Letters of Reference

Most law schools require two or three letters of reference for admission. The most effective letters of reference are those from professors who have known you well enough to write with candor, detail and objectivity about your academic and personal achievements and potential. Work supervisors and supervisors of volunteer experiences can also write in support of your application. Letters that compare you to your academic peers are often considered more useful than general, or unreservedly praiseworthy letters. It is important to get at least one reference from a professor in your major, even if you graduated a while ago.

Letters written in support of law school application should address:

• Communication skills, especially writing ability
• Expository, negotiating and persuasion skills
• Research ability and resourcefulness
• Analytical ability, especially forming and defending opinions
• Reflection/balance in forming opinions
• Insight/ability to pose pertinent questions
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to complete projects successfully and on time
• Patience and attention to detail
• Leadership abilities inside and outside of the classroom

Refrain from submitting letters from politicians or your congresspersons unless you have had an opportunity to work directly for these individuals. Many admissions committees do not look favorably upon these “power letters” in their evaluation process when the writer has limited first-hand knowledge of candidates and their abilities.

Always ask your references if they feel they know you well enough to write a meaningful letter. When asking for a reference, remember that yours may be only one of many requests. Do not wait until the last moment to ask. As a courtesy, you should give your letter writer at least a four-week time frame to write your letters, so it helps to plan ahead. Provide your references with transcripts, a resume, a copy of your personal statement, or a copy of a paper to help them write a thorough reference letter.

Your letters of reference for law school may be managed in three ways:

1. Utilizing The Career Center’s Reference Letter Service
2. Through LSAC’s Recommendation Letter Service
3. Sending letters individually to each school

Many UM students applying to law school take advantage of The Career Center’s Reference Letter Service (RLS) to manage their file. The RLS will forward reference letters directly to law schools and/or to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) upon your request. An official LSAC Letter of Recommendation Form must accompany all reference letters sent to LSAC.

Reasons why UM students choose to use the RLS are:

• Professors only write one original letter, which the RLS will duplicate as needed
• References can easily be re-sent in case of failed delivery or misfiling by the LSAC or the receiving law school—since the original stays in the student’s folder at the RLS
• Availability of multiple shipping options (Regular, Priority or Overnight) to suit different timing needs
• Ability to send different letters or different combination of letters to each law school
• File longevity (5 years since the date you opened a file with the UM Reference Letter Service)

For more information on this topic, see the section, Information for Pre-Law Students in the RLS section of this Web site.