Applying to Davis Polk for the 2028 summer program? Check your resume against a Davis Polk-style screen below, then read when it opens, why you send only one application, what the cover letter must say and when offers come.
Key facts
- When it opens: Davis Polk accepts 2028 summer applications on a rolling basis; its listed 2L resume acceptance date is Oct 1, 2026.1,2
- Interview periods: The main interview periods are November and January, and all interviews are currently virtual.1
- Offices: Submit only one application, to your preferred office: New York, Los Angeles, Northern California or Washington, D.C.1
- Documents: A current resume, a cover letter that names your preferred department of practice, and an official undergraduate transcript.1
- Offers: Your application is complete, and offers are made, only once Davis Polk has your first-semester law school transcript.1
- Who it is for: The program is mainly for students who have finished two years of law school; Davis Polk also hires a limited number of 1Ls.3
- Class size: The 2026 summer class was 217: 215 2Ls and 2 1Ls. In 2025, 172 of 173 2L summer associates received offers.3
- Pay: Summer associates in all four US locations are paid an annualized $225,000, prorated for the weeks worked, which is $4,327 a week.1,2
Your cover letter names a preferred department, but summers are not assigned to one: Summer Program Coordinators staff you across practices based on your interests.1,2
Check your resume before you apply
Check your resume
Read against the Summer Associate role at Davis Polk, the way the first screen reads it.
- A score and a verdict
- An ATS check
- Your lines rewritten
What the Davis Polk online application looks like
Apply early in your first year
Davis Polk takes 2028 applications on a rolling basis, with main interview periods in November and January. The market has moved this early: in the 2025 cycle (summer 2026), 85% of 2L summer offers went out before July, and most 2L offers now rest on one semester of grades.1,2,7,8
Choose one office
Send only one application, to the office you want. New York is the largest office and holds most summer associates; Los Angeles opened in 2026; Northern California works from Redwood City, with a San Francisco office opening in early 2027; and Washington, D.C. focuses on litigation, regulatory and investigations work. Select summers can later ask for a four-week overseas rotation or a split between US offices.1
Write the cover letter
Davis Polk asks for a cover letter that names your preferred department of practice. You are not tied to it: summers work across practices through an open assignment system, and Davis Polk's own associates say you can be candid about being unsure. Name the department you lean toward and the reason in one or two sentences.1,2,5
Send the transcripts
Upload your resume, cover letter and official undergraduate transcript, then your first-semester law school transcript when grades are out. Davis Polk treats your application as complete, and makes offers, only once it has that transcript. Have a 5 to 10 page writing sample ready in case it is asked for.1,9,13
After you submit
Interviews are virtual. After an offer, Davis Polk invites you to visit, tour the office, attend events and return to meet more lawyers before you decide.1
What the application asks
- Office One only
- New York, Los Angeles, Northern California or Washington, D.C.
- Resume Required
- Current, one page, law school first.
- Cover letter Required
- Must identify your preferred department of practice.
- Undergraduate transcript Required
- An official copy.
- First-semester transcript Before an offer
- Your file is complete, and offers are made, only once it is in.
- Writing sample Have one ready
- Not listed; keep a 5 to 10 page sample in case it is asked for.
The office, resume, cover letter and transcript steps come from Davis Polk's own page. The writing sample line is our reading of law school guidance.1,9,13
Davis Polk resume and cover letter checklist
- One page, saved as a PDF, in a 10 to 12 point font.
- Law school first, written as "J.D. Candidate, May 2029", then your college and degree.
- A law GPA only in the exact form your school allows, never rounded, once you have one.
- Experience newest first, each bullet starting with a verb and saying what you did.
- A cover letter that names one office and one preferred department, with a reason for each.
- Only one application: decide your office before you submit.
- Your official undergraduate transcript ready to upload.
- A reminder to send your first-semester transcript the day grades are out.
What to put on it
Davis Polk reads a resume and a cover letter that names a department. A law resume keeps to one page with law school first. The examples below are Intervyo rewrites of common 1L lines, not questions from the form.1,11,12
- Education: Law school first, then college: J.D. Candidate with the month and year, honors and activities under each school.
- Experience: Jobs newest first, with action verbs that say what you actually did.
- Pro bono and activities: Clinics, pro bono projects and student groups where you did real work.
- Cover letter: Your office, your preferred department and one reason for each.
Example questions and how to answer them
Education line"Rewrite this education line: "Columbia Law, JD 2029.""11,12,1
- 1Law school name and city on the first line.
- 2Write the degree as "J.D. Candidate" with the month and year.
- 3Add a GPA only in the exact form your school allows, never rounded.
- 4Put honors and activities under the school.
Tip: Applying in the fall means no law grades yet. That is expected: Davis Polk completes your file when your first-semester transcript arrives.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Intervyo example.
Columbia Law School, New York, NY J.D. Candidate, May 2029 Activities: Columbia Business Law Review (1L editor); Federalist Society
Georgetown University, Washington, DC B.S.F.S. in International Economics, cum laude, May 2025
Cover letter"Rewrite this cover letter line: "I am interested in corporate law.""1,2
- 1Name the department in Davis Polk's own terms, such as capital markets or M&A.
- 2Give one reason from a class or a job.
- 3Show you are open to other work in the summer.
- 4Keep it to two sentences.
Tip: Davis Polk asks the cover letter to identify a preferred department, so a vague "corporate" line wastes the one field that tells the firm where to start you.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Intervyo example.
I hope to start in Capital Markets, after two years at a bank where I worked on the investor side of debt offerings and saw how much of a deal is settled in the documents. I would also welcome work in Finance and M&A during the summer.
