Law Firms That Require a Writing Sample
54 of the 60 firms we have checked require a writing sample with a summer associate application, and 6 make it optional. Required firms come first, then optional. Latest check Nov 11, 2026.
| Firm | Writing Sample | Cover Letter | Notes | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 11, 2026 | |
| Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Jones Day | Required | Required | Cover letter should explain interest in the office location. Law transcript and writing sample when available. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| McDermott Will & Schulte LLP | Required | Required | Resume required. Include any graduate transcripts. Law transcript may initially have no grades. Writing sample may be from a prior academic program. Cover letter should state practice interests and office preferences. | Firm page | Nov 11, 2026 |
| Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 11, 2026 | |
| Covington & Burling LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP | Required | Required | Cover letter should explain interest in practicing at the firm and preferred office. Writing sample preferably 10 to 12 pages max. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| K&L Gates LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Ashurst Perkins Coie LLP | Required | Required | Cover letter should cover area of interest and geographic preference; writing sample max 10 pages; graduate transcripts if applicable; official law transcript once available. Personal statement only for the Inclusive Leaders Fellowship. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Venable LLP | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Jenner & Block LLP | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Davis Wright Tremaine LLP | Required | Required | The 2027 Portland transactional and San Francisco postings require three references, accept unofficial transcripts, and request a 5-10 page writing sample. | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
| Lowenstein Sandler | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Clark Hill | Required | Required | Cover letter should state preferred office location and business unit. Writing sample no more than 5 pages. Law transcript must include latest term grades. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease | Required | Not recorded | Send resume, transcript and writing sample to the recruiting contact. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| McCarter & English | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Foley Hoag LLP | Required | Required | Writing sample and law transcript may follow when available. | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
| Brown Rudnick | Required | Not recorded | Also a brief paragraph giving office preference and primary and secondary practice area preferences. A 1L lawyering class brief is accepted as a writing sample. Send your law transcript when available. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Fredrikson & Byron | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Hinshaw & Culbertson | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Boies Schiller Flexner LLP | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Lathrop GPM | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Day Pitney LLP | Required | Required | Writing sample is two to three pages, sole author. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Miles & Stockbridge | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Robins Kaplan | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Porter Wright Morris & Arthur | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Altshuler Berzon | Required | Required | Two unedited legal writing samples. Applicants can state an office preference (San Francisco or Pasadena). | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Bredhoff & Kaiser | Required | Required | One or two writing samples; law school transcript or other listing of grades. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| D.Law | Required | Not recorded | Writing sample of five pages or less. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Eimer Stahl | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Elsberg Baker & Maruri | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery | Required | Required | Technical writing sample requested. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in IP, including an undergraduate degree that qualifies them to sit for the Patent Bar. Apply by email to the HR director. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Foster Garvey | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Gunster | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Holwell Shuster & Goldberg | Required | Optional | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Jeffer Mangels & Mitchell | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Klarquist Sparkman | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Kostelanetz | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| McGinnis Lochridge | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Parsons Behle & Latimer | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Richards, Layton & Finger | Required | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd | Required | Required | Email your materials to the recruiting address. Send 1-2 writing samples. Include your college or graduate degree transcript if applicable. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson | Required | Optional | Law transcript and writing sample can be sent when available. | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
| Selendy Gay | Required | Not recorded | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Shute Mihaly & Weinberger | Required | Required | Same list for summer clerkships and fellowships. Include three references, preferably supervising attorneys rather than professors. Add an explanation of your school's grading system. If your transcript does not show current courses, add a list of current courses. The writing sample needs a cover page saying its purpose and how much others edited it, and no law review articles. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Todd & Weld | Required | Required | Writing sample is capped at ten pages, must be your own work, with confidential information redacted. References or recommendation letters can be added if you have them. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| DLA Piper LLP (US) | Optional | Not recorded | Grades and writing sample can be sent later once finalized. The firm evaluates the writing sample in interviews. | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
| King & Spalding LLP | Optional | Optional | Fellowship also asks for a writing sample. | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
| Mayer Brown LLP | Optional | Optional | 2028 New York application: resume is the only required attachment. Cover letter, writing sample and a transcript upload are optional; the form does not specify the transcript type. Check the selected office form. | Firm page | Nov 11, 2026 |
| Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP | Optional | Required | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 | |
| Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider | Optional | Not recorded | Law school transcript is first-semester grades, submitted once finalized. Also asks for preferred practice area and office location. Undergrad GPA encouraged on resume. Writing sample 'if available'. | Firm page | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Patterson + Sheridan | Optional | Required | Firm page | Nov 6, 2026 |
Required, Optional and Not Accepted are as each firm states it, read from the page linked in the Source column on the day shown. Firms that do not say are left out of this page. Notes show a page limit or timing only where the firm states one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do law firms require a writing sample for summer associate applications?
54 of 60 require one with the application, 6 make it optional. A firm that does not state its policy is not counted.
Which firms make the writing sample optional?
DLA Piper LLP (US), King & Spalding LLP, Mayer Brown LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider and Patterson + Sheridan. Optional means the firm accepts one but does not require it to apply.
How long should a writing sample be?
Firms set their own limits, and where a firm states one we print it in the Notes column. For how to choose a sample and cut it to length, read our writing sample guide. Writing samples in the BigLaw resume guide
Do firms collect the writing sample with the application or later?
It varies by firm. Where a firm's page says the sample is collected later, the Notes column says so; otherwise check the firm's own application page.
How is this list kept current?
Each row links to the page on the firm's own site that states it, and the Checked column shows the day we read it. The newest check was Nov 11, 2026. Firms change their application pages, so confirm on the firm's site before you apply.
More BigLaw Data
- When Summer Associate Applications Open
- Application Requirements by Firm
- Firms That Require a Cover Letter
- Transcript Requirements by Firm
- Summer Associate Class Size by Firm
- Billable Hour Requirements by Firm
- The Live Job Board
- Summer Associate Deadlines by Firm
- 1L Diversity Fellowships by Firm
- First-Year Associate Pay by Firm
- Law Firm Recruiting Statistics
- Law School Employment Outcomes