Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D. Forum
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Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
Hey all. I'm a senior trying to figure out which professors I should attempt to get letters of recommendation from for LS. I was wondering if anyone has any insight into whether a given LS will give more weight to a recommendation from a Prof. who also went to law school/practiced law than a recommendation from a Prof. in some other field. Specifically, I am interested in figuring out whether the Prof. in question having gone to H/Y/S (for LS) would boost my chances at one of those 3 schools. Thanks.
- buckilaw
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Re: Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
I got a rec letter from a prof with a JD, a UVA grad, I think it probably helped; but, we knew each other fairly well. For letters get letters from profs who know you well enough to write a good letter, schools don't care about credentials of your letter writers all that much.
- ladybug89
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Re: Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
I disagree, especially for HYS I think it would help to have a letter from an alum professor discussing how they think you would fit in intellectually at their school.
Last edited by ladybug89 on Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
If the JD is from a school you're applying to, then yes, that will probably mean something.
If it's from a different school, it's probably no better than any other professor.
If it's from a different school, it's probably no better than any other professor.
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Re: Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
I agree with that, but if you're going to ask a professor who doesn't know you as well just because s/he went to the school in question, you're better off asking someone who will write the better letter. That will be worth more than the alumni 'boost'.duckmoney wrote:If the JD is from a school you're applying to, then yes, that will probably mean something.
In all honesty, you won't get much of a boost unless that person can pick up the phone, call the school, and make something happen. Especially since most professors who went to HYS did so at a time where the environment was much different than it is today, so saying that you'd fit in with the student body at their school won't mean too much.
- ladybug89
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- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:57 am
Re: Letters of rec from Professors with a J.D.
Agree with both of the above. (but in my defense, my prof graduated fairly recently.)bp shinners wrote:I agree with that, but if you're going to ask a professor who doesn't know you as well just because s/he went to the school in question, you're better off asking someone who will write the better letter. That will be worth more than the alumni 'boost'.duckmoney wrote:If the JD is from a school you're applying to, then yes, that will probably mean something.
In all honesty, you won't get much of a boost unless that person can pick up the phone, call the school, and make something happen. Especially since most professors who went to HYS did so at a time where the environment was much different than it is today, so saying that you'd fit in with the student body at their school won't mean too much.
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