Internship Application Letters

Model two: to a law firm's recruitment address

Subject: Application for internship, first year B.A. LL.B., 4 to 29 May 2026

Dear Sir or Madam,

I write to apply for an internship at Deshmukh and Rao for four weeks from 4 May to 29 May 2026. I am a first-year student of the five-year B.A. LL.B. course at St. Xavier's College of Law, Mumbai.

I am applying to your firm because of its consumer practice. I attended a college legal aid camp at Shirwal in July, where most of the queries we recorded were about defective goods and unpaid claims, and I should like to see how such matters are actually conducted.

I am able to draft in English, Marathi and Hindi, and I have used SCC Online for case research. I attach my resume. I am available for the whole of the period stated, or for any part of it that suits the firm.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Anjali Fernandes

Encl.: Resume

The mistakes that get an application ignored

No dates. The commonest, and fatal, because the reader cannot say yes without writing back.

A circular. A letter with nothing in it about this firm is recognised at once, especially when sent to twenty firms with the name changed.

Overclaiming. A first-year student who says they have "expertise in corporate law" has told the reader something unhelpful about their judgment.

Asking for a certificate in the first letter. Ask for the training; the certificate follows.

Attaching nothing. The resume should be attached or enclosed with the first letter, not offered on request.

Writing to nobody. "To whomsoever it may concern" is not an application. Find the name of the partner, the clerk or the chambers.

Bad spelling of the recipient's name. It is the one error the reader is certain to notice.

Following up

Wait ten working days, then send one short reminder attaching the original letter.

One reminder only. A second is counterproductive.

If you are refused, reply thanking them and asking whether you may apply again next year. It costs three lines and is remembered.

If you are accepted, confirm in writing at once with the dates, and ask two practical questions: reporting time and whether there is any dress requirement.

A worked answer

Question. "Write a letter to a senior advocate requesting an internship in his chambers during your summer vacation." Six marks.

The answer is model one above. The examiner is looking for six things, and they are worth listing so you can check your own answer before the bell.

One. Full letter layout: both addresses, date, subject line, salutation, close, signature and enclosure line.

Two. The exact period, stated in the subject line and repeated in the first paragraph.

Three. Your position in the course, named precisely: first year, five-year B.A. LL.B., named college.

Four. A reason for choosing this chambers, in one honest sentence about the work done there.

Five. Two or three modest, concrete capabilities, and an express statement that you expect no remuneration.

Six. An easy way to say yes: a telephone number, an offer to call, and a willingness to accept a shorter period.

Length. About 180 words in the body. This is a six-mark answer and should take ten minutes.

Quick revision

Five essentials: the exact period; where you are in the course; why this chambers; what you can already do; and an easy way for them to say yes.

Shorter than a job application. Half a page.

Enclose the resume with the first letter, and a college introduction if you have one.

Never send a circular, never overclaim, never ask for a certificate before the training.

Follow up once, after ten working days.

On acceptance, confirm the dates in writing and ask about reporting time and dress.

Test yourself

1. Why must the exact period be stated? Because the reader cannot accept a vague request without writing back to ask. Giving the precise weeks, in the subject line and again in the first paragraph, allows an immediate yes.

2. How does an internship letter differ in tone from a job application? It is modest rather than confident, because the firm gains little obvious benefit from taking an intern. Its persuasive content is interest in the particular work, availability, and an assurance that the student will be no trouble.

3. What one sentence separates a real application from a circular? A sentence naming something specific about that chambers or firm and connecting it to your own interest, such as an interest in civil trial practice before studying procedure, or in consumer matters after working at a legal aid camp.

4. What should be enclosed? The resume, with the first letter and not on request, together with a letter of introduction from the college where one is available.

5. What should you do if you are refused? Reply with three lines thanking them for considering the request and asking whether you may apply again the following year. It costs almost nothing and is remembered when you do.