Many people ask this question. One point you need to remember concerning the targeted mailings is you don't need to write a long cover letter. Most people make this mistake. You may think that it's important to write a long cover letter. But it’s not. One of the most important things lawyers get good at is prioritizing the needs of the client. So what you should always include in a cover letter are things like wanting to work hard, highlighting your experience, and so forth. You have different types of people at different levels. If you’re looking for a position when you're a law student, there's not really a lot to talk about. You may just talk about your experience and interests, but not really a lot.
I like short cover letters. I’ve seen that candidates who are looking for jobs will typically write long cover letters. They go into a lot of detail. But a lot of times, if you're an attorney or law student looking for a position, you don't need to really write that long of a letter. You can write a shorter letter and rely on the strength of your resume to get you an interview. The main point is your cover letter doesn't need to include a ton of detail. What I do recommend, though, is you need to highlight whatever experience you have. To be more specific, highlight your experience toward something that the firm does.
For example, if you are a patent attorney and you do a certain type of patent, and the firm does those types of patents, you can highlight that in your cover letter. So, those are the main things that I would do in the mass targeted mailings. Many times, you don't need to do anything that's significant. You can just say, I'm interested in working for your firm or company and talking to you. I believe that my experience would align well with what you're doing. Include details that are something along those lines.