What If You Can’t Find Anyone to Write a Strong Letter of Recommendation?

Many law school applicants find themselves struggling to secure strong letters of recommendation. You might be facing the same problem, feeling stuck and unsure how to proceed. You are not alone, and there are ways to overcome this challenge.

As a law school admissions advisor, I have worked with countless applicants who thought they had no one to write a strong letter of recommendation for them, but successfully navigated this process with my law school consulting. In this article, I will walk you through actionable strategies to ensure you submit the strongest possible law school application.

Why Strong Letters of Recommendation Matter

Law schools use letters of recommendation as part of their holistic review process. The letter of recommendation offers admissions committees insights into your academic and professional potential beyond your LSAT and GPA scores.

A well-written letter can highlight your analytical skills, work ethic, and ability to thrive in a rigorous legal environment. A weak or generic letter, on the other hand, won’t add much value to your application. Worse, it may raise doubts about your qualifications.

That’s why selecting the right recommender is crucial. If you’re worried about not having a strong recommendation, don’t worry—I’ll help you work through this challenge.

As part of my law school consulting services, I ensure that applicants understand the importance of strong recommendations and how the letter of recommendation can leverage their law school application to stand out.

Note: Law schools prefer letters that include specific examples of your skills and contributions rather than generic praise. Ensure your recommender has meaningful insights to share.

Assessing Your Options: Do You Really Have No One?

Many applicants assume they have no one who can write them a strong letter of recommendation, but they often overlook potential recommenders. Professors, employers, research mentors, or even supervisors from volunteer work can provide excellent recommendations. Even if you haven’t stayed in close contact with your professors, they might still remember you if you took the initiative in their classes.

Don’t limit yourself to law-related connections. Admissions committees value recommendations that highlight your leadership, problem-solving skills, and perseverance—traits essential to law school success. If you’ve been out of school for a while, a professional reference may be just as valuable as an academic one.

I help applicants identify the best possible recommenders, ensuring they select individuals who can provide compelling, detailed letters during my law school admission consulting. A well-written recommendation can significantly boost your chances of acceptance.

Tip: Think about past professors, supervisors, or mentors who saw you demonstrate dedication and intellectual curiosity. These individuals may be more than willing to help.

What If You Truly Can’t Find a Strong Recommender?

If you’ve assessed your options and still can’t identify a strong recommender, don’t worry—there are ways to address this issue.

• Reconnect with former professors or employers: Even if you haven’t spoken in years, reach out and remind them of your time working with them. Many are happy to help if you provide context and supporting materials.
• Consider alternative recommenders: A teaching assistant, research mentor, or project supervisor can still provide valuable insights into your abilities.
• Frame the request strategically: Provide your recommender with key details like your resume, transcripts, and a draft of your personal statement so they can write a strong letter.
• Use a law school admission consulting service: As one of the best law school consultants, I help applicants strategize and secure meaningful recommendations.

You can develop a tailored strategy to ensure your recommendation letters reflect your strengths effectively by working with law school admission consultant.

Note: Providing a summary of your achievements helps recommenders craft a strong letter on your behalf. Explore our guide on what to do if you don’t have a strong academic recommendation for more tips.

How should I ask for a letter of recommendation?

You must give someone at least two weeks, and ideally four, to write a letter. Professors may require even more lead time, especially during busy periods of the academic year. Remember that this person is doing you a favor. If possible, ask in person rather than over e-mail. Go to office hours; don’t interrupt the professor on the way into or out of class.

Once the professor agrees to write a letter for you, they may ask for materials or information to help them, or you may offer to provide this assistance. I don’t believe in giving a professor your personal statement or resume to help them write their letter because a LOR needs to add something new. If the letter reads like a recitation of your resume, this will show that the professor really doesn’t know you at all and was a bit desperate for material. 

Instead, offer bullet point reminders of the work you did in class and things you are hoping the professor will address. If a professor knows about your extracurricular activities firsthand (as advisor to a particular organization) or about your work experience (because he recommended you for a particular job on your resume and/or discussed your experiences in a mentor capacity), then these items can be incorporated into an LOR with credibility.

