- Sep 9, 2024
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I think this structure sounds great. The work/non-work split is a good way to organizing your reasoning, though it is not necessary to mention it explicitly or to religiously stick to it. If the parts that appeal to you the most about the firm all involve its practice area strength, client base or past mandates, it is completely fine to base your writing solely on that. If you also have non-strictly work related reasons (training style, intake and team size, culture, secondment opportunities, growth in London etc) this can make for a nice split. However, don't be afraid to connect your main non-work based point to any related tangential work-based points if an opportunity arises. For instance, discussing how the firms growth appeals to you generally, and then in particular because it involves starting a new restructuring practice, a practice area you may have an interest in.@Andrei Radu
Hi Andrei, hope you're having a great day!
For my DPW cover letter: Please include your cover letter in the space provided below. Within your cover letter please include why you are specifically interested in Davis Polk, why you are attracted to the work that we carry out, and the skills that you have developed that would contribute towards your success in the role. [800 words]
Would you recommend the following structure?
- Why DPW (reasons BESIDES the work, specifically, or would you reckon mentioning the work here is okay as well?)—approx. 250-300 words
- Why DPW's work—approx. 250-300 words
- Why me—approx. 250 words
Thank you!
Besides that, I would consider changing the order between the why Davis Polk non-work paragraph and why Davis Polk work-based paragraph. I generally think work-based 'why firm' reasons are the strongest, and for this cover letter in particular it also serves as a replacement of the usual introductory 'why commercial law' paragraph. Indeed, it provides you with an opportunity to make some more general connections with your wider interest in the transactional side of commercial law, so that you can then naturally progress to zoom in more on the firm. However, I emphasize that this is merely a personal preference and that you can write a great cover letter while keeping the structure as is.