sample cover letter harvard law

Resume Layout Guidance

• List your present address and a phone number and email address where employers can reach you.
• If you are a current student, use your HLS email address.
• You may decide to include a permanent address in addition to your address while you are at school, to signal ties to a geographic area.
• You may decide to include personal pronouns in your header, such as after your name or in the address line. Examples: Alex Washington (she/her/hers); Diego Álvarez [line break] 123 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 · [email protected] · (123) 456-7890 · they/them.
• Do not include a job objective here or elsewhere on your resume; your career objectives and plans should be expressed in your cover letter.
• Unless you are more than about five years out of law school, your “Education” section should generally precede your “Experience” section.
• For current law students, indicate the degree you expect to earn and your anticipated date of graduation. Examples: J.D., May 2025; LL.M., May 2023.
• List all advanced degrees, starting with your law or most recent degree and working back to college.
• Your “Education” section should also reflect whether you transferred as an undergraduate or law student, studied abroad, or enrolled in a joint degree program.
• Because they are Latin phrases, magna , summa , and cum laude should always appear in italicized, lowercase letters. Example: B.S. magna cum laude in Physics.
• Consider whether inserting a “Relevant Coursework” subsection under your law school entry could add value to your resume. Listing several courses can demonstrate interest in a particular issue area, especially where substantive relevant experience is not clear from other parts of your resume.

Honors & Activities

• Include two separate subsections for each educational degree: “Honors” and “Activities.”
• At most, include three to five entries per subsection; listing too many can detract from the most relevant activities or honors.
• Be sure to include a brief explanation of any awards or distinctions that are not familiar to most readers.
• The “Honors” subsection should list any notable awards or distinctions you received, such as Dean’s List or Phi Beta Kappa. Note that honors such as Dean’s List may seem redundant if you also graduated with Latin honors.
• In the “Activities” subsection, indicate any relevant or personally meaningful student organization memberships, reading groups, elected offices, activities, or sports in which you have participated.
• Do not include your undergraduate grade point average unless it is specifically requested by an employer or not well-reflected in honors received. An impressive GPA is often self-evident if, for example, you graduated magna cum laude .
• Public service employers are rarely interested in how you perform on tests. LSAT and other standardized test scores should not appear on your resume.

Thesis and/or Publications

• Especially if your topic is relevant to your career interests, you may want to include a separate “Thesis” subsection under the appropriate educational degree and indicate the title of your thesis in italics.
• Any notes or articles you have written or are writing for a journal or other publication should go under a separate “Publications” section, in Bluebook format. When appropriate, include a notation such as: (publication pending) or (forthcoming, spring 2023).
• List your work, internship, and/or significant volunteer experiences in reverse chronological order, with your most recent experience listed first.
• Clinical work during law school, internships, and part-time work may be included under your “Experience” section. Volunteer work is equally valuable experience and need not be singled out under a separate heading on your resume. On the other hand, if you have a significant number of work experiences, you may want to create a separate heading such as “Community Service” and group your volunteer work there, as a way of breaking up your resume sections.
• Not sure how to characterize past military service on a resume? Review these application tips specific to student veterans . Do not feel compelled to list every job you have held before or during law school, as your resume should be designed to highlight your most significant and relevant experiences.
• When deciding which experiences to include and exclude, remain mindful of any significant gaps in time you may create. These gaps may raise questions for some employers. Feel free to speak to an OPIA adviser about creative ways to mitigate or describe such gaps.
• Descriptions are important in this section, since they capture the essence of your experience and any recognition and accomplishments. Paint a dynamic picture of the type of work you did and the extent of your responsibilities without exaggeration. Adding detail is a plus. For example, if you worked at a legal services center, list the type of clients with whom you worked and the types of cases you handled.
• Use longer descriptions to accentuate those work experiences most critical to your current search. Employers will assume that the longer the description, the more priority you give to the experience.
• Break descriptions into shorter phrases, as these are more easily scanned than full sentences. Try to start each segment with an action verb. Examples: Drafted Congressional testimony. Launched summer intern program. Advised 50 first-year students on course selection.
• Try to omit passive verbs, particularly any form of “to be.” Phrases such as “was responsible for running” should become “Ran,” for example.
• If you have held more than one job with the same employer, enter both jobs under one header, putting the title of each job in italics.
• Clearly delineate dates on your resume. Place these flush with the right hand margin of the page.
• Refer to the dates of summer or semester-long jobs as Summer 20__, Fall 20__, Spring 20__.
• In most cases, specifying the exact months of your employment is not necessary. If you worked at an organization from March 2019 to May 2021, for example, simply list 2019 – 2021.

