A good paralegal cover letter opens with a specific reason for applying, backs it with one or two concrete wins, and closes with a clear next step. Copy this and swap in your details.
I'm applying for the Litigation Paralegal role. After six years supporting complex commercial litigation at an AmLaw 100 firm, I'm looking for the next step at a team where the paralegal role has real ownership.
My most recent big project: managing doc review for a $180M commercial dispute — 340k documents across 6 custodians — in Relativity. I also prepared materials and outlines for 22 depositions in a 2-week window and cite-checked four appellate briefs without a single flagged error.
Your firm's practice mix is exactly the work I want to keep doing.
Notary current. Happy to walk through the doc-review workflow or discuss what the first 90 days look like.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
Tips for this letter
Address a real person if you can find one — 'Dear Hiring Team' is fine as a fallback.
Keep it under 300 words. Recruiters skim.
Never restate the resume — pick one story and go deep.
End with a specific next step, not 'I look forward to hearing from you.'
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a cover letter in 2026?
For applications with a real human review — yes. It's the #1 tie-breaker between similar candidates. For pure ATS pipelines, it matters less.
How long should the letter be?
3 short paragraphs, 250–300 words total. One page maximum. Anything longer gets skimmed.
Should I mention the company by name?
Always. A cover letter that could be sent to anyone gets ignored by everyone.