COVER LETTER FORMULA
Your Address
City, State Zip Code Current Date
Individual’s Name
Title
Firm Name
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. _______________:
State purpose of letter; who you are (e.g. a second year law student at The John Marshall Law
School) and name of job for which you are applying. If someone has recommended you,
mention the person’s name. Tell how you learned of position if appropriate. Refer any ties you
have to the employer of the city where the employer is located.
Give details explaining why you are interested in the job and/or the employer. Reasons could
include type of employer (e.g., interest in public service organization), mix of practice areas,
geographic location and specialization in a practice area. This needs to be genuine and not
contrived or “boilerplate.” Otherwise, leave it out.
Tell the employer why you should be considered for the position and list a few qualifications you
feel are most likely to catch the attention of the reader. Either highlight main points from your
resume or mention addition items not included in your resume (e.g. courses taken pertinent to the
job). Items such as high grades, honors, strong work ethic, leadership skills, prior career, legal
experience, or research/writing/analysis skills may all be relevant depending on the position.
Request an interview and state when you will be available. Provide a phone number where the
employer may contact you and thank the employer for his/her consideration of your resume. If
you have not done so previously in the letter, refer to your enclosed resume and any other
materials you have included for review.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Typed Name
Enclosure(s)
THE JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL CAREER SERVICES JOB SEARCH GUIDE 33JOB SEARCH GUIDE 2005 – 2006
Christine L. Garcia 1842 Hoyne Avenue • Chicago, IL 60622 • (773) 886-4582 •
5garcia@jmls.edu ________________________________________________________________________________
July 28, 2005
Ms. Sue Monette
Attorney Recruiting Specialist
Diamond Lupia & McBride LLP
2000 Courthouse Plaza N.E.
10 South Wacker
Chicago, IL 60606
Dear Ms. Monette:
I am currently a second year law student in the top 30% of my class at The John Marshall Law School
searching for employment as a law clerk for next summer. I am interested in Diamond Lupia & McBride
LLP because of its location in Chicago where I plan to reside permanently after graduation, the strong
reputation of the firm in the legal community, and the emphasis your firm places on mentoring new
lawyers.
My work this past summer at the Illinois Court of Appeals instilled in me a strong interest in litigation
and appellate work. By working at the Court, I was able to gain a better understanding of the procedural
aspects of litigation and appellate procedure. I was also able to improve upon the strong writing base
provided by the Legal Writing Program at John Marshall by composing various memoranda of law and
drafting decision and final judgment entries. My writing ability and understanding of litigation was
supplemented by my work as a research assistant for Professor Kevin Hopkins. Throughout the summer I
worked with him composing a chapter on arbitration for an Alternative Dispute Resolution textbook. The
understanding I have gained this past summer of how litigation and alternative dispute resolution interact
is a very valuable skill I believe would be of great benefit to Diamond Lupia & McBride.
I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you in person so that we could discuss further the skills
and experience that I believe would benefit your firm. My resume is enclosed for your review. I may be
contacted at (773) 886-4582 and look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
Christine L. Garcia