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Visiting Your Recommenders

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published September 26, 2013

By Author - LawCrossing

The first time you visit a recommender, you need to jog his or her memory by tactfully working in a reference to whatever distinguishes you from others:

I thought you'd be a good person to ask because you liked the term paper I wrote on the Diet of Worms.

or

I figured you'd be a good person to comment on my work habits, considering that we worked night and day to get elected last October.

or

Remember, you wrote a letter when I was put up for membership in the honor society? I thought you could possibly write the same kind of letter to law schools.

or

Do you remember how when I was the president of the prelaw club you told me that working on program organizing was good practice for law school? Well, now I'm applying to law school . . .

In each case, you're tactfully signaling what you would like the recommender to write about.

After planting the seed of memory, tell each recommender that you will return on a certain date with the necessary law school forms. Thank him or her in advance for agreeing to write letters for you, excuse yourself, and leave.

When you return for the second visit, bring with you the blank forms and envelopes. Also bring along a written summary of the accomplishments or incidents you mentioned on your first visit-the details you'd like included in your letter.

The best technique is to put together an information packet for each of your recommenders. It should contain three items. First, always include a photocopy of your transcript. Recommenders will feel more confident discussing your academic record if they have the documentation at hand.
United States

Second, enclose a resume or partial resume that includes the same details of your academic work, extracurricular activities, and job experience that you will list on your law school applications. But the recommendation resume should be personalized; you should emphasize those details of your record that you want the recommender to mention in his or her letter. This is where you can describe those thoughtful seminar discussions, or the outstanding term paper, or the hours of hard work you put in during the political campaign. If you want the recommender to reminisce about the time you organized all the political science majors to go down to the state capitol to protest budget cuts in higher education, make sure the incident is listed on the resume.

Since you'll want each recommender to emphasize different aspects of your character and background, you may want to create a different resume for each of them. Each resume should be no more than a page or two in length. The experts at writing these "functional" resumes on your campus are in the placement center. Consult them if you have any questions about how to emphasize your good points.

Finally, include photocopies of anything you want specifically referred to. If you've chosen this recommender because she liked your term paper, provide a photocopy of the paper-preferably a graded copy, with her comments on it-and write at the top, "This is the paper I mentioned when I was in your office last week." If you'd like the recommender to mention work you've done for an organization or awards you've won, include photocopies of letters of commendation or award certificates.

Put the three items in a folder with your name on it. Add the various appraisal forms that the law schools have provided. You should also provide preaddressed business-size envelopes, with stamps if you want the recommendations mailed directly to the law school, or without stamps if you'll collect them later. Leave the folder with the recommender at the end of your second visit. Thank the recommenders profusely for their time and trouble.

Timing

Expect your recommenders to take three weeks, or even a month, to write, type, and mail your letters. If the law school wants you to collect the letters and mail them along with your application (see the next section), during your second visit schedule a third visit to pick them up.

If your application arrives before the law school's formal deadline, some law schools will wait for the letters to arrive before making an admit/reject decision, even if the letters don't arrive until after the deadline. But read the instructions carefully; most law schools regard their deadlines as absolute barriers and insist that all files be complete by the indicated cutoff date.

If you complete all the application steps in October and November, as I suggest, you won't need to worry about the formal deadlines.

There isn't any need to send off your law school applications before arranging for letters of recommendation. Indeed, the reverse is true: you should arrange for the letters first. If your letters arrive at the law school before your application form, the law school will hold them. If you are asked to enclose your letters of recommendation along with your application, schedule your second visits at least one month before you expect to mail off the application form.

But if your advance planning doesn't work out and you have to apply at the last minute, be sure that your recommenders are aware of any deadlines they must meet. It's legitimate to tactfully mention that you need the letters by next Wednesday at the latest; most faculty members will try to expedite their letter writing in special circumstances. If your recommender is one of those people who are perennially late and always seem to be trying to catch up, consider telling a little white lie: if the letters must arrive before, say, the 15th of February, say that you need them by the first of that month.
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