How To Write A Legal Internship Cover Letter (With Example)

Updated 30 September 2022

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Internships are great opportunities for gaining valuable skills, professional experience and industry insight before working as a full-time employee. Writing an effective cover letter is important in your internship search journey. Understanding the steps to write a cover for a legal internship can help you draft a cover letter that best highlights your experience and qualifications. In this article, we discuss how to write a legal internship cover letter, provide tips to ensure professionalism and offer a cover letter template and example to help you draft one on your own effectively.

How To Write A Legal Internship Cover Letter

A well-written legal internship cover letter emphasises the abilities and experiences that demonstrate you as a qualified candidate. Here are seven steps to writing an effective cover letter for your internship:

1. Mention the role you are applying for

Begin your cover letter with the mention of the position for which you are applying. It shows that you have carefully studied the responsibilities and requirements of this role. This also helps you customise your cover letter to the specific internship role instead of using a generic one for all applications. The role informs the reader of the position applied and offers a context for the rest of the message.

2. Incorporate the right keywords

Employers often search resumes and cover letters for relevant keywords. Review the job description and company website and find suitable keywords to include in your cover letter. For instance, if they list time management as a desired attribute in the job description, include relevant instances of demonstrating this skill in your cover letter.

3. Include applicable coursework

Hiring managers may find your related courses useful if you have little or no professional experience. Include your coursework pertinent to the job description or sector. In case of applying for a legal internship, include your law course and any relevant accomplishments.

4. List relevant skills

The body of your cover letter emphasises relevant skills, knowledge and education that can help the organisation find your suitability. Even if you lack professional work experience, you can mention abilities learned from past work, volunteer roles, classes or projects you completed or your extracurricular accomplishments.

For instance, if you are applying for a position as a reporting intern at a law firm, you can describe your role as editor of the school newspaper or how your experience as a receptionist taught you time management and organisational skills.

5. Demonstrate your suitability for the role

Include one or two sentences discussing your qualifications concerning the internship. Examine the internship description carefully to determine which talents and experiences the employer requires. Match these with your own and prioritise them in your cover letter accordingly.

6. Describe what you expect to gain from the internship

In most situations, employers have created internship programmes to assist students and young professionals. The internship helps you gain a better understanding of the sector and skills, experiences and professional connections that are useful throughout your careers. Besides describing what you bring to the job, try to emphasise what you aim to accomplish and gain from the internship. This reflects your genuine interest the pursuing the internship with dedication.

7. Review the cover letter before sharing

Once your cover letter is complete, set aside time to review and edit. While proofreading, check carefully for spelling, punctuation marks and grammar errors. Ask friends or family members to review your final draft from a neutral perspective and request feedback to help you improve it.

Cover Letter Template For Legal Internship

You can review the following template to draft your cover letter for a legal internship position:

[Your name]
[Phone number]
[Email address]

[Date]

Dear [hiring manager's name],

Considering my [education or experience], I feel I can be a great fit for the [internship position] position at [company name]. My specific skills in [two, three skills] allow me to be an able candidate to pursue this internship. I am certain that my experience, skills and education when working with [company name] resources can lead to promising outcomes.

My time at [previous employer] has allowed me to [accomplishments and experiences]. I was an important part of the [team name] that [outcome]. I also like to list down some of my key accomplishments:

[Quantify accomplishment one]
[Quantify accomplishment two]
[Quantify accomplishment three]

[Company name] is reputable in the industry for [positive impact and notable accomplishments]. As I have significant knowledge [relevant skill or experience], I feel I can [potential outcome].

I am excited to discuss further the [internship title] opportunity at [company name] and gain an understanding of how I can help the organisation reach [one or two organisational goals].

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Example Cover Letter For A Legal Internship

Prince Kumar
999 888 777
prince.kumar@email.com

16 May 2022

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am applying for the post of Legal Intern at Lexico Law Limited. As a BA LLB candidate at Delhi Regional University, I am keen to secure a summer internship opportunity. I take satisfaction in working efficiently and keeping my work organised. I am proficient at writing articles and meeting deadlines. I am interested in the prospect of leveraging my organisational and writing talents to assist Lexico Law Limited in achieving its mission of pursuing justice for clients.

I was a Research Assistant for the Clearwater Law Centre. I researched current legislation and oversights, helped with the organisation of conferences and edited content before publishing. At the end of my work at the centre, I put my findings into a report for the employees. Since then, the study has helped change legal strategies and has received international recognition.

I have experience understanding complex and data-driven information and writing in easy-to-understand formats. I can also apply my rhetoric and public speaking skills to any legal situation. As a legal professional, I am passionate about assisting both legal personnel and clients and earning a positive reputation. In three months, I exceeded my goal of doubling research on legal practises by 30% at Clearwater Law Centre.

I have enclosed my resume and letters of recommendation. Thank you for your time and consideration. I eagerly expect to hear from you and learn more about the Legal Intern position at Lexico Law Limited.

Sincerely,

Prince Kumar

Tips For Writing A Legal Internship Cover Letter

Here are some tips to consider when you create a cover letter for a legal intern role:

Adapt the cover letter for the specific employer

You can create a positive impression on the recruiting manager by personalising your cover letter to the specific role. Doing so can make you seem genuinely interested and passionate about the internship position. Including important keywords, skills and terms is essential to customise your cover letter for a particular position. To make it easier to personalise a cover letter, create a master template and customise it by changing key information wherever necessary.

Apply standard formatting

It is important to use the proper formatting while drafting a cover letter. You can use standard formatting and keep your margins between three-fourths to 1 inch and font size between 10 and 12 points. A font size larger than 12 points or smaller than 10 points can be hard to read and can look unprofessional to the recruiter. Some additional tips are aligning the content to the left and using clean, basic fonts like Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana in your cover letter.

Include proper greetings to address the reader

An important point to consider in your cover letter is to use an appropriate greeting while addressing the hiring manager or recruiter. Words like hello and dear can sound sincere yet professional while addressing the recipient. You may choose to add an honorific like Mr or Ms and their last name. It is helpful to avoid using words like hi, hey or hey there while addressing the recruiter in your cover letter, as it can make your application look informal and unprofessional.

Double-check contact information

Your information in the cover letter is what your recruiter may use to reach you for further communication. It is critical that you provide the correct contact information and include your name, updated email address and phone number at the top of the cover letter. Include the same contact information included in your resume to maintain consistency of information. Ensuring to include accurate contact details can help the recruiting managers to contact you conveniently to convey the next steps of your application.

Keep it concise and specific.

It is good to limit your cover letter to one page and keep the word count below 300 words. As most recruiters may not have the time to go through the entire cover letter, it is important that your cover letter is concise and specific. Focusing on your most important accomplishments and including key phrases and keywords can help you gain the recruiter's attention. Avoid sharing unnecessary information or details which can clutter your cover letter.

Proofread before sending

Check your cover letter for grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, incorrect sentence constructions and spelling mistakes before submission. Reading your cover letter aloud or getting it reviewed by a friend can help you identify and fix any existing errors. While applying for an internship online via email or other means, check if all file attachments and links are correct and working before sending your cover letter.