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Letters of Recommendation

Faculty members play a vital role in supporting students by providing letters of recommendation, which significantly impact their academic and professional paths. To enhance this process, the FASS department is committed to offering assistance to ensure that letters are professionally formatted on official AU letterhead and available in both print and digital formats. We also provide support for students who wish to email their letters. For those who opt to send their letters by traditional mail, the FASS office handles envelope preparation, stuffing, and sealing (not postage or mailing).

To promote a respectful and efficient experience for all parties involved, FASS has established the following guidelines:

  • Permission to print and process letters must be granted by the faculty member. Students making initial requests (or subsequent reprint requests) will be referred to the faculty for approval. No exceptions.
  • The text of the letter is received directly from faculty.
    • Adjunct faculty teaching a course affiliated with an AUWCL program (i.e. Legal Rhetoric, Clinic, Trial Advocacy, etc.) should email their letters of recommendation to their assigned program assistant.
    • Adjunct faculty teaching a course that is not affiliated with an AUWCL program should email their letters of recommendation to:  adjunctsupport@wcl.american.edu.
    • Full-time faculty should email their letters of recommendation to their assigned administrative assistant.
  • Students should provide addresses (physical or email) in the format approved by the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD), located on Legal Careers 101.
  • Once all materials are received, the normal preparation time is approximatley 4 business days, excluding time required to obtain the faculty member’s signature.
  • Signing recommendation letters is the responsibility of the faculty member. FASS staff is not authorized to sign for faculty. For convenience, faculty can provide an electronic signature that we can insert.

 

NOTE: The AALS recommends that law faculty members not send letters of recommendation for clerkships until applicants have three full semesters of grades or the equivalent.