How to Prepare a Legal Writing Sample Without Internship Experience

You can prepare a useful legal writing sample before your first internship. Start with an academic assignment you wrote independently, or create a fresh research note using publicly available sources. The aim is to show how you identify a legal question, examine relevant material and explain a reasoned answer.

For Indian law students applying to chambers, research organisations or other legal workplaces, the first step is to read the application instructions. A polished article will still be unsuitable if the employer has requested a shorter note on a prescribed question.

Does your writing sample need to be published?

Publication is not always required. The Supreme Court of India’s Centre for Research and Planning internship scheme expressly permits unpublished writing samples and extracts from longer pieces. Its stated focus is the applicant’s writing proficiency and ability to analyse a legal issue. This is one programme’s requirement, so check each opportunity separately.

If an application simply asks for a writing sample, consider a revised coursework essay, an independently written case comment or a fresh legal research note. Describe its origin accurately.

Do not delay preparing a sample merely because you have no journal publication. Equally, do not assume that publication makes an older piece suitable: its law, reasoning and relevance still need checking.

Read the instructions before choosing your piece

Record the required subject, length, format and submission method before you begin. Also check whether the employer accepts excerpts, requires published work or gives instructions about authorship and AI assistance.

Requirements can differ even within one organisation. Vidhi Tamil Nadu’s internship page specifies a legal or policy writing sample of no more than 3,000 words. Vidhi Bengal’s page specifies a maximum of 2,000 words and expressly permits an excerpt from previous writing.

Where instructions are silent, a focused note of around 1,000–1,500 words can be a practical starting point for your own preparation. That is an editorial suggestion, not a recruitment rule. Adapt it when an application sets different requirements.

If a word limit is strict, check whether it includes footnotes. Avoid treating silence as permission to put substantial additional arguments into them.

Also Check: Call for Papers: Basics of Writing a Research Paper and How to Choose the Right Topic

Choose one question you can answer properly

A broad subject can leave you explaining basic concepts for several pages without reaching an argument. Choose a question narrow enough to investigate within the available length.

For example, “Contract Law in India” is too large for a short sample. A more manageable question might be:

Why did the court accept one party’s interpretation of the disputed contractual clause in the selected judgment?

This gives you a defined task: identify the competing interpretations, examine the court’s reasons and assess what supported its conclusion.

For a policy application, you could instead examine one specific procedural problem.

Hypothetical example: A university is reviewing its student grievance process. Your note considers whether requiring written reasons for rejected complaints would improve the process, what difficulties implementation might create and how those difficulties could be addressed.

Select a question whose primary materials you can access. Complexity is useful only when you can explain it accurately.

Build the sample around analysis

A sample should make your reasoning visible. Summarising a judgment or describing a policy problem provides context; your analysis explains why the material supports your answer.

For a short case-based research note, use this adaptable structure:

Part	What to include
Question and answer	Identify the precise issue and give your provisional conclusion.
Essential background	Include only facts or procedural details needed to understand that issue.
Relevant legal material	Explain the provisions and decisions necessary for your argument.
Analysis	Connect the authorities to the issue and address a competing interpretation.
Conclusion and limits	State what follows and identify any uncertainty or unanswered question.

Spend the largest share of your effort on the analysis.

After each important proposition, ask: What supports this, and why does it matter to my answer? If a paragraph only repeats background, shorten it or explain its relevance.

When discussing a judgment, distinguish the parties’ submissions from the court’s reasoning. Also separate your criticism from what the court actually decided.

Also Check: Law Internship CV Format: What to Include, How to Write It and a Sample

Use academic work honestly and protect confidential material

A coursework essay may provide a useful foundation, but revise it for someone who has not attended your classes. Remove unexplained references to the assignment question, update the research and make the argument understandable on its own.

If using an excerpt, add a brief context note explaining what has been omitted. Keep enough material for the selected section to stand independently.

For a first sample, publicly available materials offer a practical advantage: you can explain your sources without relying on access to a workplace file.

If you later consider using internship work, check the applicable confidentiality, ownership and permission requirements. Removing names alone may leave identifying facts or restricted information. The CRP scheme, for example, prohibits disclosure or publication of material obtained through its work, including after the internship, subject to its stated legal exception.

Where permission is uncertain, prepare a fresh piece from public sources.

Check every source before polishing the language

For each legal proposition, open and read the underlying material. Use official judgments, legislation, rules and institutional publications wherever available.

Check whether an amendment or later decision affects your discussion. A well-written paragraph can still mislead if it relies on an outdated provision or presents an interim observation as a final ruling.

Keep a simple research record with the source, relevant paragraph or provision, and the proposition it supports. This makes verification easier when you revise.

Use citations consistently and provide enough detail for the reader to locate the material. Unless a particular citation style is prescribed, choose one recognisable style and apply it throughout. Quote only where the precise language matters; explain the significance in your own words.

Make your authorship clear

Choose work you can discuss confidently. If asked why you selected an authority, rejected an argument or qualified your conclusion, you should be able to explain your decision.

For a first sample, individually authored work is easier to present clearly. Use co-authored material only where the application permits it, and identify your contribution.

Feedback can help you find gaps. Ask a teacher or peer a specific question such as:

Which part of my reasoning is hardest to follow, and what information would make it clearer?

Make the revisions yourself. Follow any employer rules on AI assistance, and do not present generated analysis as evidence of your independent writing ability.

Add context and check the final file

Unless anonymous submission is required, include your name, the sample title and the date of the version being submitted. A short context note can explain its origin without becoming another cover letter.

Illustrative wording—use only if accurate:

This is an independently authored, unpublished research note prepared as a writing sample. It examines [specific question] using publicly available sources. The research was last checked on [date].

If submitting an excerpt, identify it as one and briefly explain its relationship to the longer work.

Use readable formatting and page numbers. Follow the requested file format; if none is specified, PDF is a practical option. Open the exported file to check footnotes, hyperlinks and page breaks.

Before submitting, confirm that:

• The sample answers one identifiable question.
• Your own reasoning is visible.
• The sources and legal position have been checked.
• Its length and format meet the instructions.
• Authorship and any permissions are clear.
• Comments, tracked changes and incomplete placeholders have been removed.

Save an editable master copy and a separate version for each application. Before reusing the sample, check both the new employer’s instructions and whether the underlying law needs updating.