Making it to the top law schools requires more than just strong academics. An impactful letter of recommendation for law school is a crucial part of the application. In case you’re a teacher or a professor, you may have students requesting you to write them a recommendation letter.
Now, while you might want to help out your students, you must do it right. The law school recommendation letter you write for someone will strongly influence his chances of getting selected, and in turn, his career.
Don’t worry, though – here’s a complete guide on how to write a law school LOR, along with a recommendation letter for law school sample for detailed understanding, the complete guide written by academic content writing professionals.
The most coveted law schools have too many candidates with similarly impressive grades applying for admission. Rather than relying solely on their academic scores to make the selection, these institutes identify deserving candidates by several other means including their LoRs.
A letter of recommendation is an endorsement letter from someone who’s in a trustable position to vouch for the candidate. In this case, it would be a law school letter of recommendation from a teacher or professor who knows the candidate well and can give detailed insights into his capabilities.
By writing an LOR, you’d be recommending your student as a deserving candidate for the respective course and institute he’s applying to.
A letter of recommendation for law school is a crucial element in the vetting process for joining top institutes. The admission officers go through LORs to handpick the best candidates in terms of skill, capabilities, and personality.
A recommendation letter provides the admission committee with information that may not be available to them otherwise.
A student who doesn’t know how to ask for law school letter of recommendation might not be able to figure out what information to share so that you can write an effective LOR. Make sure to ask the following questions before you get started.
Of course, you can’t write a good recommendation letter without knowing exactly what it’s for. An LOR must be customized for the respective course and institute.
When writing an LOR, one should always stick to the guidelines put forward by the institute. Though there’s a generally accepted LOR format that you’ll find in our recommendation letter for law school sample, many institutes have specific requirements.
Don’t forget to ask the candidate about his future plans and bring them up when writing the LOR. Besides, this will also allow you to associate the candidate’s skills and strengths with the career he plans to pursue.
Empty praise isn’t of much use in a recommendation letter – you must share experiences that prove the candidate’s qualities. Ask the candidate if there are any particular experiences or events that he would like you to mention.
Ask the candidate if he knows to whom the letter should be addressed. This way, you may address it directly to the person by name or designation.
To have the desired effect, an LOR must provide the admission officials with the information they seek. As you’ll later see in our law school recommendation letter sample, the LOR must include the following.
When recommending someone for a law school, don’t get carried away and brag about the candidate. Remember, your opinion must appear as unbiased as possible to be relevant.
This is one of the most important things to cover in a recommendation letter. Focus on the candidate’s practical skills – the ones that would be relevant in his field of work.
The quality of a letter of recommendation for law school can make a huge difference. A professionally written LOR always puts up a better impression.
The applicant’s ethics and personality are major factors in determining whether he’s a suitable candidate for the institute.
Lastly, the admission committee would want to make sure that the letter comes from a trustable recommender who knows the candidate really well.
Ideally, a law school recommendation letter should be around 400 to 500 words. Keep it within a single A4-sized sheet of paper.
Since a recommendation letter is a formal document, stick to a professional font like Times New Roman or Arial. The font size should be either 11 or 12.
Here’s the best law school letter of recommendation sample to help give you an understanding of what a good LOR should be like. Carefully note the flow of information, the tone and pitch, and the details covered in the sample.
Dear Mr. Amar Sharma,
Writing this law school recommendation letter for my student Shantanu Basak is a matter of pleasure and honor for me. In my capacity as his HOD, I’ve guided him through his LLB and supervised his performance for three years. Shantanu has always been a hardworking and dedicated student, driven by his ambition for both personal and professional development.
Shantanu not only scores astounding grades every semester, but has also shown amazing research capabilities. I’ve observed him to think out of the box and choose complex research topics usually avoided by most students. He’s always thorough with his research and delivers valuable insights – a quality that I believe every law student should have. Shantanu’s presentations have always been valuable for the entire class, thanks to his in-depth analysis and practical approach.
