Who to Ask for Law School Letters of Recommendation (and How)

By Mara Freilich, JD — former civil litigator, University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate, former UPenn Law admissions interviewer, and law school admissions consultant. About page · State Bar profile · LinkedIn

Last reviewed: July 2026

In today’s hyper-competitive admissions environment, where law schools have more than enough qualified applicants to choose from, every piece of your application matters — including your letters of recommendation. Letters used to be mostly a formality, a rubber stamp of approval. 

Now they’re a critical piece of what actually gets you admitted.

But here’s the problem:

Most letters, when written without guidance, are vague and general. They say you’re hard-working and smart — but that describes almost everyone applying to law school. 

What makes a letter effective is specificity, and knowing what law schools are actually looking for. And you’re usually not the one writing it. 

As a former UPenn Law admissions interviewer, I’ve read thousands of recommendation letters, and I’ve seen brilliant applicants get rejected because of their letters.

Below is the exact framework I use with my consulting clients so their letters aren’t left to chance.

Quick answer

• Who to ask: someone who can speak to how you think, perform, and compare to peers — substance over title. Include at least one academic recommender if you can.
• How many: aim for three, even if a school only takes two. It lets you tailor which letters go to which schools.
• When to ask: treat it as one of the first tasks in your application. Give recommenders at least four to six weeks, ideally more.
• The one move most applicants skip: don’t just send a resume. Send a short “why law” paragraph and a targeted outline of the traits you want highlighted, each backed by a specific example.

What is required for law school letters of recommendation?

Letters of recommendation are required for almost every law school application. Every school sets its own rules, but typically a school requires at least two and allows anywhere from two to four. Some schools specifically want at least one academic reference, especially if you’re still in school or recently graduated.

Letters are submitted directly by your recommender through your LSAC account. Read the LSAC guidelines before you get started.

Once you enter your recommender’s information, LSAC emails them a link to set up an account and upload the letter themselves. This can be confusing for some (cough, older) recommenders, so be ready to hold their hand through it. You’ll then be able to select which letters each law school receives.

A note for splitters:

If your GPA or LSAT is below a school’s median, the rest of your application has to work harder. Committees aren’t just asking what your numbers are — they’re asking why they look the way they do, and what that signals about your judgment, resilience, and trajectory. 

This is where strong letters matter most. A recommender who can show how you handled a setback, made a hard tradeoff, or performed in a demanding environment gives a committee something concrete to advocate for — often the difference between an admit and the waitlist.

Let’s look at the specific steps below. But before we do – in this short video, I give more detail about the full steps in just 5 minutes: 

Step 1: Secure the right recommender

This is where a lot of applicants go wrong. Law schools do not care about the prestige of your recommender, or how impressive their title is, or how close your personal relationship is. 

What they care about is a recommender who can talk about three things: how you think, how you perform, and how you compare to others.

Here are the near-universal guidelines I give my clients.

You do not need a letter from an attorney

Law schools do not care at all whether you have a letter from an attorney. The best letters come from someone who knows you, your intellectual abilities, and the character traits law schools value — not from someone who happens to hold a JD.

Get at least one academic letter if you can

Regardless of whether a school requires it, law schools primarily want to see academic letters. They’re using them to assess whether you can handle the rigor of law school and the legal profession.

If you’ve been out of school for less than five years, I strongly encourage you to get at least one letter from a professor or academic supervisor (an advisor or thesis committee member counts).

Even if it’s awkward, even if you don’t think the professor will remember you, reach out. Later in this post I’ll show you how to set that recommender up so the letter isn’t generic, even if they don’t know you well.

