Of these two people, whom should I choose for my LOR? Forum

[tabithajohnson]

Hello everyone,

I am a law school hopeful and I will be applying to various law schools this Fall (a few in the top 30, the rest in the 30th-80th ranking). I am already asking two of my former professors to write a LOR for me. One of them was my professor for a course in my major, was the leader in one of my Honors College Fellows group, and was the professor for my one-month study abroad in Europe. He knows me quite well. The other was my professor for an 8 hour seminar in a special Washington D.C. program. We had class 3 days a week for 3-5 hours a day.

The other two people that I am deciding to ask for a LOR don't know me as well academically, as they are people who know me from internships. The first person--I'll call him Brian--was my internship advisor for my congressional internship on Capitol Hill. I worked very closely with him for the 4 months that I was there (however, I only interned 2 days a week). I feel like I took initiative in the job, and did as much as I could. I was never late, never got in trouble, stayed after work sometimes to complete work, and improved a lot with my tasks over the course of my internship. Typical responsible intern. The other person that I am deciding whether to get an LOR from is someone that I've known for about three years. She was an assistant at a small law firm in the city I was living in when I was in high school. After I graduated, I decided to take the initiative to call many of the law firms in the city, asking if they wanted free help in exchange for helping a recent high school graduate see what law was like. When I called Emily (changed her name), she was willing to have me come by the firm. Before I knew it, I was working at the firm a couple of days a week, going to court, attending depositions, filing, creating depo outlines, as well as other tasks. I returned to help the next summer. I feel like Emily could write about how I took the initiative as a high school graduate who had not been to college yet to offer myself to law firms. She could also speak about my work ethic as she got to know me well. We still talk on occasion to see how each other is doing.

So my question is, should I go with the internship coordinator from the internship with more prestige, but doesn't know me as well, or should I go with the one who could speak about the initiative I took when I was in high school to reach out and help law firms (if that sounds impressive). Please help me!

Thank you in advance!

[yot11]

Always ask the person who will write you the better letter. You'd be surprised (or maybe not) at how many future lawyers have interned with Congress, etc. Adcoms won't be impressed by the "prestige" so don't factor that into your decision.

[Humbert Humbert]

It's not going to matter which one. One is a high-school internship, the other is a two day a week, dime a dozen Hill internship. You're better off just using the two academic references, IMO, assuming they are both going to be strong.

[tabithajohnson]

Thank you both! Any more opinions would be appreciated!

[WhiteyCakes]

Go with whichever writer knows the difference between who and whom

[tabithajohnson]

Go with whichever writer knows the difference between who and whom

This is a casual forum post, not my personal statement...how do you expect me to respond to your post? Sorry that I didn't closely proofread my post on an internet forum?

[wtrc]

Between the two, I'd go with the second. Hill internship doesn't matter, especially if you are applying to a decent school. The other one shows a lot more initiative- you called up the firms and wanted to get a feeling for law- you could even work it somehow into your PS. So yeah, the second. But the two academic ones should be the primary ones anyway. Good luck!

[Slytherpuff]

Sounds like you're going to have some great letters! I would choose Emily from the law firm, but only send that letter to schools who want/suggest three letters of recommendation. You'll be fine just sending your two strong academic letters for your other schools.

[tabithajohnson]

Thank you fkt18 and wtrcoins3! I will definitely ask Emily. I'm still open to any more suggestions!

[pupshaw]

Neither. Only academic LORs are useful. Stick with your two professors.

[tabithajohnson]

Neither. Only academic LORs are useful. Stick with your two professors.

This is actually what I ended up doing. Thank you cerealdan!