Writing Effective Cover Letters for Law Students: Format and Examples, Study notes of Law

Download Writing Effective Cover Letters for Law Students: Format and Examples and more Study notes Law in PDF only on Docsity! 1 EFFECTIVE COVER LETTERSThe goal of a cover letter is to persuade the employer to read your resume and extend an interviewinvitation. Cover letters are formal business correspondence and should be formatted as a businessletter. A well written cover letter will use action verbs and varied adjectives, avoid overuse of the word“I”, and be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Have a friend or a strategist in the Career Center readyour cover letter before sending to employers.Regardless of your prior work history, your cover letter should not exceed one page. Your resume andcover letter should complement each other without being repetitive.A well written legal cover letter will:1. Introduce yourself to the employer: The first paragraph of your letter should identify yourgraduation year (i.e., “Class of 2021” or “second year student”) and law school and state theposition you are seeking (i.e., summer associate, judicial law clerk). For example:“I am a second year student at Washington University School of Law, and I am writing toapply for a summer associate position at Lowenstein & Jackson for summer 2020.”“I am a first year student at Washington University School of Law and am seeking a 2020summer legal internship at Chicago Legal Aid.”2. Establish a geographic connection to the employer: State any ties you have to the employer’slocation. This is typically included in the first paragraph of your cover letter. If you do not haveany ties to the area, state your commitment to practice in that location during the summer andfollowing graduation. For example:“I am committed to remaining in St. Louis following law school.”“I completed my undergraduate degree in Miami and look forward to returning nextsummer and following graduation from law school.”“I am committed to practicing in Los Angeles following graduation. I will be in the cityfrom July 21st through July 23rd and would appreciate the opportunity to meet.”If you are applying to multiple offices of the same firm, note the other offices where you areapplying. For example:“I grew up outside of Boston and look forward to practicing in New England followinggraduation. In addition to your Boston office, I am applying to your Providence,Manchester and Bangor offices.”“I am open geographically and am applying to your Los Angeles, Denver and Miamioffices.”3. Express genuine interest in the particular employer: Research the employer prior to drafting acover letter. At a minimum, review the employer’s website, Martindale-Hubbell and/or the NALPDirectory form (if applicable). Based on your research, draft tailored language that shows youhave researched the organization and are interested in the organization for a specific reason.For public interest employers, it is important to show that you identify with the employer’smission. For example: 2 “I am particularly interested in Lowenstein & Jackson because of its highly regardedtrusts and estates practice.”“Your organization’s mission of providing tax representation to low income individualsaligns with my interest in tax law and my commitment to pursuing a public interestcareer.”4. Highlight your relevant skills and abilities: A cover letter should not simply reiterate what isalready stated on your resume. Your cover letter should identify the skills, abilities and traitsyou possess that will benefit the organization and allow you to succeed in the position you areseeking. Provide examples from your experience as evidence of these skills, abilities and traits.For example:“My attention to detail helped me excel in my legal writing class where I received thehighest grade in my section.”“I believe my strong work ethic will enable me to provide high quality work on tightdeadlines. This past semester, I achieved a 3.85 GPA while taking a full course load andworking 20 hours a week.”“My role as a judicial intern allowed me to hone my legal research and writing skills byanalyzing case law and preparing legal memoranda.”Remain position in your cover letter – avoid statements that are negative, apologetic ordefensive.5. Thank the employer and invite follow up: The last paragraph of your cover letter should thankthe reader for his/her time, and invite follow up. If you will be in town on specific dates, notethose dates for possible meetings. For example:“Thank you in advance for considering my application. I will be in the Los Angeles areaseveral times throughout the summer and would appreciate the opportunity to meetwith you in person. I look forward to hearing from you.”If you do not receive an initial response, it is acceptable to follow up with employers. Yourphone call or email may be the reminder they need to move forward.For your records, email yourself a copy of each cover letter you send to employers. Remember toupdate your cover letters routinely as you progress through law school and your summer internships.Sample cover letters are provided by the Career Center, but you should not copy the language in theseletters. Your experience will be unique. Be distinctive! Emphasize what makes you uniquely qualified.