Skills and Interests/Personal

• If you have skills in languages other than English, consider noting these in a “Skills and Interests” or “Languages and Interests” section. Take care not to under-rate (by leaving some out) or over-rate (by claiming more fluency than you currently have) your language skills. Keep in mind that you may be asked to demonstrate them during an interview, if they are important for the role.
• Adding a line about your outside hobbies or interests can be invaluable for interviews, giving an interviewer additional topics of conversation. Be prepared to talk a little about your passion for the things included in this section.
• Technology skills in basic programs such as the Microsoft Office suite or legal research tools like LexisNexis or Westlaw will not distinguish you from other law student candidates, so there is no need to include these. However, consider noting your proficiency in specific tools – GIS mapping, coding, or social media analytics, to name a few – where it could be relevant for particular employers.
• It is unnecessary to add “References will be furnished upon request” at the end of your resume, as employers will ask you to provide your references separately, and this line occupies valuable space on your resume.
• A references sheet should be formatted with the same header as your resume. Unless an employer specifies otherwise, include three or four references’ names, titles, email addresses, organization names, organization addresses, and phone numbers. It is also useful to include a line or two about how each reference knows you. See sample reference sheet .
• Give careful consideration to which references you will use for different employers, as some contacts may be more helpful for one position than another.
• Before you list someone as a reference, be sure ask their permission, let them know the type of work you are pursuing, and, if necessary, refresh their memory about your work.
• If interviewing in person, bring an extra hardcopy of your references sheet (and your resume) and be prepared to offer it if the interviewer mentions references.

Modal Gallery

Sample Lateral Application Materials

Junior Level Lateral Resumes Corporate

Mid to Senior Level Lateral Resumes Corporate Litigation

Cover Letters

Junior Level Lateral Cover Letters Litigation Post Judicial Clerkship

Mid to Senior Level Lateral Cover Letters Corporate Corporate Post Judicial Clerkship Litigation Litigation

Deal Lists Corporate Litigation Corporate & Litigation

Representative Matters Corporate & Litigation

Cover Letters

E. common cover letter mistakes.

• Vide o and Slides from the CDO program “ Cover Letters That Do The Job” and handouts: Job Postings & Tips and Sample PIPS Cover Letters .

Your cover letter is as important as your resume because it is often read first and plays a vital role in your quest for an interview. A cover letter is not a transmittal letter, and you may be surprised at how time-consuming it is to craft a good one. A cover letter has a purpose, which is to let an employer know why they should bother reading your resume and why they should meet you. It also serves as an example of your written work product; thus it should be clear, brief, and written in a business letter style, without any typographical errors.

1. Cover letters for unsolicited applications come in three main types:

• Personal Letter. These are the most effective cover letters and are sent to people you have met or with whom you have a mutual acquaintance. These letters should all start with the sentence: “_______ recommended that I contact you.” As this type of letter is most likely to get a response, if you have any possibility of establishing this sort of connection to a prospective employer in advance of sending your letter, you should try your best to do so.
• Targeted Letters. Next best thing. Targeted letters are based on research of the employer, and are individually tailored. Your letter should incorporate the information learned through your research to show the employer that you have skills they will be able to put to use.
• Mass Mailers. Least desirable. These are generic except for the name and address of the employer, and have a very low success rate of getting interviews.

2. When you respond to a job listing, you will usually be requested to submit a cover letter as part of your application. In this case, use the job description and requested qualifications as a guide. While not simply imitating the language of the listing, your letter should demonstrate that you have what the employer is looking for.

3. A few employers at OCI request that students bring a cover letter to the initial interview. This is essentially to require students to think about why they want to work for this employer, but it makes for a letter which deviates from the usual “please consider me for an interview” approach. See below for suggestions on OCI cover letters.

Cover letters should follow standard business letter format, as to spacing, salutation, etc. If you are not sure of the fine points, consult a business correspondence reference source. Avoid abbreviations, contractions and shortcuts (such as a slash instead of “or”), although if there is an accepted short form of the name of the organization you are writing to (e.g., ACLU or Coblentz) it is acceptable to use it in the text of your letter. Your telephone number and email address should appear somewhere in the letter, either at the top with your address, or in the closing paragraph, when you ask them to contact you. Note that your resume is “enclosed,” not “attached” (which means clipped or stapled).

