CPD fields a lot of questions
about grammar issues that frequently pop up in legal resumes and cover letters
this time of year. In particular, we get quite a few questions about
capitalization.
When grappling with resume
and cover letter questions, capitalization related or otherwise, please come to
us. We’re here to help you figure these things out; the right answers aren’t
always intuitive. Meanwhile, here’s a quick capitalization refresher as you
fine tune your OCI applications.
Capitalization FAQs:
Do I capitalize a job title when referring to it in my
cover letter?
When it’s a specific honorary,
go ahead and capitalize:
•
Morgan Green is
the Sandra Day O’Connor Professor of Law at Anystate School
of Law.
Or when it comes immediately before or after a person’s name:
•
I was Professor Lee
Brown’s research assistant.
•
Last summer I
worked as a research assistant to Lee Brown, Professor of Law.
Otherwise, don’t capitalize:
•
Casey White was a
professor at Anystate School of Law for years.
Put them all together:
I worked for several professors at Anystate School of Law, including Professor Casey White. Although I didn’t work for Morgan Green or Lee Brown, professors at Anystate, I heard that Green was named Sandra Day O’Connor Professor of Law and that Professor Brown is currently on sabbatical.
When referring to documents generally, don’t capitalize:
•
I
drafted numerous motions to dismiss over the course of my summer internship.
•
I
have attached a copy of a memorandum as a writing sample.
But capitalize if the doc is a proper noun:
•
Memo
I is due on Thursday.
Do I capitalize law school subjects?
When it’s the
specific name of the course, a proper noun, capitalize:
•
I’m
registered for Contracts II.
•
I
wrote a great memo in Legal Writing I.
Otherwise, lowercase:
•
I
plan to study contracts this fall.
•
I
learned how to write objective memos in my legal writing class.
When do I capitalize the name of a
department?
When it’s the official name:
•
Sidney
Gray works in the Center for Professional Development.
Otherwise,
lowercase:
•
Sidney
Gray works in the law school’s professional development center.
Do I capitalize degrees?
When using the specific title, capitalize:
•
Blake
Rose earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Anystate.
Otherwise:
•
Blake
got a master’s degree at Anystate.
University of Colorado-Boulder has some other great tips on capitalization, and please don’t hesitate to bring your questions to CPD.
We wish you the best of luck with OCI!
