Legal employers often request writing samples as part of a student's application packet. This request often raises many questions from students.
How long should my writing sample be?
What writing sample should I use?
What if my writing sample is off-topic from the employer's subject area?
OUR ANSWER: A legal employer is not typically interested in your 35 page treatise on any subject as part of an application. While having a writing sample that mirrors the employer's practice area is an ideal situation, in reality, this rarely ever happens. For many students, the only piece of legal writing they possess is a brief or memo from their first year Legal Research & Writing course. This document can be a great writing sample . . . . with some minor adjustments.
A good writing sample should be about 5-8 pages or so of your BEST legal analysis. Employers typically do not need the fact summary, table of contents, or question presented page as part of a writing sample. Read through your available documents and determine what the best example of your abilities to reason thoroughly, argue strongly, and demonstrate your talent of concisely and articulately writing like a lawyer. That portion of your complete document should be your writing sample. After selecting which pages are you model example for a writing sample, include a brief cover sheet with the following information:
- Your name and title of the document. (i.e. Writing Sample - Jack Bauer)
- A paragraph explaining what the document contains (i.e. The following document represents a section of an XYZ I completed in my XYZ class in Fall/Spring (whatever semester). The issue involved XYZ and the brief/memo/etc. argued the position of XYZ or concluded XYZ. The entire XX page brief is available upon request. The goal is to provide your reader with a snapshot of what the entire document contains and suggest an avenue for your reader to obtain a complete copy of the document if they so choose.
Remember, you as the author have the opportunity to provide the best showcase of your writing ability. If an employer has requested a writing sample, they probably will use what you provide in making a hiring decision. Make it easy and approachable for your audience so that your best writing is highlighted.