The following is a guest post by Joshua Galperin
As we all know, being a law professor is the best job one could have. But it is not perfect. Grading is the worst. Writing letters of recommendation is not much better. Unlike grading, however, the upsides of letters of recommendation are many. We have great students who will be great lawyers and leaders, and it is an honor to go to bat for them. But at the end of the spring semester, when I’m wrapping up grading, winding down from teaching, and planning for the summer, sometimes the pile of letter requests can feel daunting. I was making this very case to my colleague Anthony Moffa, who suggested that using AI might make the job easier. With Professor Moffa’s suggestion and inspiration from Bridget Crawford’s ongoing AI investigation on this blog, I decided try. I am glad I did. I came away from this experience very bullish on AI as an assistant for writing letters of recommendation.
In my inbox sat four requests for a variety of different letters of recommendation. One student, for example, was applying for a clerkship and another, a part-time student, to transfer to a school closer to home. I’ve written letters in these veins before, and my typical strategy is to pull up a similar letter for a similar student and use that as a template. I would then look up the details of each student’s performance, think about my interactions with the student, their relative performance in my classes, their unique strengths, and so forth. Then I’d set out to draft a letter. Perhaps it is unnecessary, but since I assume the same judges, hiring partners, and admissions committees will see multiple letters I write, I try not to copy and paste one student’s name and grades for another’s. It may be that I have almost the same things to say, but I hope a fresh letter better conveys my enthusiasm for the student I am recommending. And that’s where the tedium lies. It is also where, as it turns out, ChatGPT is a big help.
My goals for a letter of recommendation is to convey the right level of enthusiasm, explain the capacity in which I know the student, include objective and relative details of the student’s performance, address the student’s specific strengths and contextualize any obvious weak spots (for example, if a student did not do well on an assignment but nevertheless is a very strong student), and add any personal notes about the student, such as my knowledge of their interest in a certain job, their geographic preferences, their professional experience, or their commitment to a cause. I also want to do all this in my own voice. Cue ChatGPT.
I opened ChatGPT and uploaded three letters of recommendation I had written in the past (names removed because I don’t know enough about what ChatGPT does with the data I upload). I also uploaded an Excel file of all the grade details for my class (in this case, the grades are all linked to anonymous identification numbers, so I was not concerned about privacy). I then instructed the AI to write a letter of recommendation. Specifically, I told the AI that I wanted a letter for a graduating law student applying for a judicial clerkship, that the student had been in two of my classes, that in one class the student worked on a major group project and was a leader in the group, a good communicator, and an excellent researcher. The AI spit out a strong draft. I am pasting an anonymized version of ChatGPT’s unedited letter below.
Your Honor,
I am writing to enthusiastically recommend Anonymous for a clerkship in your chambers. Anonymous has been an exceptional student in both my ABC and XYZ classes, demonstrating remarkable academic and professional qualifications. It is for these reasons that I am confident in recommending them for a judicial clerkship.
I have known Anonymous for over a year. They excelled in my XYZ class, a large, lecture-style course that emphasizes doctrine and legal analysis, and my ABC class, a small, practice-oriented course that focuses on collaboration, creativity, and practical skills.
In XYZ, Anonymous was a standout student. They earned a perfect score of 100 for class participation, demonstrating their ability to think on their feet, engage effectively with classmates, and communicate clearly. Their mid-term exam score was an impressive 101.8%, and they achieved 99% on the final exam, resulting in a final overall grade of 99.5%, the highest in the class. These scores reflect their strong grasp of black letter doctrine, legal analysis, and their ability to excel under pressure.
Anonymous also shone in my XYZ class, where they earned an A. This class requires students to work on real-world policy projects in teams, with assignments that include oral presentations, legal memos, policy memos, comment letters to administrative agencies, and various public outreach documents. Anonymous earned a 90% or above on every assignment, both group and individual, showcasing their versatility and ability to excel in different aspects of lawyering. Their legal writing and public presentations were particularly noteworthy, demonstrating not only their legal acumen but also their ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non-lawyers.
