About Letters of Recommendation

Best Recommenders

We strongly prefer letters from at least two faculty members who know your academic work directly. Professors who have worked with you on an individual basis—such as a senior thesis adviser or an honors adviser—are usually the best sources. Letters from employers are also acceptable, particularly for applicants who have been out of school for several years. Additional letters from college deans, chaplains, summer employers, and colleagues may be helpful, but we are most interested in letters from people who can realistically assess your academic potential.

Best Way to Submit Letters

We strongly prefer to receive all letters through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. You may use this service even when the recommender wishes to write specifically about your qualifications for study at Yale Law School rather than for the study of law in general.

Bear in mind:

• Please do not send duplicate letters to LSAC and Yale; this will delay consideration of your application.
• If your recommenders prefer to send your letters directly to Yale, give a copy of the Yale Law School Recommendation Form (available in our electronic application materials) to each person you ask to write a recommendation. If you do not sign the waiver, you should make it clear to your recommenders that the letters will be available for your inspection.
• Your application will be considered complete and ready for review with two letters of recommendation.  We will not hold your application in order to wait for additional letters before reviewing your file.  To ensure that all of your recommendations are available for consideration, please verify that they are on file with the LSAC prior to applying.