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I'm turning to TLS because my career services office is swamped with appointments and I need to compile these sooner rather than later.

I'm a native NJ student and want to clerk there. In terms of LORs, I worked for a few attorneys in NJ and I'm wondering if in addition to professors an LOR from these attorneys would be an advantage to my application for those judges they know/have ties with/etc. Or do judges prefer letters from professors only? Or does it depend on the judge?

Anonymous User wrote:I'm turning to TLS because my career services office is swamped with appointments and I need to compile these sooner rather than later.

I'm a native NJ student and want to clerk there. In terms of LORs, I worked for a few attorneys in NJ and I'm wondering if in addition to professors an LOR from these attorneys would be an advantage to my application for those judges they know/have ties with/etc. Or do judges prefer letters from professors only? Or does it depend on the judge?

You absolutely want a LOR from an attorney under whom you've worked so that they can discuss both the quality of your work and your workplace performance (being a pleasant coworker, showing up, being willing to speak up but also recognizing your own limitations, etc.

I've clerked and participating in the hiring process for both a federal district court judge and a federal court of appeals judge. I used three letters of recommendation--two from professors and one from a partner at my summer firm. I did almost all my work one summer for that partner, so he was able to write a fantastic, detailed letter on my behalf. If you can find a professional reference like that, you absolutely should do so. In my experience, practical letters like that are important in the hiring process, especially at the district-court level.