Essential cover letter tips for your law trainee application

Along with submitting a CV as part of your law trainee application at Machins, you will also be required to submit a Cover Letter.

Cover Letters often let some applicants down and this article will help you submit a strong Cover Letter for your Training Contract Application, by clearing up any queries or doubts you may have.

Make your law trainee application personal

It is very important that your Cover Letter is personal to Machins. Many applicants make the mistake of copying and pasting generic sentences that they have used for various applications into their Cover Letter. The person reading your application will usually be able to tell if you have done this!

It is important to state why you want a Training Contract at Machins and why you believe that Machins is the firm for you. This means that you must research Machins as a law firm before you start writing your Cover Letter. Have a look at our website to see which departments we specialise in and familiarise yourself with our culture.

Resist the temptation to use AI!

Whilst AI has its advantages, the individual reading your application will be able to tell if you are using software such as Chat GPT to write your Cover Letter. Cover Letters written using AI usually stand out, and not for the right reasons! By using AI to write your Cover Letter, it will lack authenticity and it can sound robotic. Further, it will mean that you are not being your authentic self and it’s important that you are the right fit for the firm and that the firm is the right fit for you!

Opening and closing your cover letter

It is important to remember to address and close your Cover Letter appropriately.

This may seem like a tiny insignificant detail, but the individual reading your application will be able to spot this error very quickly, as writing letters is a big part of a solicitor’s job. 

By signing off your Cover Letter correctly, it proves that you have an attention to detail and you are able to draft basic letters, which are two very important skills to have as a trainee solicitor.

Don’t forget to proof read your law trainee application

We receive many applications ever year with obvious spelling mistakes, punctuation errors and grammatical issues. It is crucial to read your application several times to make sure there are no mistakes.

One important tip is to read your application out loud because you may be able to hear any mistakes. When you read your application over and over in your head, you often make the mistake of reading what you want it to say, rather than what it actually says. By reading your application out loud, it will make it a lot easier to spot any mistakes.

Good luck!

Make sure to note all of these tips when writing your Cover Letter to ensure you submit a strong Training Contract application – and good luck with the legal trainee application process

For more information on applying for a trainee contract, visit the Machins training hub today!