A weak cover letter is the single biggest reason good law students get ignored by law firms and chambers for internships. Here’s a structure that actually gets read.
What advocates and firms actually skim for
A senior advocate or HR contact reading internship applications in bulk looks for three things in under 30 seconds: which dates you’re available, why you specifically want this chamber/firm (not a copy-pasted generic line), and one concrete signal of competence (a moot, a published note, a relevant elective). Everything else is secondary.
Structure that works
- Opening line: Name the specific practice area or reason you’re applying to this chamber/firm, not “I am writing to apply for an internship.”
- One paragraph on relevant preparation: coursework, a moot, a paper, a skill (legal research, drafting) — specific, not a list of every achievement.
- Availability, clearly stated: exact dates, not “flexible” (flexible reads as unprepared).
- Closing: a direct ask, not a vague “hope to hear from you.”
Common mistakes
- Addressing it “To Whomsoever It May Concern” when the firm’s name and a contact are findable in two minutes.
- Sending the same letter to 40 chambers with only the name changed, and forgetting to change the name in the body text (yes, this happens often enough that recipients notice).
- Listing every extracurricular rather than the two or three that are actually relevant to this specific internship.
A short template to adapt
“I am writing to seek an internship at [Chamber/Firm Name] in [practice area], from [start date] to [end date]. I am currently a [year] year LL.B. student at [college], and have [one specific, relevant line — a moot, a paper, a relevant elective]. I would welcome the opportunity to assist with [specific kind of work the chamber does], and can begin immediately on confirmation. I have attached my CV and a writing sample for your reference.”
More: Lexfolio’s free legal content internship · free LL.B. subject notes
Useful books for this topic
- Bare acts of the new criminal laws (BNS, BNSS, BSA)
- Code of Civil Procedure bare act
- Legal drafting and conveyancing books
- Constitution of India (coat pocket edition)
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