If you are not sure to whom you should send your letter, it is always acceptable to write to the executive director of a nonprofit, or the hiring partner or head of recruiting at a firm; they can forward your application to the appropriate person within the organization. If at all possible, write to an individual by name, not to “Director” or “Recruiting Coordinator.” Firm and organization web sites are very useful in finding this information (and for confirming correct spellings and the like); it may be more difficult to find the name of an individual addressee for government job opportunities. If you do not have the name of an individual, the salutation should be “Dear Sir or Madam” (not “To Whom It May Concern”). Of course if you are responding to a job posting, address your letter exactly as instructed.

As for the appropriate salutation, traditionally, it is “Dear [Mr./Ms.] [Last Name].  However, we understand that this prevailing business norm may not be inclusive of individuals who do not use either of those titles (for example, because they identify as gender nonconforming). One alternative, “Dear [First Name] [Last Name]”, avoids presuming how the recipient may identify, but it is not without some risk.  

If you use this approach, a recipient less attuned to thinking about gender inclusivity (and accustomed to seeing only “Dear [Mr./Ms] [Last Name]”) may wrongly conclude that you were unfamiliar with professional etiquette or that you used a mail merge template and did not bother to customize it.  While awareness around these issues is increasing, we believe that, unfortunately, it is still not a small number of recruiting representatives and attorneys who might draw the wrong conclusion.

One way to navigate this tricky situation might be to see if the recipient has an online presence (e.g., on the firm website or LinkedIn) that might give you a strong clue as to how they would like to be addressed.  Otherwise, you will need to make your own judgment as to whether recipients are more likely to recognize your inclusivity or to view the greeting as awkward or erroneous.

In our office, we are also working to help employers become familiar with gender-inclusive approaches like “Dear [First Name] [Last Name],” but like any process of education, this will take time. In the meantime, our primary goal is to make sure that all Berkeley Law students are fully informed as you navigate legal job markets. We are always available to discuss individually what approach would be the best fit for you.

First Paragraph. Begin your letter with a statement of who you are and why you are writing. Introduce yourself as a law student (including the year you are in) or a graduate of Berkeley Law and specify what it is you are seeking: a summer job, an associate position, a clerkship, part-time work during the school year, etc.

The goal of this paragraph is to give the reader a reason to want to finish reading the letter. If you don’t have a personal connection to cite, try to establish a nexus between yourself and the employer, such as knowledge of their practice, an established commitment to or interest in their work, a connection to their city, or something else which conveys that you are not just writing to them as part of a mass mailing for any job in any location. (If that in fact is what you are doing, try not to be too obvious about it. An employer wants to think that you sought him or her out purposely rather than randomly.)

Body Paragraph(s). This is the section in which you “sell” your experience and qualifications to the employer. Your goal here is to answer the question, “Why should the employer meet you?”

Call attention to something which substantiates your interest in this particular employer. It could be coursework in their specialty, the recommendation of a professor in their area of practice, undergraduate residency in their city, or any other indication of your interest. Try also to show how your experiences will translate into skills which will be useful to this particular employer. Highlight relevant qualifications which are not on your resume, such as coursework, research, or a prior connection to the organization or the issues they work on. If you have general legal skills such as negotiation, litigation, client counseling, interviewing, mock trials, etc., you may want to include them. As much as possible, try to convey understanding of, and enthusiasm for, the aims of the organization.

Employers do not expect first-year students to have highly-developed legal skills to offer. Therefore, for first-year students writing to private firms, this section can be a single, short paragraph, unless you have a strong background in a relevant area. However, even inexperienced first-year students writing to public interest/sector organizations should make an effort to describe skills and interests that are relevant to the employer.

It is appropriate and not uncommon for a public interest cover letter to be somewhat more detailed or personal than a private sector cover letter. Of course, it is still very important to be concise, but it is acceptable for the letter to be a full page if your experience dictates. In a public interest cover letter, it is important both to highlight your demonstrated commitment to the mission/work/client base of the organization through your own relevant work or life experience, and to illustrate your relevant skills. Take another look at your resume for items that show your interest, commitment and skills. Even if you do not have experience in the specific area in which an organization works, it is still important to emphasize your demonstrated commitment to the public interest, and to draw connections between that general commitment and the specific work of the organization. As it is important not to merely regurgitate your resume, consider including a story that illustrates you are interested or qualified in the position.

If your application raises questions that are readily answered, such as availability after the Bar exam, judicial clerkship plans, etc., the letter can address those; other issues may be better deferred to the interview stage. Consult a CDO attorney-counselor if you’re not sure whether to include something in your cover letter.

