Closing Date: 31st December, 2026

Description:

Patterson Belknap is now accepting applications from 3L students interested in joining the Firm's Litigation Department in the Fall of 2027.

All applicants must submit a resume, law school transcript, and a writing sample.

Your writing sample should:

Be no more than 1250 words. An excerpt from a longer work is fine, but please choose an excerpt that a reader can understand without the context of the larger piece.
Be your own original work, with no editing from others. If you do not have a writing sample that meets this requirement, please choose a sample with as little external editing as possible, and include a note with your sample informing us (i) who edited the sample and (ii) the nature and extent of their edits. However, you should provide a fully unedited sample if at all possible, and we will assume you have done so unless you tell us otherwise.
Demonstrate your skills as an advocate. Ideally, your sample should show us that you can be a strong and effective advocate for our clients. As a general rule, we have found that draft briefs or judicial opinions make the best samples, and legal research memos are also fine. Academic pieces, such as law review notes, tend to be less helpful.

Qualifications:

Desire to work in a small, tight-knit group that offers broad training and gives early responsibility to junior attorneys and offers the opportunity to work directly with partners and other senior attorneys from the outset.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong legal research and analytical skills.
Careful attention to details.
Excellent time management and organizational skills.
A flexible problem solver, self-directed, client service oriented, and collaborative.
Strong academic credentials.