Professor/judge asked me to draft my own LOR for a clerkship - help? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi everyone - long time lurker, first time poster here!

I reached out to several professors to write me a LOR for a judicial clerkship. One professor I had last semester, who also happens to be a federal judge, asked me to draft my own letter and send it to them for edits.

The professor and I had a great relationship in this class, and grade-wise, I did well. Unfortunately, I've never actually seen a LOR before (other than the generic ones you can find online), so I'm struggling to figure out what kind of information to include. I've gone through a few threads that mention examples of what judges like to see (ex. specific comparisons to other students). However, I'm TERRIFIED of hyping myself up too much (or maybe not enough?) considering I have no clue how I fared in comparison to others. I never got any feedback on my final exam other than my final grade.

Anyone have advice on how to get started on this letter? Or information that I definitely should or should not include? Thanks in advance!

[lavarman84]

I would be quite hesitant to compare yourself to other people in a letter you drafted. That would be something I'd leave for a letter drafted by a professor or employer/supervisor. But others may disagree.

I'd think about what the important traits for a law clerk are (intelligent, work well with others, good personality, intellectually curious, work ethic, diligence, etc.) and would find a way to express how you embody those traits through the lens of your professor. Where you can use specific examples to reinforce the traits you are saying you possess, even better.

[Anonymous User]

I would be quite hesitant to compare yourself to other people in a letter you drafted. That would be something I'd leave for a letter drafted by a professor or employer/supervisor. But others may disagree.

I'd think about what the important traits for a law clerk are (intelligent, work well with others, good personality, intellectually curious, work ethic, diligence, etc.) and would find a way to express how you embody those traits through the lens of your professor. Where you can use specific examples to reinforce the traits you are saying you possess, even better.

Totally agree, especially with this last part. I think it is important for the LOR to show the professor really knows you, so drop in some specific examples of interactions you have had so the judge knows the letter isn't a form letter the professor writes to judges.

[Anonymous User]

Had a professor ask me to do the same thing and have no idea where to start in drafting one