New Law School Data Shows Average Debt & Salary

Tips for Letters of Recommendation

Law school recommendations are a critical part of the application. How can you ensure you’re getting a strong recommendation that will elevate your candidacy?

Anna Ivey of Anna Ivey Consulting breaks down her top tips for law school recommendations and how applicants can help prepare strong recommendations that will make their application shine.

FOCUS ON YOU AS A STUDENT

Ivey stresses that law school recommendations should be professional, in the sense that they should focus on how you are a student above all.

“Any thoughts they share about you outside the classroom are just bonuses; they are not required or expected,” Ivey writes. “Recommendations are also not expected to discuss other parts of your application, like your extracurricular activities while in college.”

LESS IS MORE

Recommendations are meant to highlight how you are a student and why you’d be a good fit for a law school.

To that note, Ivey says, less is oftentimes more when it comes to law school recommendations.

“Have good reasons for submitting more than the required number of recommendations,” Ivey writes. “In fact, have a good reason for submitting anything as part of your application that isn’t required.”

RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING

When it comes to choosing your recommender, it may be tempting to simply choose the person with the highest, most impressive title. However, experts say, it’s critical to assess how closely you actually worked with your recommender.

Ivey stresses that recommenders should be able to speak authentically about the applicant.

“What matters is the substance of the letter,” she tells US News. “The ones that really made a difference were the ones that were specific and gave examples to support their opinion of the applicant.”

Check out the rest of Ivey’s tips on recommendations here.

Sources: Anna Ivey Consulting, US News

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.