Final Paragraph. In your last paragraph, thank them for their consideration, and say you hope to hear from them soon. For out-of-town employers, indicate when you plan to be in their geographic area and state your availability for an interview. Be sure to include your phone number and email in this paragraph unless you use a letterhead style that includes them at the top of the page. If you state that you will call the employer to follow up on your application, be sure you do so.

If you are bringing a cover letter to an on-campus interview (which you should do only if the employer requests you to), the content will be a bit different. You don’t need to introduce yourself, as you will be there in person, and you won’t request an interview at the closing. But you can thank the employer for interviewing you and say that you welcome the opportunity to learn more about the employer and to discuss the possibility of working for them. The important thing is to show why you are interested in this particular employer, and how you think your background makes you a good match for them.

The mistakes most commonly found in student cover letters are:

• Restating your resume. “ I graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005, with a B.A., cum laude, in Political Science, then worked as a substitute teacher in an urban high school before starting law school in the fall of 2008 .” Don’t waste space with facts that are readily gleaned from your resume! Instead, you could say (briefly) how your work experience led you to pursue a legal career in an area practiced by the employer.
• Focusing on what you stand to gain from the job . “ I am particularly interested in your firm’s excellent training program for summer associates, and in gaining exposure to a variety of different practice areas.” Remember, employers only grant interviews to candidates who offer something of potential use to the employer. Try to say how your skills and enthusiasm will help the employer serve its clients, or otherwise further its aims.
• Being too informal or familiar. “I’m thrilled by the possibility of working with you this summer, and would love to meet with you in person/by phone to chat about what the options might be.” Enthusiasm is good, but it must be presented professionally.

Other cover letter mistakes include: being defensive or apologetic; appearing arrogant or entitled, and being too long and wordy. Unsupported statements of your qualities (“I am highly motivated and a quick study”) do not help your case. Generic reasons for your interest in the employer (e.g., its “excellent reputation”) tend to demonstrate your lack of specific knowledge. Of course typos and inaccuracies, such as misspelled names, or (please!) stating an interest in a practice area that the firm doesn’t have, are automatic application-killers.

Our cover letter template  provides suggestions only; please do not feel excessively constrained by its approach. Your letter should, of course, be original work that reflects your unique background and the job you are aiming at.

Return to Contents

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Write a Cover Letter That Sounds Like You (and Gets Noticed)

• Elainy Mata

Do the research, start off strong, and emphasize your value.

• EM Elainy Mata is a Multimedia Producer at Harvard Business Review. ElainyMata

Partner Center

Cover Letter Advice & Samples

Cover letter advice and samples.

Section Menu

• Draft your cover letter knowing it is your first writing sample.
• Understand that a cover letter should persuade the reader.
• Use the cover letter to “connect the dots” of your experiences.
• Resist the temptation to restate your resume.
• Keep your cover letter to one page.
• Use the font style and point size that match your resume.
• Remember that the reader is busy: less is more.
• Ensure your cover letter is error free.

Cover Letter Construction

Address block and salutation.

• Address the cover letter to an actual person.
• Research websites or call employer to determine recipient’s name.
• If you cannot find the name of a hiring contact, address your letter to the head of the unit, department, or office.
• While this is the least-preferred option, you may address your letter to “Dear Hiring Committee” if you cannot locate the name of an actual person.
• For firms, address your letter to the recruiting director. For larger firms, contact information for recruiting directors is available at www.nalpdirectory.com in the Basic Information section.
• In the salutation, include the recipient’s title and last name (e.g., “Dear Ms. Raintree”) or write the recipient’s entire name (e.g., “Dear Jamie Morales”).

Paragraph One

• Tell the employer who you are and what you are seeking.
• Highlight (past, present, and future) geographic connections.
• Indicate if you have talked to students/faculty/friends/alumni who speak highly of the organization.

Paragraph Two

• Show that you understand the employer’s mission/practice, the work its attorneys do, and the clients it serves.
• Demonstrate your proven interest in and connection to that mission/practice, work, and clients.

Paragraph Three

• Describe skills you will contribute to support that mission/practice, work, and clients.
• Provide evidence from your experiences and coursework.

Paragraph Four

• List the documents included with the letter.
• Tell the employer how to get in touch with you by email, telephone, and mail.
• Convey your availability for a conversation, mentioning upcoming trips to the area.
• Thank the employer for considering you.
• Mention availability of Yale summer funding, if applicable.
• Optional: Promise that you will follow up in a few weeks if you think the employer would appreciate the diligence.

