Purpose

• Law school letters of recommendation help personalize the applicant. Rather than reading a list of test scores and grades, law school admissions committees can learn more about the applicant, his talents and the skills he has that will help him succeed as a law student. Letters of recommendation give former professors or employers the opportunity to assess your abilities in the context of law school. Schools can use these letters of recommendation to evaluate applicants in a new light.
  
  

Style

• Law school admissions letters are typically one- to two-page letters that laud the applicant's skills and assess his ability to succeed in law school. Typically written in traditional business letter format, law school recommendation letters reveal pertinent information about an applicant that the recommender gained during her relationship with the applicant. Recommenders can write these letters as formally or as casually as they please, though most will use a formal tone to establish a professional relationship with the admissions committee.
  
  

Number

• Some law schools require a certain number of letters of recommendation, while others let applicants decide how many letters to submit. For example, the University of Florida Levin College of Law allows applicants to submit up to four letters of recommendation. The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law requires two letters of recommendation but accepts more.
  
  

LSAC Service

• The Law School Admissions Council, or LSAC, offers a letter of recommendation service that allows students to acquire only one letter of recommendation from each recommender. The LSAC keeps the letter on file and submits it to law schools at the applicant's request. Many schools require--or encourage--students to use this service to submit application letters, as it ensures the letters are not tampered with in any way.