Below are three examples of law school letters of recommendation, two academic and one professional, two for regular 1L JD admissions and one for transfer admission.
Sample Law School Letter of Recommendation #1:
Professional Letter of Recommendation for 1L Admissions
Dear Members of the Admission Committee,
It is with great pleasure and zero hesitation that I recommend [name] to law school. My relationship with [name] has evolved through various stages of her career as a consultant, an employee I personally hired, and a friend. Across all forms our relationship has taken, what has stood out to me most about [name]’s personality and professional acumen has been a) her exceptional ability to analyze complex, multi-layered business development challenges and b) her ability in highly contextual, nuanced, sensitive situations to identify the core of the issue and propose targeted solutions that everyone could agree upon. I know that [name] has ambitions to use the law to help those in need and to solve the hairiest problems humanity faces. These abilities are major assets that I believe will not only serve her on a life trajectory of service toward society, but also will make her an exceptional student at your school.
During my time serving as VP of Marketing at [company], I hired [name] as our inaugural Director of Innovation, and for a period of one year she was my direct report. Her skills for nuanced analysis were particularly evident when she developed a sophisticated sales program targeting the private and public sectors. [Name] repeatedly demonstrated an ability to identify complex issues and propose actionable solutions during regular team sessions in a critical time of growth where roles, responsibilities, and compensation were at risk. [Name] was able to listen carefully and thoroughly to the concerns of many team members, understand and appreciate the tension, and then propose solutions that were both progressive and aligned with the motivations and concerns of a diverse set of team members across multiple departments.
As a new employee at [company], [name] rapidly became a trusted team member: every day she is a reliable, hard-working colleague who takes deadlines and high-quality work very seriously. She is also able to foster a similar ambition in the team members she supervises while also helping to relieve their stresses, fears, and challenges. In high-stress, high-performance environments like the tech startup world, this ability to build trust and lead “softly” is a valuable leadership asset. As she is entering law school and preparing for a life in the service and justice of others, I have no doubt that she will excel—as a professional and a wonderful human being. [Name] has a great ability to help people lead and execute with integrity and morality.
[Name]’s ability to lead, care for, and work with others will influence her ability to relate to her fellow law students, create productive work environments, and advance her career as a listener and influencer of decisions.
She has my highest recommendation. Please feel free to reach out with any questions—I’d be delighted to speak with you further about [name]. My phone number is [phone number], and my email address is [email].
Sincerely,
[Name]
Vice President, Marketing | [Company]
Sample Law School Letter of Recommendation #2:
Academic/Extracurricular Letter of Recommendation for 1L Admissions
Dear Admissions Committee:
I strongly and enthusiastically nominate [name] for admission to law school. I have known [name] for three and a half years in my role as Pre-Law Advisor, as her instructor in Honors Moot Court, and as advisor of a group in which she was an officer in my previous position at [school]. [Name] stands out among her peers on several levels.
First, she is a bright and engaged student. [Name] is among the top 5% of the students I have taught and advised at [school]. Our case last year examined whether a Voter ID law disparately affected women who chose to change their last names. [Name] quickly grasped the broader constitutional and policy issues at stake and formulated efficient, logical arguments for both petitioner and respondent. While many students used weaker policy arguments, [name] was able to show the Court's reasoning in various Voter ID and gender-discrimination cases, to show that a ruling for the petitioner would not be a huge doctrinal shift, or conversely, that a ruling for the respondent would mean opening up the floodgates for challenging election results. It's always exciting to see an undergraduate already thinking like an appellate advocate, and never disappointed.
Second, [name] is extraordinarily self-aware, mature and helpful. Since her freshman year, she has immersed herself in professional legal experiences and learned how to navigate in less structured, less professional environments to large, corporate ones. She conducted herself professionally in both, even when sometimes the people around her were not great examples. I sincerely appreciate that [name] seems to understand what is required of her without much outside guidance. She is also a mentor to underclassmen, either in her formal role as a Pre-Law Society officer, or informally, as a mentor with some of our younger prelaw students. And speaking of her time as an officer, I cannot overstate how important her service was in this role.
Over the last several years, the Pre-Law Office has slowly lost personnel through retirement or attrition until I was the only one left. For the last two years, I was stretched incredibly thin, and [name] really stepped up to help point students towards resources, schedule and staff prelaw events, and lead the student group. I ultimately left my position a few months ago, and [name] came up with the idea to have Pre-Law Officer "Office Hours" in the Pre-Law office suite to make sure that students were served until a new pre-law advisor could be hired. As I write this, the role has still not been filled, and this is a valuable and the only resource for [school] students interested in law school. This is just one example of [name]'s service mentality, creative problem-solving, and the seriousness with which she approaches her leadership role in our student group.
Before my time as a prelaw advisor, I was the Assistant Director of Admissions at T14 Law School, so I have some appreciation of how difficult it is to differentiate the great applicants from all the very good ones in your applicant pool. [Name] will be an excellent student who will take advantage of all of the resources your law school has to offer, will be a great, contributing member of your community, and will be someone you're proud to call an alumna.
If you need any further information that may help you in your decision-making, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] or my personal number at [phone number].
Sincerely,
[Name]
Sample Law School Letter of Recommendation #3:
Academic Letter of Recommendation for Transfer Admissions
[Date]
Re: Letter of recommendation for [name], transfer applicant
Dear Admissions Committee:
[Name] has requested that I write a recommendation letter on hisbehalf as he seeks to transfer from [law school]. While I will be sorry to see [name] leave [law school], I heartily support his candidacy to transfer and recommend him without reservation.
[Name] was a first-year student in my [course] and [course] courses in the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters. I have had ample time to interact with and observe [name] this year, both in and out of the classroom. What you will find, should you accept him, is a smart, engaging, and thoughtful student. Unlike many of his peers, [name] balances his responsibilities as a law student with the responsibilities of raising a family. I credit [name]'s strong work ethic and desire to succeed for creating a balanced life while maintaining, to date, a class rank of number two.
Indeed, [name] is incredibly focused and always prepared for classroom discussions and debate. Equally important, he is respectful of his classmates and of others' opinions when they differ from his own. He also brings a likable personality, curious mind, and quick wit to the classroom. In short, he is a model classroom participant—the kind of student every professor hopes to teach. Unsurprisingly, he is also one to regularly seek feedback on his exams and papers, and to handle critiques with grace and gratitude.
Additionally, [name] manages the rigors of the law school environment with ease. He is a strong student with solid fundamentals in writing and reasoning. I see a wide range of writing and analytical ability at [law school], and [name] is no doubt at the highest end (top of my class as well as his other classes, clearly). I'd easily put him in the top 3% of students I've taught over five years of [course] and [course] law classes.
I spent years as a law school admissions professional prior to teaching, and from an admissions as well as a professor's perspective, I am confident in [name]'s ability to succeed at any law school of his choice. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions about this student.
Best regards,
[Name]
[Title]
[Law School]