A few things worth knowing:

• You don’t have to ask only professors who gave you an A. Ask the ones who know you and your work best — even from a class where you didn’t get an A. In a demanding class, a professor can speak to how hard-earned that B was.
• Even if you’ve been out of school for more than five years, it’s worth trying. Reach out and see if a professor remembers you — you may be surprised.
• If you have a low GPA, an academic letter matters more, not less. It’s your chance to convince schools your GPA doesn’t reflect your academic ability.
• If you truly can’t get an academic letter that says more than “she got an A in my class,” find someone who can speak to your ability to handle rigorous, academic-type work or thrive under pressure — a supervisor who watched you manage a complicated project, or a colleague who worked with you on a demanding grant proposal.

If you really can’t get any academic letter, get a professional one that can at least attest that you can handle complex intellectual material.

How do I ask a professor I’ve lost touch with?

First, choose the professor with the strongest specific memory of you, instead of someone who gave you the highest grade.

Second, lead with that – not: “you probably don’t remember me.” Open with the exact class, the term, and one concrete detail about you like your final paper topic, a project, or a question you raised in office hours.

Third, attach the actual work you did for them like an old paper or project, which they can use as raw material to write from.

Give them a graceful exit by asking whether they can write a strong, positive letter. That phrasing lets a professor who doesn’t remember you well decline.

Email to reconnect with a professor

Subject: Reconnecting — [Course name], [term/year]

Dear Professor [Name],

I was a student in your [Course name] class in [term/year], and wrote my final paper on [specific topic]. [One concrete detail.]

Since graduating I’ve been [one line on what you’ve done], and I’m now applying to law school. Your class was [a genuine, specific reason it mattered to you], which is part of why I’m reaching out to you.

Would you feel comfortable writing me a strong, positive letter of recommendation? I completely understand if you’re not able to. If you are willing, I’ll send over my resume, a copy of the paper I wrote for your class, and a short outline to make it as easy as possible.

Thank you so much for considering it,
[Your name]

Choose substance over notoriety

A common mistake is picking recommenders for their status instead of the depth of their relationship with you. The famous director of the lab you intern at may barely know your name; the graduate assistant you talk to every day, who actually supervises you, can speak in depth about your contributions and skill set. The second letter is far stronger.

I often tell clients that a heartfelt letter from a TA who knows your name is worth ten times a form letter from a U.S. Senator.

I was reminded of this in a past cycle. I had a client who was close family friends with President Joe Biden — yes, the former President of the United States. She’d worked on his campaigns and thought he could write a substantive letter. 

I was cautious about how it might land, but given who he was, we compromised and submitted it to a few schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, where Biden had taught and has close ties.

She didn’t get into any of the schools where she submitted his letter. In fact, of all my clients that cycle, she performed the least spectacularly — she got acceptances, but not at her reach schools, whereas my other clients did. 

My guess is the letter wasn’t personal, was probably written by a staffer, and may have hurt her by making her look like she was leaning on connections instead of substance. It’s an extreme example, but the point stands: law schools want to see who you are, not who you know.

Do not get letters from family or friends

Every year someone asks whether a parent’s friend who’s connected to a law school can write their letter. Let me be direct: it won’t help. Law schools do not care what your mom’s friend thinks about you unless that person has genuinely supervised your work. 

A personal relationship alone is not a reason to have someone write your letter — and letters like these can actually hurt you, because they look immature, as if you had no one of substance to ask.

Even if you did real work for a close family member, ask someone else if you possibly can. 

I once had a client who worked summers at her mother’s law firm. Even though her mom could have written a detailed, glowing letter, no school would take that seriously — of course her mom is biased. So instead she asked her mother’s law-firm partner, who had actually overseen her work.

If a recommender hesitates, move on

If someone shows any hesitation when you ask — a noncommittal answer, a “I might not have time” — move on to someone else. You only want people who are unequivocal in their support. A lukewarm letter is just as much a red flag as a bad one.

Aim for three recommenders

Some schools limit you to two letters, but having three lets you send different ones to different schools — for example, all-academic letters where a school requires them, and a mix elsewhere. Most schools allow more than two, and three gives them a well-rounded view of you.

