SAMPLE COVER LETTER #1: FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
December 1, 20XX
Alberta Baigent
Recruitment Director
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
101 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10178-0061
Dear Ms. Baigent [or Dear Alberta Baigent]:
I am a first-year student at Yale Law School seeking a position with Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle for
Summer 20XX. I am a native New Yorker and hope to work in New York City this coming summer.
I am interested in your firm because of its international law practice generally and, more particularly, because of
your firm’s presence in France and numerous French clients. Your Paris office’s focus in the areas of international
commercial arbitration, as well as corporate, banking, and finance work, aligns with my long-term interests in a
practice serving international corporations. Having lived and studied in Paris for one year during college and having
served as a teaching assistant for French language and literature courses, I am fluent in French and knowledgeable
about French culture. My undergraduate majors in International Relations and in Economics provided me with an
understanding of many of the complex issues facing businesses with the increase in globalization. I plan to further
my understanding of these issues as a member of the Yale Journal of International Law.
To your firm I will bring proven legal research, writing, and analytical skills that will support your firm and its
clients. During my undergraduate education, I served as a member of the University Judiciary Committee, and as
a student judge I heard cases, interpreted university codes, and wrote rulings summarizing the Committee’s
conclusions. I also drafted a thesis in which I drew from archived primary sources and first-person interviews to
write a fifty-page document over the course of a year. Here at Yale, through our first-year writing course this fall,
I have streamlined my skills and adapted them to the legal environment. Next semester, I will enroll in YLS’s
Advanced Legal Writing course to deepen my understanding and experience.
Attached please find my resume. If you would like me to provide you with additional materials, I would be more
than happy to do so. I am confident that my background and skills will enable me to make a positive contribution
to your clients. Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #2: FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Steet
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
December 15, 20XX
Deborah Davis
Staff Attorney
Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc.
46 E. 4
th
St., Suite 1301
St. Paul, MN 55101-1109
Dear Ms. Davis [or Dear Deborah Davis]:
I am a first-year student at Yale Law School seeking a summer internship at the Farmers’ Legal Action Group. I
worked for your former classmate, Tara Lewis, at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell
University. She recommended that I contact you knowing that your organization works on the issues that most
interest me. Born and raised in the Midwest, and I plan to return this summer and after graduation.
FLAG’s work on behalf of family farmers and their communities is extremely appealing to me. I understand that
through litigation, Congressional testimony, publications, and training events, your attorneys and staff have
helped thousands of farmers to remain solvent and protect their farms. Your service on behalf of minority farmers
fighting discrimination in agricultural policies is of particular interest, though I would gladly work in any of your
focus areas. I am drawn to your organization because I have a long-standing interest in agriculture, which is why I
pursued an undergraduate degree in plant breeding. Although I find my scientific background provides a terrific
framework for understanding farmers’ concerns, since my undergraduate days my interests have turned more to
include the social, legal, and policy issues surrounding the farming industry.
My agriculture-related experience as well as my burgeoning legal skills will be of service to your organization.
As an undergraduate, I studied and conducted research to assist in developing novel breeding methods which are
commercially appealing and environmentally sustainable. During a year as a visiting student in Australia, I
studied international agricultural techniques, policies, and laws which culminated in a thesis-length examination
of global wheat production. That work led me to law school. Here at Yale, I am adapting my analytical and
writing skills to law through coursework and membership on the Yale Law & Policy Review. I am particularly
keen to lend my research and writing skills to the work of the YLS Environmental Law Clinic this spring term.
Enclosed you will find my resume, a legal writing sample, a reference list, and my undergraduate transcript, as
you have requested in your job posting. I will forward you my law school transcript when it is available in
January. Please note that first semester classes are graded on a credit/fail basis.
I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you further and would be delighted at the chance to interview with
someone in your office. I will contact you at the beginning of January to see whether an interview might be
arranged. For your information, Yale would fund my work at your office if you do not have funding for summer
interns. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
Enclosures
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #3: FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
December 1, 20XX
John Doe
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
Dear Mr. Doe:
I am a first-year student at Yale Law School applying for the legal internship at the New York
Fed for Summer 20XX. An upper-class student at Yale Law School, Susanna Bruera, shared
with me her experience working with you last summer, and her description further heightened
my interest in your Office. For your information, Yale would fund my work if you do not have
funding for summer interns.
I believe strongly in the Fed’s mission to promote optimal macroeconomic performance by
maintaining an effective payment system, regulating banks, and establishing monetary policies. I
studied the important role of the Fed in economics and history courses as an undergraduate. At a
more granular level, having worked as a bank teller during my summers, I have come to
understand how vital a stable banking system is in the lives of individuals and corporations of all
sizes. In the coming summer, I hope to better understand the role of legal counsel in achieving
the Fed’s goals. Whether helping to oversee transactions, review litigation, or advise senior
management, I am excited to use my skills to support your attorneys and to gain insight into
the intersection of law and banking.
