2025
Covering letter (500 words)
Dear Sushila Nayak,
My name is [redacted] - I am a second year Law student at [redacted], and I am interested in applying to Orrick’s summer vacation scheme.
I have decided to pursue a career in commercial law because of my skill-set, with a strong attention to detail, compelling written communication, and the ability to conduct efficient legal research. Completing a number of work experience programmes at large, international law firms (like Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills) has reinforced my desire to pursue commercial law.
I am applying to Orrick in particular after discovering the firm through Legal Cheek. Following my one-week internship at Perkins Coie’s new London office, I developed a passion for US firms because of the workstyle and practice areas on offer. Thus, I began looking for a US-based law firm that would fit my career aspirations, and I was drawn to Orrick because of the firm’s sectoral strengths in Technology, Energy, and Finance.
Researching more into the firm, I learnt that Orrick offered a six-seat training contract: a unique training structure which appeals to me because of the opportunity to have greater exposure with more departments at the firm. It was for a similar reason that I chose to do Maths and English Literature at A-level, and why I chose to do modules like EU Law and IP Law this year at university. Having a greater breadth of experience helps me to think in different ways and also ensures that my expertise does not narrow down, which is why the six-seat training contract at Orrick is a standout feature to me.
This exposure is enhanced by the relatively small trainee intake that I would become a part of at a US firm like Orrick, providing me with the chance to take on responsibility earlier on. I enjoy taking on personal leadership, and I thrive when I am given more control over my workflow rather than completing a task without knowing the bigger picture. My strong performance in my [redacted] project is demonstrative of this, as I was part of a 5-person group, and I was able to contribute to a comprehensive presentation on the over-representation of minorities in the youth justice system. Working at Orrick would give me exposure to very high-profile clients like Paypal and Sony, so actually making a substantive difference to such matters as a junior lawyer would give me a great deal of pride.
I am applying for the vacation scheme programme at Orrick, primarily because this would allow me to take part in real work. Whilst my internship at Perkins Coie was highly informative, I only got to learn about Private Equity through a simulation. This offering is more attractive given that the two-week vacation scheme would allow me to try two practice areas, giving me a more powerful insight into what trainee life at Orrick is like. Additionally, I believe the training sessions and workshops will be a great way to understand how a trainee is expected to learn.
Have you been following any recent news stories or events that have attracted your attention and you think would have an impact, or be of interest, to Orrick? (250 words)
Google has been pushing back in the new age of AI, making a number of innovative breakthroughs to combat the threat posed by ChatGPT and similar uprisings - this has resulted in boosted investor confidence. Earlier this month, the Silicon Valley giant released an AI model called Gemini 2.0 which has performed well in benchmark testing. This development captured my attention because I use a software called NotebookLM to assist my studies, which turns my readings into digestible AI-generated podcasts, and this software is based upon Google’s Gemini model.
On a broader scale, this development is a crucial indicator of a strengthening oligopoly in the global tech scene, with a certain few technology companies dominating the resources required to produce these cutting-edge AI models. This AI oligopoly consists of companies like: OpenAI, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft. Whilst competition amongst these companies may culminate in innovative products like the Apple Vision Pro and Project Astra, this does not bode well for tech start-ups that are left without the capital needed to make starting investments.
This will be of interest to Orrick because the firm advises tech companies at all stages of growth, which will mean more work coming in from the larger tech firms, and less work coming in from aspiring start-ups. A key client in this regard is Microsoft, as Orrick has advised the multinational conglomerate a number of times in the past (recently having advised Microsoft on its purchase of 500,000 tons of carbon credit from a carbon capture company).
Why specifically are you interested in training at Orrick? What makes us different from the other firms you have applied for? (250 words)
I am interested in training at Orrick because of its focus on Technology, Energy, and Finance. Other US firms have strengths in certain practice areas, but Orrick is one of the few firms that possess a sectoral expertise in up and coming industries.
Given the recent uptick in tech activity, with Nvidia’s market capitalisation now rivalling that of the entire London Stock Exchange, the Technology sector is very appealing to me. Orrick has been awarded band 1 for Venture Capital work in the UK, which signals to me the prospects of working with a number of high-growth tech start-ups. I was drawn to Orrick’s advice to Graphcore - a UK semiconductor company - on its sale to SoftBank: this is because I remember reading about SoftBank’s $1.5 billion in OpenAI last month. The fact that Orrick works on matters that are so mainstream, which is not so common at other US firms, is impressive to me.
Additionally, Orrick’s London office offers excellent opportunities in traditional practice areas like M&A and Private Equity. Corporate deals are collaborative in nature, and would allow me to work alongside the client until completion. These practice areas are complemented by Orrick’s deep sector strengths allowing them to secure much larger clients on more complex matters compared to other US law firms.
Finally, Orrick has legal tech like Orrick AI and DraftWise, speeding up administrative tasks that junior lawyers might find tedious at other law firms, freeing up time for more client-facing and stimulating legal issues.
Have you used AI in preparing your application? If so, how? If not, why not? (250 words)
No, I have not used AI in preparing my application. I chose not to use AI because I feel like AI-generated content is too easily decipherable from authentic writing. Whilst AI has developed a great deal in the past few years, AI-writing still takes on a certain pattern.
From an applicant perspective, I anticipate that this pattern is recognisable to an experienced recruiter. At the very least, I feel like AI-generated content is not compelling enough to help me stand out from the many applicants I am in competition with, and my personality can only come through when writing applications myself. Additionally, if I made use of AI then this may flag on a system used to check for AI usage, no matter how little I actually make use of assistive technologies (which is a risk I chose not to take).
However, this does not mean I am against using AI at all, and I make use of AI when studying to simplify long, convoluted passages that I have been set to read. I may make use of AI in the future when writing applications if I need to simplify information on a firm I am researching.
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