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I started my legal career at a fellowship, and have been at a small law firm since, and am beginning to apply for new jobs. I have two references from other attorneys at the firm, but those are the only two that I can use as a reference. I can't use a partner because they don't know I'm looking for another job, and the other attorney has a different practice area so I've never worked with him. Is it bad if those are my only two references? Most jobs ask for three. The two references I had from the fellowship are no longer with the organization and I don't have contact info for them. I also haven't contacted either one in over two years, since shortly after I was hired at this firm, so I would feel awkward tracking them down for a reference even if I could.

How bad does it look if I only have two references instead of the requested three? Will employers understand that I can't get any more references because I work at a small firm?

I think listing people you've never worked with is a bigger problem than listing too few references.

It's likely worth tracking down your supervisors from the fellowship to get more references who can actually speak to your work. (Especially if it was a fellowship, they should understand that part of what you're getting out of it is experience/references). I'd also consider going back to summer jobs, or even law school professors.

At the end of the day, if you still only have 2 references (or your references are old), the places you'll applying should understand that your ability to get references without flagging that you're leaving is limited.