Application Materials
Resumes and cover letters serve as the initial gateway for law firms and legal organizations to gauge your skills and the unique contributions you bring. With each carefully crafted document, you're not just presenting qualifications, rather you’re shaping a distinctive personal brand that often precedes any face-to-face interaction with employers.
As you draft these documents, keep the job description at the forefront of your mind. Make sure that your resume highlights relevant experience, and your cover letter showcases the transferable skills and core competencies that legal employers are looking for.
Resume basics
- Proper style: For the Canadian market, use a two-page resume.
- Contact information: Your resume and cover letter need a header that displays your name and contact information.
- Well organized: Use logical headings (typically Education, Work Experience, Volunteer & Extracurricular Activities, Interests).
- Proper order: List your experience under each heading in reverse chronological order.
- Readable: Use at least 11-point font, avoid narrow margins and leave sufficient white space.
Strong resume tips
Relevant
Include all your post-secondary employment experience but include more detail for jobs that are more recent and relevant.
Aesthetically pleasing & error free
Law is a detail-oriented profession, and errors can be fatal to an application. So always proofread and ensure your resume captivates with good style and flow.
Cover letter basics
- Personalize: Address the letter to a specific individual, ideally by name and title.
- Consistency: Match the font style, size, and header with your resume for a cohesive presentation.
- Demonstrate engagement: Showcase your research on the firm to convey genuine interest.
- Tailored narrative: Highlight unique experiences and skills that align with the employer’s needs, offering insights beyond your resume.
- Employer-centric approach: Emphasize how your contributions can add value to the firm or organization, rather than focusing solely on your own objectives.
- Precision and polishing: Thoroughly proofread your letter and seek feedback from others for clarity and effectiveness.
Other application documents
Many employers want to see both law and pre-law transcripts and a list of anticipated upper year courses. If you are applying to smaller law firms or government offices, you can also expect to be asked for a reference list or recommendation letters. There are only a few legal employers that require a writing sample.
