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Is it worth going thru and adding one line about "why x firm" to your cover letters for mass mail/oci firms that want one? what should the line look like if you don't have a practice area in mind beyond "i want transactional" or "I want litigation" and you have a breadth of opportunities in this

if the firm asked for one, that's enough reason to give it one.

i never understood why this is ever asked during OCI. most 2Ls just bid at firms based on their GPA and target and everyone involved knows this. anyway since you are writing one, just come up with some bullshit by searching through its website. stating "i like litigation" is not the answer to the question. discuss a particular case the firm handled or what you can find out through your friends at the firm. then try hard to pretend you mean it and pretend the interviewer believes it.

yay wrote:if the firm asked for one, that's enough reason to give it one.

i never understood why this is ever asked during OCI. most 2Ls just bid at firms based on their GPA and target and everyone involved knows this. anyway since you are writing one, just come up with some bullshit by searching through its website. stating "i like litigation" is not the answer to the question. discuss a particular case the firm handled or what you can find out through your friends at the firm. then try hard to pretend you mean it and pretend the interviewer believes it.

For reference I wasn't referring to firms asking for "why x", they just want a cover letter

Anonymous User wrote:

yay wrote:if the firm asked for one, that's enough reason to give it one.

i never understood why this is ever asked during OCI. most 2Ls just bid at firms based on their GPA and target and everyone involved knows this. anyway since you are writing one, just come up with some bullshit by searching through its website. stating "i like litigation" is not the answer to the question. discuss a particular case the firm handled or what you can find out through your friends at the firm. then try hard to pretend you mean it and pretend the interviewer believes it.

For reference I wasn't referring to firms asking for "why x", they just want a cover letter

I read the op and this reply several times and now I have no idea what exactly you are asking. I'll await the reply from others to determine if I had enough today and should go home or if others would also have been confused.

yay wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

yay wrote:if the firm asked for one, that's enough reason to give it one.

i never understood why this is ever asked during OCI. most 2Ls just bid at firms based on their GPA and target and everyone involved knows this. anyway since you are writing one, just come up with some bullshit by searching through its website. stating "i like litigation" is not the answer to the question. discuss a particular case the firm handled or what you can find out through your friends at the firm. then try hard to pretend you mean it and pretend the interviewer believes it.

For reference I wasn't referring to firms asking for "why x", they just want a cover letter

I read the op and this reply several times and now I have no idea what exactly you are asking. I'll await the reply from others to determine if I had enough today and should go home or if others would also have been confused.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I can see the confusion. Basically, firms are asking for cover letters, is a "why x firm" sentence within a letter worth adding? Or should you leave out "why x" because it might sound too generic?

You should write it if you legit have a reason. I would think not having one would be more generic. I mean, if you have a particular reason why you want to work for the employer, and it's not bs, how can that ever be worse than not writing it? I say do it.

PS: from my experience that has never really made a difference. When I write a cover letter to a particular firm I really want to work in, it just sort of comes off that way without expressly saying so.