SAMPLE COVER LETTER OUTLINE

Appropriate (i.e., conservative) Letterhead or Resume Header

Street Address, City, State and Zip Code; Telephone; E-mail

Date (spelled-out)

Full Name of Targeted Individual [and title or degrees (e.g., LL.M.)]

Complete Title (if applicable)

Entire Name of Firm or Organization

Address

Re: (subject)- this line will only be necessary if you are going to state the vacancy number or other required

reference in the text of the letter.

Dear Mr. / Ms. / Judge / Honorable:

Opening Paragraph/Positioning Statement. Be concise in explaining:

(1) Who You Are (e.g., “I am an LL.M. student at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law...”);

(2) Your Objective (e.g., “and am interested in obtaining a postgraduate internship...”); (3) Briefly, Your

“Relevance” to the position (“I have a demonstrated interest in intellectual property and patent law, and plan

to return to practice in New York when I graduate...”); and, if applicable, (4) the Name of a Contact (“Mr.

Alexander suggested I contact you directly...”). Exercise professional creativity in using all or some

of these elements to

express your uniqueness and to motivate the reader to read your enclosed resume.

Heart of the Letter. This section should be no longer than two paragraphs and should convey relevant: (1)

Experience in the Field (academic and practical); (2) Credentials (overall grades and/or upward trend); (3)

Accomplishments (academic [undergraduate, graduate or law school], job-related or otherwise); (4) Honors

and Awards (academic, military, civic, etc.); (5) Critical Reasoning, Research and Writing Skills (acquired

before and during law school); and (6) Demonstrated Commitment to the overall objectives and philosophy

of the organization. (You should endeavor to weave these factors with elements of the position offered or

desired, thus making your ambition and ability to effectively contribute to the employer readily apparent to

the reader.) Because most employers consider cover letters to be indicative of the author’s research and writing abilities, as well as

telling of his/her level of commitment to the subject organization, they expect perfection and

a personalized approach.

Closing Paragraph. Do not waste this opportunity on a simple “Thank you for your consideration” or

similarly bland statement. Instead: thank

the reader, but also position yourself for a follow-up campaign (e.g.,

“I will be in New York early next month and will contact you beforehand in the hope that we can schedule a

time to meet.”). Explain what course of action you plan to take or what action you would like the reader to

take, and follow-through

. If you fail to follow-up as promised, an employer may take this as a lack of sincere

commitment, poor time-management skills or as an indication of laziness.

“Sincerely,” “Sincerely yours,” or “Very truly yours,”

Signature in black or blue ink

Typed Name

Enclosure(s): (#) (Remember: if you are faxing/e-mailing your cover letter and resume to an employer, those materials are

attachments, not enclosures, and you would use Attachment(s) instead of Enclosure(s).)