LOR timeline

[maeum]

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[Dcc617]

@maeum

Hi! Last semester, I asked two of my professors for letters of recommendation, and they agreed to write them for me. At that point, I was planning on applying next fall, so they told me to send them my personal statement in the spring (so… around now) and that they would write the letters in the summer.

However, I recently accepted a paralegal job offer at a law firm that has a 2 year commitment. To be honest, I kind of want to carry on with my plan to apply this coming fall, but it’s a V5 firm and I’m worried that there’ll be repercussions if I do break the commitment (they did mention that there are some benefits to doing the 2 years in terms of admissions, but I’m not sure).

I’ll probably end up staying 2 years, so in terms of letters of recommendation - should I ask for them now, a year earlier? Or should I continue to keep in touch with my professors for the next year and ask them in the future? I was wondering if I would be able to store older LORs in LSAC, and if admissions officers would find it odd that they’d be dated a year before my application date. Of course, I’d have to write a personal statement pretty soon, as well…

I used mine from the cycle before I reapplied with no issue. I think they’re good as long as they’re within the last few years.

[floatie]

You can use letters that are a couple years old. If you’d prefer to have your recommenders write the letters now, you can create an Interfolio account (dossier service) and ask them to add confidential letters there. You can send the letters directly to LSAC from Interfolio with no issues.

[Dcc617]

@floatie

You can use letters that are a couple years old. If you’d prefer to have your recommenders write the letters now, you can create an Interfolio account (dossier service) and ask them to add confidential letters there. You can send the letters directly to LSAC from Interfolio with no issues.

LSAC also keeps them for a few years.

[maeum]

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[LegallyBlackJD]

You can use older letters. My sister’s letters were about 2.5 years old and she didn’t have any trouble. Also, think about getting a letter from the law firm too (if you decide to apply in 1 year or so - and if you don’t mind telling them that you are leaving to go to law school). Good luck!

[AvatarMeelo]

@maeum

Thanks everyone! I was pretty sure that LSAC would store old recs but wondered if it would look weird/schools would think I applied a year ago.

Also, if anyone here has done the 2 year commitment and can tell me about their experience, I would really appreciate it!

Doing it right now. Do you have a good relationship with your professors? I had great ones with mine and I regularly emailed them to keep them updated of my life. I know some people chose to work on their recommendations before they left school, but I ended up graduating early and wasn’t ready to start the admissions process. For me, I choose to make their lives as easy as possible when writing this recommendation. I plan on providing them with a current resume, drafts of any application statements, and a list of schools I’m applying to and short blurbs as to why I want to go there. When it’s closer to fall, I’m going to try to see them in person and discuss the recommendation. I know schools don’t care about it as much, and that they can only hurt, but I want to get every part of my application perfect.

[maeum]

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[maeum]

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[AvatarMeelo]

@maeum

@clueless801

@maeum

Thanks everyone! I was pretty sure that LSAC would store old recs but wondered if it would look weird/schools would think I applied a year ago.

Also, if anyone here has done the 2 year commitment and can tell me about their experience, I would really appreciate it!

Doing it right now. Do you have a good relationship with your professors? I had great ones with mine and I regularly emailed them to keep them updated of my life. I know some people chose to work on their recommendations before they left school, but I ended up graduating early and wasn’t ready to start the admissions process. For me, I choose to make their lives as easy as possible when writing this recommendation. I plan on providing them with a current resume, drafts of any application statements, and a list of schools I’m applying to and short blurbs as to why I want to go there. When it’s closer to fall, I’m going to try to see them in person and discuss the recommendation. I know schools don’t care about it as much, and that they can only hurt, but I want to get every part of my application perfect.

Oh, I see - so you’re probably one year in right now, and plan on working after submitting your apps, right? I am close to both of my professors (I’ve taken three classes with each of them), but I did wonder if they might be more inclined to write a more detailed letter if they were doing so right after they’ve had me, and when I can see them in person. I suppose sending them that much information would make up for the time passed, though. Are you also getting letters of recommendation from people at your firm? When I was talking about the two year commitment at my interview they mentioned that as a possible advantage of staying the full length, although obviously it’s not guaranteed.

Yes, in the first year and plan on working through til law school starts. So I’m working at my firm for two years. I’m doing it mostly so I can pay off my undergrad debt as well as get some time away from school before returning. I definitely have the option of getting a recommendation from someone here but to my knowledge from others that did it, it’s more of a case of “you write the letter, I’ll sign it” and I’m not a fan of that. We’ll see though. I’ve got the two I need, so that’s what’s important. I have others that can write for me outside of the firm if I need it.