Cover Letter Tips: Beyond the Basics

By: Emily Hirsekorn

January 21, 2020

We are in the thick of first-year law student recruitment! It is critical at this time for law students to get legal resumes and cover letters in tip top shape to start off their legal careers with a stellar summer position. And while a few formatting tricks can easily address the most common resume challenge—fitting the resume onto one page—cover letters tend to present numerous issues that collectively require a complete revision. Law students usually do well introducing themselves, identifying basic qualifications, and describing past experience but also tend to include extraneous content, fail to tell a unique story, and use passive voice and other technical writing “no-no’s.” This article offers some quick tips to address these common pitfalls.

1. Keep it Simple

Employers and recruiters spend very little time reviewing application materials; cover letters should therefore be short and easy to read, while content should be concise and to the point.

·     Write Concisely Point 1: Eliminate filler words. Rarely do you need “I believe,” “in order,” or “that.” For example, instead of writing I believe my education and skill set come together to make me an excellent candidate, try My education and skill set make me an excellent candidate.

·     Write Concisely Point 2: Eliminate extraneous content—anything that fails to add new or important information. I often see the same idea written twice but phrased differently or overly detailed explanations of technical tasks; if it does not add to your story, you can cut it.

·     Keep the letter one page long. Like the legal resume, cover letters should also be one page long. Employers may otherwise miss content that spills onto a second page or read only the beginning and the end, missing the middle. More importantly, strong legal writing should synthesize information into broader ideas, which requires less text.

·     Use 12 pt. font and one-inch left, right, and bottom margins. Keep the top margin the same across all application materials to maintain a single version of your letterhead. All other margins should be one inch to ensure you write a sufficiently brief cover letter. If you find yourself using smaller font or reducing margins to squeeze content onto the page, there is too much content.

2. Make It Unique

Do not copy the content of sample cover letters you read. I will say that again: do not copy the content of sample cover letters you read. Beyond plagiarizing, your cover letter will likely look very similar to the other letters copying the same sample. Remember: the goal with a cover letter is to stand out! Note my advice is to avoid copying content. Legal employers will, however, expect to read cover letters that follow a standard format, so be sure to review samples from your law school’s career services office for format and content inspiration.

·     Be memorable. Identify something unique from your background, e.g., the employer is located in your hometown, you have real-world experience in the field the firm serves, or your love of all things outdoors is driving your passion to work in environmental law.

·     Target the letter to each employer. Explain why you are interested in working for each employer. Consider the employer’s practice area, what you have heard about the employer’s office culture, or the mission driving the employer’s work. Including this statement at the beginning of the first paragraph ensures that your letter stands out amongst the sea of cover letters generically beginning with “I am writing to apply for the law clerk position with your firm.”

3. Tell a Cohesive Story that Highlights Top Qualifications

·     Use topic sentences, followed by supporting examples. This is my number one piece of cover letter feedback. Because employers breeze through applications, you must quickly and clearly give the bigger picture of your qualifications by synthesizing your academic, professional, and volunteer experiences. First, identify a qualification with a topic sentence, then illustrate with demonstrative examples. A letter that instead lists position by position is merely a restatement of the resume, failing to explain why or how the work you have performed is meaningful or relevant. What does this look like?

Beyond my academic achievements, my prior tutoring and coaching experience demonstrates my client relations skills and ability to break down concepts into easily understandable terms. For example, I coached competitive cheerleading through all of undergraduate school, leading a team of 30 to a national championship and supporting each individual emotionally and academically on an ongoing basis. I have also tutored for as long as I can remember and most recently for UCSD’s Biology Department. I now look forward to using these skills to provide legal advice with a public interest agency like yours.

·     Do not forget your unique qualifications! Time and time again, I read cover letters that fail to discuss a student’s unique qualifications or background. While it may be tempting to focus exclusively on legal research, writing, and advocacy, it is equally important to call out what makes you unique. For example, you have traveled all around the world conducting interdisciplinary research but feel it differs too greatly from legal practice. That experience is in fact relevant! It speaks to your broad perspective that informs problem solving, ability to work with clientele from a variety of backgrounds, and adaptability to new circumstances and challenges—all beyond your technical legal skills.

4. Showcase Strong Business Writing Skills

In addition to writing concisely—a critical legal writing skill mentioned above—the cover letter should follow these business writing conventions:

·     Include a summary (similar to a roadmap) in the letter’s introduction that reflects the content in the body of the letter. You may also or alternatively include a brief summary in the final paragraph.

·     Use active voice. E.g., instead of I was awarded top honors, try I earned top honors. Instead of My responsibilities included management of accounts and client administration, try I managed accounts and supported clients.

·     Use transitions to move between concepts. E.g., “In addition to my legal experience, my corporate finance background has positioned me well to work with corporate clients.”

·     Avoid shorthand, including contractions and acronyms.

If you have lingering questions or want additional support, contact your law school career services office. We are here to get you through spring recruitment and beyond!