Some law schools will ask you to include one or more letters of recommendation with your application. Others will accept them, although they are not specifically requested, while some other schools do not allow letters of recommendation at all.

When should you submit a letter of recommendation?

Unless a school explicitly states that letters of recommendation are not allowed, you should submit them.

Choosing the right referee

When choosing a referee (the person who will write the letter of recommendation), many applicants begin with their undergraduate instructors. However, you might want to consider providing a more rounded impression of your accomplishments by submitting a letter from someone else in your life. This could be a former employer, religious advisor, supervisor in community service activities, or even a political figure for whom you have worked in the past.

Obviously, you should choose someone who will provide a positive report of your performance. This may mean asking someone who is not very well known in his or her field, but whose letter will be more convincing than a lukewarm recommendation from a more prominent person.

Although it is inappropriate to pressure someone into writing exactly what you want, it is not unreasonable to provide a summary of your association with that person to serve as a reminder. For example, if you’re asking a professor for a letter of recommendation, write a short description of the assignments that were part of your coursework, especially if some time has passed since completing the course. You may also want to outline how your experience with that professor might contribute to your future law studies.