Pro bono and activities"Rewrite this 1L line: "Pro bono volunteer.""1,11
- 1Name the clinic or project and the client type.
- 2Say what you drafted or did.
- 3Give hours or numbers.
- 4Keep it to one line.
Tip: Davis Polk calls pro bono an essential part of the summer, from amicus briefs to transactions for nonprofits, so real pro bono work on your resume gives an interviewer something to ask about.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Intervyo example.
Volunteer, Immigrant Justice Clinic: drafted 4 asylum declarations from client interviews for review by a supervising attorney (35 hours).
Experience bullet"Rewrite this bullet from a job before law school: "Helped with research for a consulting team.""11,14
- 1Start with a verb for what you did yourself.
- 2Name the client type and the question.
- 3Give scale with a number you can stand behind.
- 4End with what your work fed into.
Tip: Interviewers dig into what is on the page and what you learned from it, so choose bullets you can talk about for two minutes.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Intervyo example.
Built the market model for a 6-week pricing study for a regional hospital system; interviewed 15 department heads and wrote the section of the final report that set new outpatient fees.
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How long to hear back after the online application
Davis Polk accepts applications on a rolling basis and interviews mainly in November and January. Offer decisions wait for your first-semester law school transcript.1
Nov 2025 (summer 2027)
Davis Polk
Announced a $25,000 payment for students joining its 2027 summer class who spent their 2026 1L summer in an approved public interest legal internship.6
2025 (summer 2026)
All firms, NALP survey
85% of 2L summer offers went out before July. May 2025 was the busiest month at 36%, then June at 29%.7
Summer 2026
Davis Polk summer class
217 summer associates: 215 2Ls and 2 1Ls.3
Oct 1, 2026 (summer 2028)
Davis Polk
The listed date from which 2L resumes are accepted for the 2028 program.2
Jan 8 to 13, 2027 (summer 2028)
Harvard Early Interview Program
A virtual program for private sector employers, for the Class of 2029's 2L summer jobs.10
The $25,000 payment was announced for the 2027 class. Check Davis Polk's program page for current terms before you plan your 2027 1L summer around it.1,6
Best guessApply in October or November so you are in the November interview period, and send fall grades the day they are out. Expect offers from January 2027.
What happens after the online application
Online applicationYou are here
This page. One application to one office: resume, cover letter naming a department, and official undergraduate transcript.1
Virtual screening and callback interviews
All virtual, in main periods in November and January.1
Offer
Made only once your first-semester transcript is in, followed by office visits, tours and events.1
New York vs the other US offices
You apply to one office only, so the choice matters. New York holds most of the class; the other three are smaller and more focused.
Size
The largest office. Most summer associates work there.1
Smaller: in the 2024 class, D.C. had 14 summers and Redwood City 10, against 141 in New York.2
Practices
A full range of corporate and litigation work.1
LA: litigation and finance. Northern California: capital markets, M&A, private equity, litigation. D.C.: white collar, antitrust, regulatory.1
FAQ
When do Davis Polk 2028 summer applications open?
They are open now on a rolling basis; Davis Polk lists Oct 1, 2026 as its 2L resume acceptance date. The main interview periods are November and January, so apply in the fall.1,2
Can I apply to more than one Davis Polk office?
No. Davis Polk asks you to submit only one application, to your preferred office. Select summer associates can later request a split between US offices or a four-week overseas rotation.1
What documents does Davis Polk ask for?
A current resume, a cover letter identifying your preferred department of practice, and an official undergraduate transcript. Your first-semester law school transcript completes the file.1
Does Davis Polk hire 1Ls?
A limited number. The program is mainly for students who have finished two years of law school; the 2026 class had 2 1Ls among 217 summers.3
Are Davis Polk interviews virtual?
Yes, all interviews are currently virtual. Once offers are made, you get chances to visit the firm, tour the office and meet lawyers.1
Does Davis Polk only hire from certain law schools?
No. Davis Polk hires top students from a broad range of law schools across the United States and Canada.4
When does Davis Polk make offers?
Only after it receives your first-semester law school transcript, which is when your application counts as complete.1
How much do Davis Polk summer associates earn?
An annualized $225,000, prorated for the weeks worked, in all four US locations.1
Online application at other firms
Sources
Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 4, 2026.
- 1Davis Polk: U.S. Summer Program
- 2Flo Recruit: Davis Polk firm profile (updated Oct 2026)
- 3Vault: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP: Summer Law Program · prep site
- 4Vault: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP: Company Reviews · prep site
- 5Chambers Associate: Davis Polk & Wardwell firm profile · prep site
- 6Above the Law: Davis Polk Commits To Pro Bono Work With $25k Stipend For 1Ls (Nov 2025) · press
- 7NALP: Law Student Recruiting Moves Earlier as Employer-Sponsored Hiring Expands (Jan 2026) · press
- 8LSAC: The History of Big Law Recruitment Timelines (Jun 2026) · press
- 9Berkeley Law Career Development Office: Class of 2028 2L BigLaw Recruiting · prep site
- 10Harvard Law School Office of Career Services: Recruiting Programs for Employers · prep site
- 11Penn Carey Law Career Planning & Professionalism: Do's and Don'ts for 1L Resume Writing · prep site
- 12Boston University School of Law Career Development Office: Resume Handbook · prep site
- 13Yale Law School Career Development Office: Writing Samples, References & Transcripts · prep site
- 14University of Michigan Law School Office of Career Planning: Guide to Firm Callback Interviews · prep site
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