Lawyer Cover Letter Example

Write a compelling lawyer cover letter with practical tips, common mistakes to avoid, and a ready-to-use example for legal job applications.

A lawyer cover letter is your first opportunity to show a firm or legal department that you understand their work and can communicate clearly under pressure. Whether you are a recent law school graduate applying for your first associate role, a mid-career attorney pursuing a lateral move, or a professional from another field transitioning into law, the principles are the same: be specific, be concise, and connect your background directly to the employer's needs. For a broader foundation, start with our guide on how to write a cover letter. When you are ready to explore the full range of legal roles, the legal and public service section has additional resources.

What employers look for in a lawyer cover letter

Law firms and in-house legal teams read dozens of cover letters for every open position. The letters that move forward share a recognizable set of qualities:

Relevant practice area experience — Name the specific area of law the role involves, whether litigation, corporate transactions, employment, family, or public interest work, and connect it to your background.
Bar admission and jurisdiction — State clearly where you are admitted and note if you are eligible for admission by motion in the hiring state.
Writing and analytical ability — Legal employers expect your cover letter itself to demonstrate the clarity and precision they look for in legal work.
Knowledge of the firm or organization — Referencing a recent case, deal, or initiative signals that your interest is genuine and that you have done your research.
Quantifiable accomplishments — If you have managed a docket, closed transactions, achieved favorable outcomes, or supervised junior staff, include numbers wherever possible.
Professional judgment — A cover letter that avoids overstatement and stays factual reflects the professional temperament attorneys need on the job.

How to write a lawyer cover letter that gets interviews

1. Open with a direct statement of purpose

Name the specific position, the firm or organization, and your most relevant qualification in the first two sentences. Avoid stage-setting language like "I have always been passionate about the law." Hiring partners and legal recruiters read quickly. A clean, direct opening that immediately establishes relevance keeps the reader engaged.

2. Connect your experience to the employer's work

Research the firm's practice groups, recent transactions, or litigation wins before you write a single word. If you are applying to a commercial real estate boutique, your letter should mention your experience with lease negotiations, title reviews, or financing structures. If you are targeting a public defender's office, describe your criminal procedure coursework, clinic experience, or public interest work. This specificity separates a compelling application from a generic one. For candidates targeting a specific firm setting, our law firm cover letter guide addresses that audience directly.

3. Highlight accomplishments with context

Generic claims like "strong research skills" or "excellent communicator" carry no weight without evidence. Instead, write that you drafted briefs that contributed to a favorable motion outcome, managed a caseload of 60+ active matters, or negotiated a settlement that reduced client liability by a material amount. Even early-career candidates can reference law review articles, moot court placements, or clinic outcomes. For candidates applying to roles that involve supervised legal work, our law clerk cover letter guide offers targeted guidance.

4. Close with a specific and confident call to action

End your letter by svariant="soft"ould welcome the opportunity to discuss how your background fits the role, and note your availability for a call or interview. Avoid hedging language. A closing like "I would be glad to speak with you at your convenience" is direct and professional without being presumptuous.

Lawyer cover letter example

Replace firm names, practice areas, bar admissions, and results with your own details.

Subject: Application for the Lawyer position

Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to apply for the Associate Attorney position in the Commercial Litigation group at Hartwell & Morrow LLP. I am admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey and have spent the past three years handling complex business disputes at a litigation boutique in Manhattan. Your firm's reputation for handling high-stakes contract and fraud matters aligns directly with the work I have been doing. In my current role at Stearne Licht LLP, I manage a docket of 35 active commercial matters, draft and argue dispositive motions, take and defend depositions, and coordinate discovery across multiple defendants. Last year, I second-chaired a nine-day bench trial in New York Supreme Court that resulted in a judgment fully in favor of our client on all claims. I also drafted the summary judgment brief in a $4.2 million contract dispute that was granted in its entirety, eliminating the need for trial. I am comfortable working with sophisticated clients, managing tight court deadlines, and communicating case strategy clearly to both senior partners and clients who are not lawyers. I use Westlaw and Relativity daily and have experience coordinating with expert witnesses in accounting, valuation, and construction. I admire Hartwell & Morrow's work on the Northgate Financial matter and would welcome the opportunity to contribute to a team with that level of commercial depth. I am available to speak at your convenience and can provide writing samples, references, and my bar admission certificates upon request. Sincerely, [Full Name]

Before you send your application

Run through this checklist before submitting to any legal employer:

Verify bar admission details. Confirm the states where you are admitted and that admission dates and any pending applications are accurately stated.
Check firm and contact names carefully. Sending a letter that names the wrong firm is an immediate disqualifier. Read the letter from top to bottom for any copy-paste errors.
Match the letter to the posting. If the role specifies transactional work and your letter describes only litigation experience, address that gap or rewrite the letter for a better-matched role.
Proofread for grammar and legal terminology. A typo in a lawyer's cover letter is more damaging than in almost any other field. Read the letter aloud and then have a second reader check it.
Keep it to one page. Legal employers value the ability to communicate concisely. A letter that runs beyond one page suggests poor editing judgment.

FAQ

How long should a lawyer cover letter be?

One page, typically three to four paragraphs and 300 to 400 words. Courts and clients demand concise written work, and your cover letter is an early demonstration of that skill. For general formatting guidance, our how to write a cover letter guide covers length, structure, and presentation in detail.

What is the difference between a lawyer cover letter and an attorney cover letter?

The words are used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but "attorney" tends to appear in more formal job titles and postings, while "lawyer" is the broader, more common term. If you are targeting a specific job posting, mirror the terminology used in that posting. Our attorney cover letter page focuses on formal associate and counsel-level applications and is worth reading alongside this guide.

How do I write a lawyer cover letter with no professional experience?

Focus on law school credentials, clinic work, externships, research assistant positions, journal publications, and moot court results. Name the specific areas of law you studied most deeply and any faculty or practitioner mentors who can speak to your work. Quantify where possible, such as citing the rank of your law review placement or the outcome of a clinic matter. If you are changing careers into law, our career change cover letter guide has strategies for reframing prior professional experience as a legal asset.

Should I mention salary expectations in a lawyer cover letter?

Only if the employer explicitly requests it in the job posting. In most legal hiring contexts, salary discussions belong at the offer stage, not in a cover letter. Raising compensation before an interview has been scheduled can suggest a misalignment of priorities.

Do I need a different cover letter for in-house versus law firm roles?

Yes. In-house employers typically want lawyers who can work efficiently without billing by the hour, communicate business risk clearly to non-lawyers, and integrate into a corporate culture. A cover letter for an in-house role should emphasize business judgment, cross-functional collaboration, and efficiency. A law firm cover letter should emphasize billable work capacity, substantive expertise, and client service. For paralegal-level roles within either setting, our paralegal cover letter guide offers parallel guidance for support staff applications.