Alongside academic letters, you might get what I call “professional” letters — from a boss, an internship or volunteer supervisor, and so on. As a rough guide:

• If you’re applying straight from school or graduated within the past year, two of your three should ideally be academic.
• If you’re applying more than two years out, two of the three can be professional.

To summarize who to ask:

• Just graduated or about to: ideally two academic letters and a third of your choice.
• Several years out: at least one academic letter, plus two professional.
• Can’t get an academic letter despite trying: choose a professional recommender who can speak to your ability to think and write with complexity and handle high-pressure work.

When to ask

Treat this as one of the first tasks in your application, not an afterthought. I see too many clients assume it’s an easy ask, then get stuck waiting on a recommender who takes forever.

Recommenders — professors especially — procrastinate, so build in a cushion. Ask at least four to six weeks before you need the letter submitted, and ideally earlier. LSAC also takes time to process letters, which is why I have clients start here early.

The first time you ask, you don’t need to send everything yet — you’re just getting a yes. Ask in person if you can, but email is completely fine. Here’s a sample:

Email 1 — the ask

Dear Professor X,  

I hope you’re doing well. I intend to apply to law school this Fall and was wondering if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation in the next 8 weeks?  

Your class Criminal Justice and the Law was a defining moment in my desire to pursue law school, and I believe your understanding of my academic work and interests will help give law schools a full picture of the type of student and future lawyer I will be.  

If you are generously willing, I will happily send over my resume, reasons for applying to law school, and more guidance for the letter.

Many thanks,

Mara

Step 2: Give your recommenders a strategic outline

Most applicants send a resume and think they’re done. Don’t do this. To get a strategic letter, send curated materials — and take some control over what the letter says.

Once someone says yes, follow up with:

1. The date you’d like it submitted. Choose a date assuming your recommender will need an extra week or two beyond it.
2. Your law school resume.
3. A brief “why law” paragraph. Many recommenders will ask for your personal statement, but don’t wait until it’s finished to get letters moving — letters are a common bottleneck. A one-paragraph explanation of what’s motivating you and what you want to do with your degree is more than enough.
4. A targeted outline of the traits you want highlighted, each with a specific example. This is the most important piece, and the one almost everyone skips.

Here’s why the outline matters:

Most letters are glowing — admissions officers know that. They also tend to describe applicants in the same general terms: curious, imaginative, a strong leader. 

What makes a letter stand out is specificity: your recommender pointing to a concrete moment when you actually demonstrated the trait. 

As I tell my clients, no one remembers what you’ve done, or how you did it, better than you — so don’t rely on your recommender’s memory. Do the work for them.

When you build the outline, think about what law schools care about, and tailor it to the type of letter:

• For academic letters, schools are looking at your intellectual capacity and how you compared to other students over the recommender’s whole teaching career. Point to your analytical ability, how you handled complex material, and how you engaged in rigorous class discussion — with specific examples each time.
• For professional letters, the emphasis shifts toward leadership: how you show up in a professional setting, how collaborative you are, what you look like on a team. But the same rule applies — it has to be illustrative, not a vague, conclusory “she’s a great team builder.” How are you a great team builder? Show it.

A simplified version of what to hand your recommender:

Brag-sheet outline (example)

• Initiative: Turned research from a class paper into action outside the classroom — launched an initiative to cut the university’s carbon emissions.
• Academic rigor: Wrote an extensive paper on [topic] that earned an A in a demanding course.
• Intellectual curiosity: (1) Attended office hours regularly and asked questions that pushed discussion further; (2) did substantial unassigned reading on my own.

You can then package the materials in a short follow-up:

Email 2 — sending materials (newly drafted — edit to your voice)

Dear Professor [Name],

Thank you so much for agreeing to write this — it means a great deal. To make it as easy as possible, I’ve attached my resume and a short paragraph on why I’m applying to law school and what I hope to do with the degree.

I’ve also jotted down a few traits I’d be grateful for you to speak to, each with a specific example you might draw on. Please treat these only as a starting point.