My academic experience leaves me well positioned to succeed at the Fed. I arrived at law school
with knowledge in economics and accounting through my undergraduate coursework. At Yale, I
have become interested in learning about the legal mechanisms that support financial integrity.
My participation on the Yale Journal on Regulation has exposed me to scholarship on financial
regulation, a subject I will pursue in greater depth in my upcoming courses this spring. I have
also developed excellent legal research and writing skills that I am eager to put to practical use.
I offer, finally, a demonstrated commitment to public service. I previously worked at Senator
Gillibrand’s office in New York, where I found assisting constituents to be both engaging and
meaningful. I have cultivated a service-oriented mindset through my time not only in government
but at legal aid organizations as well. Given my background, I look forward to the possibility of
clerking in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York this summer.
My resume, writing sample, and undergraduate transcript are attached, and I will send my law
school transcript as soon as it becomes available. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you
about a position for this coming summer and can be reached at (203) 555-1212 or
[email protected]. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #4: SECOND-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
July 15, 20XX
Lindsay E. Gay
Manager of Legal Recruiting
K & L Gates
1717 Main Street, Suite 2800
Dallas, TX 75201
Dear Ms. Gay [or Dear Lindsay E. Gay]:
I am a second-year student at Yale Law School and am seeking a position with K & L Gates for Summer 20XX. I
am from Dallas and frequently return to the area to visit family and friends. I would welcome the opportunity to
visit the firm at your convenience.
I am interested in your Dallas office for several reasons. First, as a Texas native with an international mindset, I
am particularly drawn to your office’s work on regional legal matters like oil and gas law as well as your
sophisticated advising on global corporate transactions. Next, I have many interests in the law, and I am seeking a
firm that will enable me to explore numerous practice areas this summer. I understand that your firm has an
excellent rotation system to expose summer associates to a wide variety of legal issues. Finally, I recently spoke
with Jesse Borden, a graduate of Yale Law School and member of your litigation department, whose description of
your firm’s commitment to pro bono work, especially in the area of immigration, piqued my attention. I am
interested in joining a firm which will allow me to serve the businesses of my home state while giving back to the
larger community.
My varied background has provided me with many skills that your firm will find useful. At the University of
Texas, I double majored in math and journalism, areas requiring both analytical and writing proficiency. During
the summer after my first year of law school I researched legislation and conducted statistical analysis as a
Research Assistant for a member of the Yale Law School faculty and wrote numerous legal memoranda relating
to habeas corpus issues for the Texas Death Penalty Resource Center. Currently, I am improving my analytical,
counseling, negotiation, and drafting skills by serving as a student attorney with the YLS Entrepreneurship &
Innovation Clinic.
Attached you will find my resume and list of references. Please let me know if you would like me to send you
additional application materials. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #5: SECOND-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203
) 555-1212
[email protected]
October 1, 20XX
Deanna R. Booth
Hiring Attorney
Food Research and Action Center
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 540
Washington, DC 20009
Dear Ms. Booth [or Dear Deanna R. Booth]:
I am a second-year student at Yale Law School seeking employment with the Food Research and Action Center
for the summer. If funding is not available for summer interns, Yale could fund my summer employment.
FRAC’s mandate to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States is compelling to me.
I understand that through a combination of research, advocacy, program monitoring, training, collaboration, and
public-information campaigns you seek to address the root causes of hunger. As a former nurse who has worked
on issues of nutrition and health policy, I am very interested in the work of the Center in the areas of health law
and nutrition in maternal and child health. I would greatly value the opportunity to work with and learn from your
attorneys, policy analysts, and advocates.
I have practical work experience in these fields that would be of service to you and your clients. My work as an
assistant ombudsperson at a major hospital helped me to understand the importance of nutrition for health and the
need for advocacy on behalf of those who cannot effectively advocate for themselves. My experience with the
National Health Law program exposed me to the legislative and policy side of health law and the value of legal
training in public service. After my first year of law school, I was able to combine my nursing degree and health
care experience with my new legal research and writing skills at the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy.
This experience has strengthened my interest in grassroots organizing and advocacy of nutrition issues for low-
income Americans.
I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you or someone in your office about a position as a summer intern
at the Center. I will call your office in the next few weeks to see whether it might be possible to arrange an
interview and look forward to speaking with you then.
I have enclosed my resume, law school transcript, a writing sample, and a reference list. Should you require
additional application materials, please let me know, and I will forward them to you immediately. Thank you for
your consideration.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #6: SECOND-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
November 1, 20XX
David Woods, Esq.
