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I know when you have no idea whether a firm is hiring, it's better to do a targeted mailing (to a particular partner, or head of a particular practice group in which you express interest). However, what if you know for sure that the firm IS hiring? (because they're doing OCI at other schools). In that case, do you still need to write a personalized cover letter - expressing interest in a particular practice group, etc - or would a generic one do?

Generic is always bad. You want to play up connections, describe your earnest interest, etc. as much as possible. All law firms are going to be drowning in resumes, solicited or otherwise, and a generic cover letter isn't going to do you any favors.

disco_barred wrote:Generic is always bad. You want to play up connections, describe your earnest interest, etc. as much as possible. All law firms are going to be drowning in resumes, solicited or otherwise, and a generic cover letter isn't going to do you any favors.

But if the firm that's hiring is a general-practice firm, and doesn't say which dept is hiring, then wouldn't you be pigeonholing yourself if you describe your "earnest interests" in the cover letter?

IMO at the very least you should describe how your interests/work history are relevant to that firm's specialties and why you want to live/work in the city where the firm is located.