If a professor asks you for a copy of your personal statement, provide a “Why Law” essay, one that mentions your undergraduate coursework and the career you envision for yourself, rather than the personal statement that you will send with your applications. I suggest this for a few reasons: (1) to avoid having a professor parrot back your personal statement, (2) to avoid delays in obtaining the letter if you are still working on your personal statement, and/or (3) to avoid sharing personal information you may not be comfortable with your professor knowing.

If a professor seems lukewarm or less than enthusiastic about writing a letter or asks you to jump through a lot of hoops before she agrees to write it, this is a strong hint that the letter might be less than enthusiastic. I would rather an applicant have fewer letters that are strong than more letters if one serves as a weak link. More is not necessarily better.

What can I do while still in college to make sure I get good letters of recommendation?

Get to know your professors/letter writers. Don’t just show up one day (or worse, send a random e-mail) asking them to spend time writing an LOR. Cultivate these relationships through visits, coffee chats, intellectual discussions, and seeking advice about your goals and future career. Of course, taking their class seriously helps, too! Visit professors during office hours, try to take more than one class with at least two professors, and offer to help a professor with their research interests.

If you haven’t been in touch with professors in a couple of years, use e-mail to reintroduce yourself, perhaps including your LinkedIn for the photo reminder. This works for your graduate school professors, too. If it’s been more than a couple of years, you may want to look elsewhere for an LOR if you feel it’s unlikely a professor would remember you.

How many letters of recommendation do I need?

LSAC will hold your LORs in your account. So, if you’re not sure when you plan to apply, go ahead and request the letters and have them sent to LSAC for safekeeping.

Do I need targeted letters of recommendation?

You do not need your LORs to be for a specific school. The only reason to do this is if the person writing your letter has graduated from that law school or teaches at that law school. Otherwise, use the same letters for each school.

How do letters get sent to each school?

You will enter your recommender’s information in your account with LSAC, which will e-mail the recommender a cover form for their letter that you can pre-fill. Your recommenders upload letters at LSAC. Then, when you submit each application, you will designate the letters that you wish to accompany it. It’s okay if the letter hasn’t been received by LSAC yet. 

Your application will still be submitted, and the letter will follow upon receipt. If a school wants two letters, you’ll designate which two letters you want sent with that particular application. If a school requires two letters, but allows for more, and you submit the application before all of the letters were received by LSAC, the school will move your application into review after receiving two letters — whichever two come in first — unless you e-mail the schools and ask them to do otherwise.

How long can letters stay on file at LSAC?

LSAC will hold onto your LORs for five years. If you are in college or graduate school and even remotely considering applying to law school at some point, please go ahead and register for LSAC and get LORs that can be held for future use because it’s unlikely that your professors will remember you even a few weeks beyond graduation. 

There is no need to update an academic letter with a more recent date because you wouldn’t have taken additional courses with that professor. However, a work reference from a current employer should be updated and given a more recent date.

Should I waive my right to see the letter?

Yes. This doesn’t mean you’ve never seen it or that it won’t be shown to you in the future. It simply means you won’t sue LSAC or the law schools to see your letters. It adds credibility to the letter because it is assumed that people will be more candid.

What do I do if my recommender asks me to write my own letter of recommendation?

If someone asks you to prepare an LOR for his or her signature, there is no reason to be alarmed. This is fairly standard practice in the professional world. LORs should be one-to-two pages, single-spaced, in letter format. They should be carefully edited and proofread to maintain the writer’s credibility.

Here’s a brief outline of how to approach it:

Paragraph 1: Outline the writer’s experience to build her credibility. Provide facts demonstrating the context in which the writer knows you, including her supervisory role and the length of time she has known you.

Paragraph 2: Provide an overview of your accomplishments and duties, why you were hired for the position, how your role grew over time based on your performance, and how you met and exceeded expectations.

Paragraphs 3–5: Use factual examples of certain characteristics you would like to highlight. Consider including a time you solved a problem in a professional and diplomatic way, how you demonstrated your writing skills, and/or your willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. For example, instead of just saying you have communication skills, reference letters or materials you created that were used for internal or external matters, or a time you were selected to be part of a more senior team and earned the respect of co-workers and/or senior managers.

State the qualities you will bring to law school and why the person highly recommends you for law school admission. If the writer is a lawyer, would she hire you to work at her firm/organization?

If you want more details about requesting strong recommendation letters and crafting an effective law school application, be sure to check out my book, where I go into greater depth on these strategies.

How I’ve Helped Applicants Overcome This Challenge