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Does anyone have a template cover letter that they used for applying to judicial internships?

Post here and I will pm you for a copy.

Thanks

I'm currently externing for a court of appeal judge, and I actually asked him this morning about what he likes to see from applicants since the topic naturally came up. I specifically asked him why he picked me as I have very mediocre grades and I'm still shocked I got the position.

Granted, this is just one judge, and they vary tremendously, but I can't imagine his insight would hurt you.

His response: grammatically, it has to be flawless. FLAWLESS. If there is even a tiny error, he automatically rejects an applicant, even if they're top 1% at Yale. In fact, he won't even know you're top 1% at Yale unless it's before he spots an error because he'll just throw an application out in its entirety. He says it's a matter of principle. I know this is pretty standard in the legal world because it demonstrates you aren't careful and meticulous enough, which obviously is very important. He says he also wants it to sound genuine, i.e., not full of fluff and awkward diction no one would use in everyday conversation. I don't know how else to articulate that, really, because it's so CL-specific.

Substantively, it should demonstrate why you are a good fit for the position, which, for this position, means you know how to write and research well. Writing samples count a lot, and he said mine was a huge decision in why he chose me.

I personally think a proven record to multitask and keep things organized is important, but my guess is judges assume a law student would be able to keep their stuff together.

Hope this helps.

My cover letters sucked. Writing sample got me interviews.

my CoA judge said it was 98% based on my ties to the region

OP here thanx.