The letter, part by part
Anna Jansen (Associate, Corporate & Commercial) is applying to be a Senior Associate, Technology and Data Protection at Van der Lede Advocaten. Here is what each paragraph does.
- The hook
- The proof
- The fit
- The close
Dear Mr Hoogland,
Technology clients rarely need a lawyer who only knows the law; they need one who understands how their product actually handles data. That conviction is what draws me to the Senior Associate role in your Technology and Data Protection team. Van der Lede's reputation for practical, commercially minded GDPR advice to scale-ups in Amsterdam matches the kind of practice I have been building for the past five years.
As an associate at Brouwer Kamp Legal, I have advised 14 software and fintech clients on data protection compliance, including two cross-border breach notifications handled within the 72-hour window. I negotiated more than 80 SaaS and data processing agreements last year and drafted a standard contract template that reduced average negotiation time by about a third. I also led the legal workstream on a €12 million acquisition of a payments start-up.
Your team needs someone who can move between regulatory analysis and deal work, and that is where I am strongest. I am qualified at the Dutch bar, work fluently in Dutch, English and German, and have practical experience with the GDPR, the AI Act and the Digital Services Act. Clients tell me they value plain-language memos that end with a clear recommendation rather than a list of risks.
I would be glad to meet and discuss how I could contribute to your clients and help develop junior colleagues in the team. Please find my CV enclosed, and I am happy to provide references from partners and clients on request. Thank you for considering my application.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Jansen
Skills to mention
Employers hiring a lawyer often look for these. Name the ones you really have, with an example.
Phrases you can borrow
Change the details to your own, then copy them into your letter.
I aim to give clients advice they can act on the same day, not a memo they need to decode.
I enjoy translating complex regulation into practical steps for product and engineering teams.
I have learned to balance firm negotiation with keeping long-term client relationships intact.
I take full ownership of my matters while knowing exactly when to involve a partner.
Tips for a lawyer cover letter
- Specify your bar admission and jurisdiction early, as firms must know you can sign off advice locally.
- Describe matters by type, size and your role, without naming clients or breaching privilege.
- Show commercial awareness by explaining how your advice helped a client's business, not just its legal position.
- Mention languages and cross-border experience when applying to firms with international clients.
- Keep the letter to one page; partners read quickly and value concise, structured writing.
Mistakes to avoid
- Naming confidential clients or matters, which immediately raises concerns about your professional discretion.
- Listing every area of law you have touched instead of focusing on the practice you are applying to.
- Writing in dense legalese, when the letter should prove you communicate clearly.