I'm a Master's Student -- Who Should I Ask for Letters of Recommendation? Forum

[avvvv]

Hi everyone. I am currently a first year Master's student, and I am planning to apply to law school this year, in Fall 2020. I went into my Master's program planning to become an academic, but I quickly realized it wasn't the right fit for me. I worked as a social worker before I came to grad school, and I think working as a public defender would be the ideal career for me. That being said, as a graduate student, I'm not sure who I should ask for letters of recommendation. While I know graduate school does not really "count" in law school applications, I graduated from undergrad in 2017, and I feel like my graduate school professors know me much better at this point. Any thoughts?

[cavalier1138]

Current professors or undergrad professors are fine as long as they know you.

Obligatory warning:

I worked as a social worker before I came to grad school, and I think working as a public defender would be the ideal career for me.

Although there's some crossover between PD work and social work (in certain areas of the country), it's not the same thing. Make sure you're very clear on what PDs do for a living, or you'll have a high chance of burning out and having no non-legal career prospects.

[avvvv]

Current professors or undergrad professors are fine as long as they know you.

Obligatory warning:

I worked as a social worker before I came to grad school, and I think working as a public defender would be the ideal career for me.

Although there's some crossover between PD work and social work (in certain areas of the country), it's not the same thing. Make sure you're very clear on what PDs do for a living, or you'll have a high chance of burning out and having no non-legal career prospects.

Thanks! I have an internship set up at the county public defender office this summer, so I'm not going in without a realistic perspective.

[FND]

I worked as a social worker before I came to grad school, and I think working as a public defender would be the ideal career for me.

If you like social work, working for social service agencies or welfare related non-profits might be a much better fit.