Special Assistant Attorney General
Department of the Attorney General
6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0006
Re: Summer Law Student Position
Dear Mr. Woods [or Dear David Woods]:
I am a second-year student at Yale Law School and hope you will consider me for a summer internship in the
Office of the Attorney General. I grew up in Brunswick, and in addition to wanting to return to Maine for the
summer, I am interested in returning home to practice after graduation. A chance to gain experience as an intern
in your Office would provide an invaluable introduction to the state’s legal system and community.
I am eager to serve the people of Maine by supporting the work of your Office. I understand that your lawyers
have wide-ranging responsibilities from litigating civil actions to prosecuting homicides to drafting written
opinions on legal questions submitted by the administrative and legislative branches. While I am most
interested to work with your attorneys in the Litigation Division to contribute the litigation skills I have
developed so far, I would welcome the chance to serve in any of your Divisions or Programs.
I would bring a useful skill set to your Office. Through my work with Yale's Prison Legal Services clinic, I
have researched and drafted memorandums and briefs to represent state and federal prisoners serving their
sentences in Connecticut. Additionally, as an intern in the Advocacy for Parents and Children clinic this past
summer, intensive client contact allowed me to improve my client counseling and interviewing skills
enormously. I also refined my skills both at out-of-court negotiation and in-court representation. Finally, I
anticipate that my French language skills may prove useful given the significant French-speaking population in
Maine.
I have enclosed a resume and look forward to the opportunity to speak with you further. I am always
happy to come to Maine and would be more than willing to arrange a trip if you would be interested in meeting
with me personally. Please do not hesitate to call if you need more information or would like to schedule a
meeting. For your information, if no funding is available for summer interns, Yale would fund my internship
at your Office.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and time.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
Enclosure
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #7: THIRD-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
July 30, 20XX
Trisha Weiss
Manager, Legal Recruiting
Shearman & Sterling
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022-6069
Dear Ms. Weiss [or Dear Trisha Weiss]:
I am a third-year student at Yale Law School, and I am seeking a position with your firm for the Fall 20XX. I
understand from our Career Development Office that you are not currently scheduled to interview Yale third-year
students during our Video Interview Program. I am hoping that you will consider interviewing me, by video or in
person, at a time that is more convenient for you.
I am interested in exploring employment with Shearman & Sterling for several reasons. First, I met and spoke
with Linda Rappaport, Practice Group Leader in your Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Group, at
a New York Bar Association Women’s Luncheon this summer. I am interested in the substantive legal work
conducted by that group, and I was impressed with Ms. Rappaport’s description of Shearman & Sterling’s
initiatives relating to the advancement of women in the legal profession. Moreover, I understand that your firm
has taken steps to decrease associate attrition which have proven successful. Finally, after spending many
weekends in the Big Apple while a student at Yale, I have decided to commence my legal career in New York
City.
This past summer I worked for the Washington, D.C. office of Arnold & Porter in their Litigation and Employee
Benefits Departments. The firm’s summer program provided me with excellent training through substantive legal
assignments. I had the opportunity to, among other things, draft summary judgment motions and confer with
clients regarding legal strategy. I enjoyed working at the firm, and I was honored to receive an offer to return to
Arnold & Porter upon graduation. The firm has allowed me to leave that offer open until September 15.
I have attached my resume here so that you can learn more about my background and experience. I look forward
to having the opportunity to discuss my candidacy with you. Please do not hesitate to call if you need more
information or would like to schedule an interview. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
SAMPLE COVER LETTER #8: THIRD-YEAR STUDENT
123 Main Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 555-1212
[email protected]
September 1, 20XX
Merritt W. Clark, Esq.
Texas Civil Rights Project
2212 E. Martin Luther King Boulevard
Austin, TX 78702-1344
Dear Mr. Clark [or Dear Merritt W. Clark]:
I am a third-year student at Yale Law School, expecting my degree in June of 20XX, seeking a permanent
position with the Texas Civil Rights Project. I am from Denton, Texas, and I plan to return home to practice after
graduation. Your Criminal Injustice Reform program particularly interests me because of its commitment to
reform the Texas criminal legal system. I am especially intrigued by your work in areas including police
misconduct, surveillance, and for-profit incarceration.
I have dedicated myself to developing expertise and skills which will support your organization's work. As my
resume indicates, I have taken many opportunities to gain legal research and writing experience in these fields, as
well as in other human rights areas, in the summers during law school and in the academic year. I have also
structured my academic experience around this interest, conducting graduate psychology research on behavior in
the criminal and corrections contexts and continuing similar research in the juvenile system in law school. I look
forward to applying this research and legal experience to the important work that your Project does.
I will be in Texas from October 15 to October 21 and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you about a
position in the Texas Civil Rights Project then. Should you wish to speak with me sooner, I can arrange to travel
to Austin at your convenience, and I am always available for a video call.
I have enclosed my resume, a writing sample, and a law school transcript. Please let me know if you would like
me to forward you additional materials. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to speaking with you.
Sincerely,
Sample Student
Sample Student
Enclosures