Writing Samples
Students often have questions about the type and length of writing sample required by a prospective employer.
Most employers want a sample that reflects the candidate's best and most recent legal writing skills. A brief or memorandum from your legal writing class is usually sufficient. Make sure that you have proofread your legal writing sample, and that it is the best example of your written work. You might also use work from a law clerk job, provided your employer has given you permission
to do so and names and other identifying information are not used.
Employers want only a sample; therefore, it is not necessary to give them the entire work, particularly if it is lengthy. Generally, no more than ten pages are necessary. You may include a note stating that you are submitting an excerpt of a longer written work.
Even if the employer has not asked for a writing sample prior to the interview, it is always a good idea to have at least one copy available at the interview. If you are then asked to provide a writing sample, you will appear well-prepared.
Writing Competitions
You can earn cash, travel opportunities, professional recognition, and a line on your resume that employers will notice by entering a student writing contest.
The following web sites provide information on hundreds of legal-writing contests for virtually every legal topic imaginable. With some editing and a little research, you may even be able to recycle a class paper. Search through the announcements to see if any topics match papers you have written or are planning to write. Entry forms for many contests are available in the Writing Competition
Binder in CDO.
Scholarly Writing
Scholarly Writing Powerpoint Presentation 
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