LoR from a post-doc? Forum

[septimus]

Hello,

I have a question about letters of rec -- if I get one from a post-doctorate instead a professor, would that affect/hurt my chances? I know that it would be problematic if I were applying to M.S/PhD programs, but I'm not sure if that goes for law school.

Thanks in advance for any input you might have : )

[tourdeforcex]

getting an LOR from a post-doc that can firmly attest to your academic ability will not hurt your chances.

but make sure you're doing this w/ reason. if it's between a mediocre LOR from a prof and a mediocre LOR from a post-doc, get the prof. but if it's glowing and all that from a post-doc, that's probably better.

and be sure to check the specific law school's policies and FAQs. generally, i think post-doc is fine.

[RTFM]

Pretty much everywhere adcomms say that they would rather see a strong letter from a not very important person than a weak letter from an important person. I also remember reading somewhere that they care most about whether the person has taught classes before (if you are in the first class they taught then they wouldn't really have any basis of comparison by which to judge you). Since a lot of people submit LORs from TAs, I bet you'd be fine with a post-doc, as long as the letter is strong.

[im_blue]

Post-docs and TAs are generally fine for LORs, but check each school's policy. Some specify a preference for faculty LORs.

[septimus]

Thanks to everyone who answered!

I've been out of school for a little bit and have only really had interaction with one of my professors, unfortunately. I'll definitely check again with the schools I'm applying to.