I applied to King's College's LLM and they are asking me for another academic reference. I had submitted on academic ref and one academic/employment ref....the second one was from a judge I interned for while I was in lawschool. Can't that count for something? King's still wants me to submit two academic references, but I don't know if I can get another one, I've been out of school for 3 years and was only close to really one professor. The others I had I am sure won't even remember me. Does anyone think it would help if I wrote King's a letter explaining that I interned for this judge during lawschool?

Well, it won't hurt to try, so you should go for it, I think. Do you know what the judge wrote about you? It might help if he was able to say something about your academic abilities.

Good luck
Nicky

If you can ring them. Some colleges require academic references if you graduated within a particular timeframe. Not to labour a point but a clerkship or internship is not going to qualify as academic work. It just qualifys as work. An academic reference comes from a person who taught or supervised your academic work ie a lecturer. They probably didn't write to you again for the good of their health. If you have a JD you must have had a lot of lecturers. Pick one you had for a small sized class or that you got a particularily good grade in. Go to them with your cv and explain your problem. Hopefully they will appreciate your plight and be receptive to you.

Hate when they do it this way!!!!!@#$$%^#%
They wanted to do that with me, also requested almost half way to enrollment to provide another academic reference.
I do not know for what reason... keeping in mind, they did not mention three references in application papers I received from them. For that I decided to choose another institution and to say the truth, I would choose another in any case.

So as I understand it became a standard practice in KCL...

They don't require three references. They require two - academic - references, as is stated quite clearly in the application, papers. I know those academic references can be difficult to obtain, but then there's a reason why everybody says you should start planning your LLM at least a year in advance: So that you may participate in seminars or small courses if you haven't done so before, impress your profs and persuade them to write academic references for you, amongst other things.
I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but you really shouldn't blame KCL for this, Gamayun.
Lawchick, I wish you the best of luck, I hope you'll be able to get another academic reference.

With all my respect to Nicky's post I must add the following:

In accordance with the Note 3 of the official Notes for Guidance (supplied with application matirials) an applicant "must obtain two references; If you are currently studying/have recently studied, both your referees must be familiar with your academic work, preferably from the institution at which you have recently studied/currently study. If you are currently working you may substitute a relevant work reference."

Following their instructions two references were submitted: one academic and another from current employer - US and world's leading commercial law firm. Usually such package makes application look stronger, at least for reasonable institutions.

It might be a continuous argue with no result re. their actions (e.g., a reasonable man would believe that it is illogical to ask to provide 2 academis references for post-graduate studies where a person/applicant is considered to have a substantial work experience, not academic...)
I am not blaming KCL. KCL was among my top choices :P

Thanks everyone....I am TRYING to get that academic reference. I saw it on the application, yes I admit. But I was hoping they would accept my judge's recommendation....he supervised me in lawschool and that led him to hire me as his lawclerk after I graduated. I mean, isn't that impressive enough? Like Gamayun said, I thought that would be much more impressive than some professor who barely knew my name but gave me a grade based on one exam at the end of the semester (I don't know about other countries, but in America, several classes in lawschool are like that--all except for the smaller classes of which I only had a few, and which is where I got my academic ref from a professor I had knew well). The judge had to submit an evaluation to my school so I could get credit for my class. The evaluation was all about my writing ability and analytical abilities, and how they had improved. Why is that not academic?? I have written King's College a length email asking they accept the recommendation and I am going to send the Judge's evaluation of me in lawschool for their review....and I told them that in the meantime I would try to get another recomendation but that it would be difficult as it was summertime and many profs were on vacation :(

So I may contact a professor I had a class with once, I just hope he remembers me! I am sending him an email and if he does not respond, I may contact him via phone. But like Gamayun said, it is pretty annoying that King's waited FOUR weeks to tell me I needed another recommendation.

Oh well....by the way, I got rejected from UCL, but I still have Queen Mary and U of Westminster to hear from. Those are still okay schools aren't they? :) ALSO, do you think the fact that they asked for another ref means ANYTHING about my app...that they are interested? I don't know if they even reviewed my materials and are just asking for everything before even considering me....it would suck to go through all the trouble of getting another ref and then I don't even get in!

"But like Gamayun said, it is pretty annoying that King's waited
FOUR weeks to tell me I needed another recommendation."

Annoying is an easy word for that... they didn't notify me at all..and almost 4 months after applying to them I called them myself (at my own expense) and I barely was able to find a person who said that they needed another academic reference from me... I was shocked... they would better deny my application than to tell such *bad* things... #@$!^

"I told them that in the meantime I would try to get another
recomendation but that it would be difficult as it was summertime and
many profs were on vacation :("

I am in very good relationship with most of my professors, because years after graduation I stay in contact with most of them and with institution itself... so the problem is not with finding a reference person (it is easy, quick and I might even kindly ask to sign my version of the letter), but in the attitude itself....if you know what I mean.
At first, I thought that such attitude was due to the fact that I am from the developing CIS country or stuff like that.. but now I see that there is the same situation with developed states too.

Anyway, goodluck.... QM is also good school, part of th UoL.