Recommender not a current professor

[eevalt]

Hey guys,

I am starting to look at applying to law school and of course, one of the big things is who to select for a recommendation.

One of the professors that:

a) I have known the best
b) Whose area is very relevant
c) Who loves me

is of course my first choice.

However, he is not currently teaching. He has taken the year off to work in the private sector. He may or may not return to academia.

Most of the law school applications I have seen say that recommendations should be from CURRENT professors, but strictly speaking, he is not that.

Can I still use his recommendation?

Any advice is much appreciated, and good luck to everyone else getting in:)

[tyro]

I don't see why the fact that he/she is not currently teaching would in any way disconfirm your relationship and success in his/her classes.

[cinephile]

Agreed, his rec should be fine.

[TTH]

Yeah, as long as his sabbatical isn't related to some scandalous shit you don't know about, you're fine.

[typ3]

I used 2 TA's for my recommendations one already had his JD from a top 20 school and was a PhD candidate. The other was a regular run of the mill PhD candidate. I got in everywhere I applied and only got 1 WL... so shouldn't be a problem?

Make sure they know you well, can give insights that aren't going to be on your resume or personal statement and most importantly are WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU in crafting their letter.


Law schools only care about your numbers anyway