Getting the
Letters of Recommendation is crucial for
LLM application. However, this is the only part of the application process for
which you have to depend on someone else. You cannot ask your referee to write
a recommendation letter for you one day before the application deadline. So,
choose your referees EARLY and give them plenty of time to write the
recommendation letter for you.
In general, you
need two to three recommendation letters for each University application. So,
think early who these two or three people can be. People who are renowned in
their fields, academicians, high court and supreme court judges and other
people who ( or whose posts) are well respected in the society can be potential
referees. However, the University you are applying to may have certain
stipulations as to who can be the referee. Generally, if you are a final year
law student, at least two of your references should be from your present
University professors, dean, vice chancellor or chairman of the university
committee you are member of. The reference should be a personal or work
reference or another academic reference. Work reference may be from a Supreme
Court or High Court judge or partner of the law firm you interned under.
Personal reference can literally mean anyone including your friends, though you
may not like to add their reference. Letters from warden of your hostel is an
excellent example of personal reference.
It is important
to mention here that it is advisable that at least one of the references is by
a professor who taught you the subject in which you seek to specialize in your
Masters. So, if you want to specialize in Criminal Law, a reference from the
criminal law teacher of your law school holds high importance.
Once you decide
on who should be your referee, approach him/her. There might be cases where the
concerned person refuses to write a reference letter for you. In that case, you
need to ask someone else to be your referee. To make sure that you have enough
time for that, ask your referees early.
Also, once the
referees draft the recommendation letter, there lies the issue of uploading the
references online. Most universities now prefer that references should be
uploaded online directly by referees. (You can ask your referee to send a hard
copy to the University you are applying to or can take help of LSAC. However,
sending hard copy is time taking and a costly affair. Besides, there letter
might be lost on its way.) The problem that one faces is that many professors,
specially the renowned ones, are not comfortable in using the computer and the
internet. So, they might take long to upload the recommendation letter. So,
even if your recommendation letter is ready and has to be merely uploaded by
the professor, give him enough time to do so. DO NOT go on the last day.
Further, it is preferable that referee uploads a scanned copy of a signed
recommendation letter , instead of typing directly in referee’s form.
Please note that
while in some application forms (like University College London’s application),
a request for uploading the reference can be sent only after you have submitted
the application form, in most cases , especially Universities why use services
of embark, you can fill out request for reference form before you submit your
application. In fact, referee can submit recommendation letter before you
submit the form. This expedites the process and you and your referee can
simultaneously complete the respective forms.
Please note, the
reference letter need not be from the President of India or Chief Justice of
India. It can be ordinary people who know you well. Content of letter is very
important. It is better to get a detailed hearty reference from law professor
than a generalized letter from a bigshot person. I myself have used used
references from law professors.
