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A brief search of the forum did not yield much on this topic, so my apologies if it has been discussed before.

My question boils down to this: Is having an LRW professor write a transfer rec a (1) negative, (2) positive, or (3) neutral (i.e. viewed just like any other recommendation)?

My thinking on the issue is:
1) in my particular case, I tied for the highest grade in my LRW, so I'm fairly sure the rec would be strong,
2) my LRW professor is the only professor that can truly comment on my writing; she is the only one of my professors who has actually knowingly read something that I've written (my intuition is that it would be a positive to have her LOR comment specifically on my writing),
BUT
3) LRW professors are perhaps more "practitioners" than true academics (as opposed to doctrinal class professors), so I guess I'm a bit concerned that the recommendation may not be taken as "seriously." That concern is probably unfounded, but it exists nonetheless.

FWIW, my other recommendation will be coming from a doctrinal class professor. Additionally, I would say that of my "options" for LORs at this point, my LRW professor would probably write the second-strongest LOR of the profs that I have in mind.

You're over thinking this. Just choose the profs that will give you the best rec. Both an LRW prof and a substantive class prof will be able to comment on your analytical abilities, which is most important.

I don't think you'll gain any appreciable upper-hand by having a rec from your LRW prof as opposed to a substantive class prof.

My instinct is to think that it might hurt, but only insofar as to the degree LORs could actually hurt (i.e. not much). It just seems like LRW profs aren't seen as "real professors." I am going on absolutely nothing but instinct. If I was transferring, I wouldn't get one from an LRW prof.

I'm planning to get one rec from a doctrinal prof and one from my LRW prof. I honestly doubt it's a big deal.

Helmholtz wrote:My instinct is to think that it might hurt, but only insofar as to the degree LORs could actually hurt (i.e. not much). It just seems like LRW profs aren't seen as "real professors." I am going on absolutely nothing but instinct. If I was transferring, I wouldn't get one from an LRW prof.

I would like to note that I misread and thought that the other LOR "would" come from a doctrinal prof (i.e. if you didn't choose the LRW prof), instead of both being sent. I agree with keg then - doubt it would be a big deal. I was thinking more in terms of that being the only one.

I used my LRW prof, and I know several others who did as well. Schools don't care.

concurrent fork wrote:I used my LRW prof, and I know several others who did as well. Schools don't care.

CR. 1L grades are like 90-95% of committee decision on your file. I applied to UMich with two doctrinal prof reccs who were prominent alums, but my grades were on the lower end of what they usually accept. Got dinged, of course.

concurrent fork wrote:I used my LRW prof, and I know several others who did as well. Schools don't care.

Same here. Didn't seem to hurt my transfer apps at all.

I'm getting a LOR from my LRW professor, just kind of seemed like a no-brainer - smaller class size, has more work of yours to talk about, more meetings/conferences, etc. Never once thought he wasn't a "real professor," and in fact most students here who have had him consider him their favorite professor.

Your legal writing professor is probably the best professor to ask. Smaller class size as mentioned and presumably--she/he got to know you better and will write a better rec. Most substantive teachers write the same boring shit.