Highly-regarded law school admissions expert, Peg Cheng, is the author of The No B.S. Guides for applying to law school and the founder of Prelaw Guru, where you can find law school admissions tips, videos, books, and more.
Because fall always seems so busy for everyone, I recommend asking for letters of recommendation (LORs) for your law school application during the summer, September at the latest.
Make an effort to meet with each potential recommender in person to ask if he or she would be willing to write you a good LOR. This person is going to spend two to four hours writing a letter for you. That’s a lot of time! Remember, they are doing this as a favor for YOU. So, treat them with your utmost respect and courtesy.
When you meet with your recommender, pay attention to the person’s reaction. Make sure they really want to write you the letter. Ask what he or she might write about. If they know you, they should have some idea of what skills and strengths they will write about. If the person’s reaction is not positive, thank them for their time and leave. Never insist that someone write you a LOR if they aren’t up to the task.
Once You Get a Yes
If the person says “yes,” then put together a packet for him or her that includes:
- A brief cover letter that states your gratitude to the recommender, some background on why you want to go to law school, and your agreed-upon deadline for emailing or mailing your LOR to LSAC
- Your unofficial transcript (if the person is a professor or TA)
- Your updated resume
- Other relevant materials (some professors and TAs want copies of the best essays that you wrote for their class)
Once you fill in your recommender information online, LSAC will email your recommender to upload his/her LOR online. Some recommenders prefer to mail in a paper LOR. In that case, make sure to give your recommender the signed LSAC LOR form that you can print out from LSAC.org.
Lastly, make sure that the deadline that you and your recommender agree upon is one that is actually 2-4 weeks earlier than when you actually need the LOR, but don’t let your recommender know that you’re asking for it early. I’ve seen too many cases where recommenders put off writing the LOR for so long that she/he actually made the applicant late in applying. Don’t let that happen! So, for example, if you want your LOR at LSAC by October 30, then ask your recommender to submit it or mail it by October 1.
That’s the lowdown on when to ask, and how to ask, for letters of recommendation. Now, stop reading and go ask for your letters!
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