One of Anonymous' most impressive qualities is their ability to balance rigorous academic work with professional responsibilities. Their experience includes roles as a DEF Extern, where they conducted legal research and drafted decisions, and as a Law Student Intern at the GHI, where they represented JKL clients in transactional matters and administrative proceedings. These experiences, combined with their academic achievements, make Anonymous well-prepared for the demands of a judicial clerkship.
Anonymous is not only a brilliant student but also a dedicated professional. They are organized, always willing to ask insightful questions, and have a strong work ethic. They balance their inquiries well, ensuring they understand assignments without overwhelming their peers or instructors. Their thoughtful and dedicated approach to their studies and professional work suggests they will be a valuable asset in any judicial chambers.
On a personal level, Anonymous is unusually thoughtful and dedicated. They take public service seriously, and their interest in a judicial clerkship stems from a genuine commitment to serving the public. I believe they have the right skill set to make an excellent clerk and that they will bring intelligence, flexibility, and thoughtfulness to your chambers.
For all these reasons, I am pleased to recommend Anonymous for a clerkship in your chambers. They have the work ethic, intelligence, and dedication to be a great addition. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I made a variety of edits to this initial draft, both to match my tone, delete some details that the reader would glean from a resume, and add some specific examples. However, between feeding information to the AI and editing the letter, I spent only about 20 minutes on a project that would otherwise take at least 90.
Since completing this first letter I’ve asked ChatGPT to do a few others, and the process has become quicker. I uploaded my edited version of the initial letter so ChatGPT had a better sense of my preferences. Because the AI maintains the data from our conversations, I am now able to generate letters with less time. I can quickly type up my personal observations and subjective opinions, list grades and relative performance, explain the purpose of the letter, and ask ChatGPT to give me a first draft. For example, the following is an anonymized version of the most recent prompt I gave ChatGPT:
Please produce another letter of recommendation. This letter is for a student who was in my part-time, evening Contracts class. The student is named Anonymous. Anonymous is applying to transfer to XYZ Law School. Anonymous was very engaged and comfortable as a participant in class, was interested not only in doctrine but in the purpose of the law, the values the law communicates, and the social implications of the law. Anonymous’ grades are included on line 33 of the attached Excel file. Though strong, Anonymous’ grade was pulled down largely by the fact that they struggled on the quizzes. The quizzes are a weekly assignment that tests the student's doctrinal knowledge of the black letter law. Anonymous had some trouble keeping up with the demanding weekly task, which is understandable given that they had a full time job and other responsibilities to keep up with. When Anonymous completed the quizzes they did will. I would say that I am confident in recommending Anonymous though I would not say that I "highly" recommend. Anonymous wants to transfer to be closer to home rather than making the long commute to our campus.
I am finding it quite effective to collect my thoughts this way and feed them, even partially formed, to the AI along with the objective details. ChatGPT retains information about the specific classes I teach, my writing style, past letters, and my edits to its draft letters, which makes each iteration an improvement over the last.
Importantly, there are tiers of letters of recommendation. We all have strong students in our classes who ask for letters. We also have students with whom we work more closely, perhaps as research assistants. These are the students we know on both a personal and professional level and their professional work goes beyond the classroom. I have yet to use ChatGPT on a letter for a student like this. I tend to write these letters fully from scratch rather than modeling them on prior letters, and they are sometimes three or four pages. I may play with ChatGPT to see how it does on these more significant and personal letters, but so far, I have not taken that step.
Overall, this has been a successful experiment. I am very pleased with the output, which is close to what I might have written on my own, saves significant time, and does not lose specificity and personalization. Thanks to Professors Moffa and Crawford for getting me started. I will continue to refine my strategy here, and I would appreciate any thoughts from readers on the pros and cons of this approach both for letter writers and for students!
-Joshua Galperin
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