The letter would need to be submitted through LSAC by [date]. LSAC will email you a link to upload it directly — I’m happy to walk you through that step whenever it’s convenient.

Thank you again, [Your name]

Make sure each letter fits your application’s story

Your letters don’t exist in isolation — they’re part of the single, cohesive story your whole application is telling. One of the most overlooked mistakes I see, even from strong applicants, is a letter that contradicts that story.

Say you’re positioning yourself in your personal statement and resume as a future corporate attorney, but your recommender writes entirely about your passion and long-term commitment to underserved communities. That disconnect doesn’t make either thing bad — but it makes your narrative feel less cohesive and less authentic to an admissions officer, and it can read as a red flag.

The fix is the brief you’re already giving them: tell your recommenders, in your own words, why you’re going to law school and the direction you’re pursuing. If you leave them guessing, they’ll fill the gaps with whatever they happen to remember — which may not be what serves you.

Once they’re clued in, that experience with underserved communities can absolutely still be relevant; it just gets framed to reinforce your story instead of competing with it.

A quick gut check before you finalize your recommenders: does each letter support the same narrative as your personal statement? If one pulls in a different direction, re-brief that recommender or choose a different one.

Step 3: Manage the process

Getting the letter written is only part of the job. You also have to manage it over the finish line.

• Give a clear deadline and explain the LSAC mechanics. Tell your recommender exactly when you’d like the letter submitted, and how: you’ll enter their information in your LSAC portal, which triggers an email prompting them to upload the letter directly.
• Follow up — don’t be shy about it. Check in about two weeks before your target date to ask if they need anything and to remind them of the date. Some recommenders need a nudge or two. It can feel awkward, but it’s far better to feel a little awkward than to not get the letter at all. Trust me, most recommenders appreciate the reminder.
• Send a thoughtful thank-you. It’s a real favor. Thank them properly, and keep them in the loop on your outcomes — they’re part of your professional network now and are invested in the process. 

Do letters of recommendation actually matter?

After all of that, here’s the honest part: don’t over-fret about them.

For most applicants, despite your best efforts, recommenders will write something positive but similar to what everyone else submits. Many, especially professors, have written a lot of these and lean on a near-identical template each time. That’s fine — it won’t hurt you, but it also isn’t what gets you in.

Letters rarely help admissions officers differentiate between applicants. But in the cases where they do, they can make or break a decision. 

Bad letters — from family, friends, or a famous professor who can’t speak to you substantively — can hurt you. 

And a small number of letters genuinely push an applicant over the line: the ones that are sincere, personal, clearly written by someone who knows the applicant well, and full of concrete proof of how they’ll succeed. 

I had a client whose acceptance letter specifically praised one of her recommendations. That’s what you’re aiming for.

So don’t just ask for a “good” letter. Ask for a specific, detailed one — and give your recommenders what they need to write it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use professional letters if I’ve been out of school for five or more years? 

Yes. Most schools accept — and often prefer — professional letters for non-traditional applicants. But those letters need to speak to academic-adjacent skills: analytical rigor, complex writing, and the ability to handle high-pressure environments. If you can’t get a professor, make sure your boss speaks to how you think, not just that you showed up.

Do letters help admissions committees check whether an application is authentic?

In my experience, yes — letters act as an anchor for the rest of your file. If a personal statement is polished but the letters are generic, the two don’t reinforce each other. The specific, idiosyncratic details in a strong letter — a particular class contribution, a moment you struggled and recovered — are exactly what make the rest of your application feel real.

Is it too late to ask?

Probably not, but move now. Give recommenders at least four to six weeks, and remember LSAC needs time to process letters, so build in a buffer. Aiming to have letters uploaded well before your target application dates lets you take advantage of rolling admissions.

Mara Freilich is a former civil litigator and Penn Law graduate who works as a law school admissions consultant, helping applicants gain admission to top U.S. law schools through strategic, experience-led guidance. Work with Mara.