Sample Cover Letters (PDF)

First Year Student Examples | Second Year Student Examples | Third Year Student Examples

• Side Hustles
• Power Players
• Young Success
• Save and Invest
• Become Debt-Free
• Land the Job
• Closing the Gap
• Science of Success
• Pop Culture and Media
• Psychology and Relationships
• Health and Wellness
• Real Estate
• Most Popular

Related Stories

• Land the Job How to get recruiters' attention   with your resume summary
• Careers The 11 most common job   interview mistakes
• Land the Job Keep this line off your resume, says   ex-Disney recruiter: ‘There's zero benefit’
• Work The most overrated job interview   advice, says lawyer-turned-recruiter
• Land the Job Only write a cover letter if you're in a few   specific scenarios, recruiter says

Here's an example of the perfect cover letter, according to Harvard career experts

Found your dream job? Don't be so confident that you'll get hired: It's very likely that there are several other qualified candidates competing for that same position.

That's where the cover letter comes in. Including a cover letter to complement your resume can be an effective way to impress hiring managers: It displays your strong writing skills, sets you apart from other applicants and shows that you went the extra mile.

Linda Spencer, associate director and coordinator of career advising at Harvard Extension School, says that a solid cover letter answers two key questions :

• Why are you the right fit for the job?
• How will you add value to the organization?

"It takes the average employer about seven seconds to review these documents," says Spencer. "They're not reading, they're skimming. So you need to make it clear right off the bat how you can add value."

Here's an example of what a strong cover letter looks like, according to Harvard career experts (click here to enlarge):

Credit: Harvard University, Office of Career Services / Harvard Extension School, Career and Academic Resource Center

Don't know where to start? The career experts share tips on how to write a cover letter that stands out:

1. Address the letter to a specific person

"To whom it may concern" is one of the fastest ways to get your application deleted. Always try to address your letter to a specific person — usually the hiring manager or department head. Include their name, title, company and address at the very top below the date.

If you don't know who to address, LinkedIn is a great place to start. Simply enter the company name and some keywords into the search bar (e.g., "Google, hiring manager, sales") and a variety of related profiles will appear.

2. Clearly state the purpose of your letter

Your opening line doesn't need to be anything extravagant. In fact, it should be the complete opposite, according Harvard's career experts.

Keep it simple and straightforward: State why you're writing, the position you're applying for and, if applicable, how you found the job listing.

3. Don't rehash your entire resume

You're not writing a 1,000-word essay that summarizes your resume. The cover letter is your chance to explain why you're genuinely interested in the company and its mission.

No need to make it super formal, either. Use your own voice and add some personal flourishes to make the letter more interesting.

"If you have relevant school or work experience, be sure to point it out with one or two key examples," the career experts note . "Emphasize skills or abilities that relate to the job. Be sure to do this in a confident manner and keep in mind that the reader will also view your letter as an example of your writing skills."

4. Use action words and don't overuse the pronoun "I"

Instead of using flowery words and cliche claims like "fast thinker" and "highly creative," go for action words.

Here are a few examples of action verbs to use when highlighting specific skills:

• To demonstrate leadership skills : Accomplished, contracted, assigned, directed, orchestrated, headed, delegated
• To demonstrate communication skills : Addressed, translated, presented, negotiated, moderated, promoted, edited
• To demonstrate research skills : Constructed, examined, critique, systematized, investigated, modeled, formulated
• To demonstrate creative skills : Revitalized, redesigned, developed, integrated, conceptualized, fashioned, shaped

Avoid using too many "I" statements because it can come off as though you're mostly interested in what you can gain from the company. The focus should be on what the company can gain from you.

5. Reiterate your enthusiasm and thank the reader

The closing of your letter should:

• Reiterate your interest in the position
• Thank the reader for his or her consideration
• State that you look forward hearing back from them
• Include your signature at the very bottom

6. Be consistent in formatting

Visual consistency makes a big difference. Keep your letter to just one page and use the same font (and size) as you did for your resume. If you're converting the letter to a PDF, make sure the formatting is translated properly.

Dustin McKissen is the founder of McKissen + Company , a strategic communications firm in St. Charles, Missouri. He was also named one of LinkedIn's "Top Voices in Management and Corporate Culture." Follow him on LinkedIn here.

Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!

Don't miss:

• Here's an example of the perfect resume, according to Harvard career experts
• 15 years ago, Google's CEO had a brilliant response to a tricky interview question — and it helped him get hired
• 6 things I loved about the most impressive resume I've ever seen—based on my 20 years of hiring and interviewing