How to Write a Cover Letter Law Firm

Should you mention salary in a cover letter? Check out our guide: How to Include Salary Requirements in a Cover Letter Your skills, connections, and passion for the profession make you an asset to a law firm once hired, but an effective cover letter will notice you in the crowded legal job market. If you are applying for an apprenticeship contract or leave program, your cover letter may be the first part of your application that a law firm will review. If you bring a cover letter to an on-campus interview (which you should only do if your employer asks you to), the content will be slightly different. You don`t have to show up because you`ll be in person and won`t ask for an interview at the end. But you can thank the employer for the interview and say that you are happy to have the opportunity to learn more about the employer and discuss the possibility of working for them. The most important thing is to show why you are interested in that particular employer and how you think your background will make you a good candidate for them. Despite the widespread use of application forms, the CV remains an important tool in the recruitment process. This step will guide you through the process of creating a legal resume and writing a successful cover letter. Legal recruiters at large law firms read hundreds, if not thousands, of applications from potential articling lawyers each year and only spend about a minute reading your cover letter. Some recruiters say they make their decision paragraph by paragraph – if you haven`t convinced them that you`d be a good fit for their company halfway through the cover letter, they might not even read the rest. Your cover letter creates a strong first impression, so make it easy for the recruiter to see that you have strong potential as a lawyer by following the tips above.

Call the law firm you are targeting, explain that you want to submit your legal resume as an unsolicited application for an apprenticeship contract or internship, and ask who you can best address the letter to. Next, you need to introduce yourself to the recruiter. Make it clear that you are suitable for a career as a lawyer: highlight achievements that demonstrate that you possess the skills required by the firm. If the firm hasn`t clarified exactly what they`re looking for, check out our article here on the skills most legal recruiters expect from candidates. Don`t just say, “I have good communication skills” – you need to mention a performance that depends on your use of those skills. If you don`t know who to send your letter to, it`s always okay to write to the executive director of a nonprofit or hiring partner or hiring manager at a company. You can forward your request to the appropriate person within the organization. If possible, write to someone by name, not “manager” or “recruitment coordinator.” The websites of companies and organizations are very useful for finding this information (and confirming correct spellings and the like); It can be more difficult to find the name of a single recipient for government job postings.

If you do not have a person`s name, the greeting should be “Dear Sir or Madam” (not “Who is concerned”). Of course, when responding to a job offer, address your letter exactly as directed. Remember: Be specific, but remember that this is not the place to rephrase your resume – if you can get the hiring manager`s attention here, they will read your resume for these details. In your cover letter, you can entice the reader to switch to your resume by providing context and highlighting how your experience aligns with what`s needed for the job. I believe that my training in corporate law will be an asset to your firm. I look forward to learning more about this lawyer position and discussing how my experience would benefit your firm`s goals and strategy. Here are some best practices for handling your cover letter for law firms: This guide will show you a sample cover letter from a law firm and the best tips on how to write a cover letter for law firm jobs step by step. If you want your cover letter for law firms noticed, you need to do the following: My resume and attached references show other ways I can meet your articling requirements. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak to you personally about how I can help increase the efficiency and accuracy of your business. I will come back to your office in a few weeks to see if we can make an appointment for a meeting. The most common mistakes in student cover letters are: Your cover letter for law firms needs an equally solid resume.

See our guide: Sample Legal CV Determine who you should address the cover letter to. If you are applying to law firms, send your letter to the Director of Recruitment. NAP member companies can use the NAP directory to obtain their contact information. (NALP also provides a useful mail merge feature for generating multiple letters.) For other employers, you can visit their websites or contact the office to determine to whom your documents should be sent. In your note, it is appropriate to write “Dear Mr. Jones” if you know the gender of the recipient. If you do not know the sex of the recipient or prefer not to include gender identification language, it is appropriate to write “Dear Ian Jones”. Especially given the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the legal industry is changing rapidly and job seekers need to stand out to get hired (unless, of course, you decide to start your own law firm). If you`re applying for a lawyer job, whether it`s a traditional position or a home-based legal job, here are five tips to make sure your cover letter lands at the top of the pile. After all, your last paragraph is where you succinctly wrap the cover letter, close the circle and make a positive impression. In your concluding paragraph, pay attention to this: The cover letter is a sample of your written work and should be short (preferably one page), persuasive, well-supported, and grammatically perfect.

Cover letters should follow the standard format for business letters in terms of distance, greeting, etc. If you`re not sure about the intricacies, consult a reference source for business correspondence. Avoid abbreviations, contractions, and abbreviations (such as a forward slash instead of “or”), while there is an accepted short form of the name of the organization you are writing to (e.g., ACLU or Howard Rice), it is acceptable to use it in the body of your letter. Your phone number and email address should appear somewhere in the letter, either at the top of your address or in the last paragraph when you ask them to contact you. Note that your resume is “attached” and not “attached” (i.e. truncated or stapled).