray you positively.
- Supply any info in the LOR that contradicts your SOP or other documents in the application
- Consider friends or family members to write your LOR for law school.
- Exaggerate your achievements or skills in the LOR.
Conclusion
A great law school letter of recommendation is one that incorporates a professional tone and recommends you strongly without exaggerating your skills or sounding negative.
We hope that the information provided in the blog helped you write a powerful law school LOR.
Also, refer to the heading ‘how to ask for a law school letter of recommendation’ and follow the insights to request your LOR from the right person in the right manner.
Do you have any questions or clarifications regarding this blog?
We are excited to know how helpful this blog was. Let us know your feedback in the comments below.
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