WRITING SAMPLES - Hamline Law - Hamline University

WRITING SAMPLES
Your writing sample is a very crucial component of your application materials. It is
sometimes reviewed before the interview and sometimes not until (or again) at the offer
stage. A writing sample can often “make or break the deal.”
How long should your writing sample be? Some employers will accept an entire piece, but
others would like an excerpt. If they do not specify a page limit, you may send the entire
work. When in doubt, generally you cannot go wrong if you choose approximately five to
ten pages of your best legal work/writing. Err on the side of sending too much, because the
recipient can always quit reading when he or she has had enough to judge your writing. You
cannot have any grammatical or typographical errors.
What do we mean by an excerpt? Title the cover page (with your name and contact
information, lest it get separated from your resume) something like “Excerpt from First Year
Legal Writing Appellate Brief” (or whatever the case may be). Then, if necessary, write a
brief explanation or introductory paragraph setting the stage for the portion of the entire
document the reader will see to give it context. For example:
Writing Sample
Nancy Lochner
Excerpt from First Year
Legal Writing Assignment-
Appellant’s Brief in Support of
Its Motion for Summary Judgment
Be sure to put your name as a header on each page of the writing sample, paginate, and
staple or paper clip the pages together! (Do not bind your writing sample, as it will take up
too much room in the employer’s file. It will also make it difficult for the employer to copy.
The exception to this rule would be if you were submitting a published article or something
that might ordinarily otherwise be bound.)
Most employers want you to submit your own work, meaning a heavily edited and published
law review article may not be as helpful as something else. Since it would be very
impressive, however, you could submit it in addition to another sample. (Just because your
sample has to be your own work does not mean you cannot go back and polish it yourself
based on feedback received in a legal writing class or the like, however.)
If you have various potential writing samples from which to choose, first choose your very
best writing. Then, if you still have options, you want to submit something related to the
work you’d do on the job. For example, if it would involve lease drafting and you drafted a
lease in Commercial Real Estate class, then submit that in addition to more traditional
writing. Many employers tell us they like appellate briefs because they show that you can set
© Hamline University School of Law, 2006

forth facts objectively and you can then also advocate in the argument section. Do not
submit writing that did not require research or that is based solely on policy or personalopinion-based
arguments, unless that is the type of writing you would be asked to do on the
job. Do not turn in any writing from pre-law-school employer unless it is legal writing.
Avoid lurid subjects, if possible.
You may only submit something you did at work if you redact any identifying information
and have the employer’s permission (they many need the client’s permission). If it’s already
a document of public record, they’re more likely to agree. After you redact the information,
substitute fake information, such as Jane Doe or John Doe, for ease in reading.
Make sure you review any writing samples you haven’t worked on in a while because you
may be expected to discuss your sample in-depth at an interview.
A REMINDER THAT YOU NEED TO PROOF - YOU CANNOT ONLY TRUST
SPELL CHECK
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rarely even wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect in it’s weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.
Sauce unknown
AND
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy,
it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are,
the olny ipmoertnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers are at the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod
as a wlohe.
© Hamline University School of Law, 2006