Shantanu strives to do his best, improving practical skills that will help him build a successful career. He’s an excellent communicator and multiple times, he has represented us in debates. He has always displayed a particularly impressive ability to look at things from different perspectives and come up with irrefutable arguments. Considering his aim to pursue a career in advocacy, I’m sure this is a skill that will take him a long way.
As a person, Shantanu has been an inspiration for many among his batch mates and juniors. Motivated and steadfast, he sticks to his goal no matter the odds and always comes up on top. His performance in his 4th Semester exams is the perfect testimony – he topped the exam despite being severely injured in an accident just a few weeks before it.
I’ve also grown to know Shantanu as a friendly and helpful student who is always there for others. Not only does he guide other fellow students and help them out as needed, but he also loves to collaborate, especially if it presents him with a learning opportunity.
With that said, I hereby recommend Shantanu for the LLM program at your esteemed institution. Considering his tireless effort for academic and professional excellence, I’m sure he will prove to be a valuable asset. Shantanu plans to practice criminal law, aiming to fight corruption at every stage. Studying at your institution can help him gain the expertise and professional exposure necessary to pursue his noble goal.
I feel gratified for the opportunity to recommend Shantanu for your institute, and can assure you that he will prove his worth in no time. Feel free to get in touch with me regarding any questions you might have.
Yours sincerely,
Rahul Bhowmik,
HOD, Department of Law Studies,
Kingston Law College
Phone:
Email:
Now that you’ve gone through the law school recommendation letter sample, you have a better idea of the quality and professionalism required in an LOR. While the sample should serve you well as an example of the format and tone, make sure not to copy it. Remember, an LOR must be unique and personalized to be effective.
Not sure how to write a letter of recommendation for law school? No worries, here’s a step-by-step guide for you.
Before the admission officers read your opinion on the candidate, they must know your relationship with him. The first thing you should do is establish your connection, covering details such as how you know the candidate and how long you’ve known him.
In a law school letter of recommendation, the candidate’s academic skills are the most important detail to cover. However, make sure to provide additional information over what the admission officials can already obtain from the candidate’s CV. In the recommendation letter for law school sample above, for example, the endorser has praised the applicant’s prowess at researching.
With the academic skills covered, you may now discuss the other relevant skills possessed by the candidate. These may include both hard and soft skills, as long as they are relevant to the course or the applicant’s career goals. Also, remember to mention any relevant extracurricular activities.
Next, discuss the applicant’s personality with special mentions of any positive traits that might be relevant – academically or professionally. Avoid false and empty praises, though – especially the ones that the admission committee can easily see through during an interview.
Before ending the letter, asset your recommendation for the applicant and write why you think he’d be a good choice. This is also a good opportunity to mention the applicant’s career goals.
Proofreading is a must – both for grammatical and spelling errors and to make sure you followed the right format and covered all the necessary information.
For a law school admission, the LOR should ideally come from someone who has taught and/or mentored the candidate. As a teacher or professor, you’re one of the most trustable recommenders as long as you’ve supervised the candidate for long enough.
A letter of recommendation for law school is a document that provides insights into an applicant’s abilities, achievements, and character. It’s usually written by a teacher, professor, or employer who knows the applicant well and can vouch for their strengths.
It depends on the law school you’re applying to. Most law schools require at least two letters of recommendation, but some may require more. It’s important to check each school’s requirements and follow their guidelines carefully.
You should ask in person or via email, and provide them with all the necessary information, such as the schools you’re applying to and the deadlines. Be sure to give them enough time to write the letter and follow up with a thank-you note.
A letter of recommendation for law school should include details about your academic performance, work ethic, character, and achievements. It should also provide specific examples and anecdotes to support these claims.
It depends on the school’s policy. Some schools allow you to access your letters of recommendation after you’ve been accepted, while others do not. It’s important to check each school’s policy and follow their guidelines.
Conclusion
This guide should help you write better LORs for your students. Stick to the recommendation letter for law school sample for the format and tone, but create a personalized and unique letter for each student.
You may also seek professional assistance or get your students to have the LOR drafted by professional LOR writers. Working with students who don’t know how to ask for a law school letter of recommendation can be particularly tiring. Professional services would save you all the trouble while boosting their chances of selection.
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