Cooley

Boasting some of the Cooleyst firms in tech and life sciences as clients, associates started up by startups will get their kicks here.

About the Firm

If, like a certain 1960s surf-rock band, you’ve been all around this great big world, seen all kinds of firms, but wished they could all be California firms, then you've probably heard about Cooley. Built on a reputation for working with some of the best tech and life sciences startups around, “you’ll recognize a lot of the companies Cooley works with” remarked one associate. Unsurprisingly then, Chambers USA places more than 20 of its departments into the top bracket for this work, including top-tier nods for the likes of life sciences, startups & emerging companies, privacy & data security, artificial intelligence and corporate governance.

“I come into work in a sweatshirt and jeans…. Come as you are and people are interested in who you are.”

While the work Cooley does is undoubtedly sophisticated and impressive; you’ll not be expected to dress all gaudy to impress your partners or fellow associates. In fact, the firm shares something in common with its startup clients - one interviewee told us “I come into work in a sweatshirt and jeans…. Come as you are and people are interested in who you are.”

California is just the beginning of Cooley's reach, though. The firm has thirteen offices in the US spanning the key legal hubs of New York, LA, and Washington, DC. Around a quarter are based in the New York office, with the rest across its various California offices in Palo Alto,San Francisco, San Diego & Santa Monica.

Cooley is recognized as a Strong Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

Cooley’s summer program is a mix of on the job learning and structured training sessions: “During my summer program I helped do some SEC filing work, and undertook some pro bono work. Looking back, the work I was doing was kind of high level!” Associates also recalled shadowing client calls and watching virtual depositions. Newbies can also expect to be involved in a number of fun summer lunches. The whole process appears to be a great bonding experience for future associates - as one associate recalled, “they took us out to California and all the associates that I went with are still really close”.

Strategy & Future

Aspiring associates will no doubt be all too aware that BigLaw firms has been pushing their recruitment windows earlier and earlier over the past few years. Bucking the trend, Cooley has recently announced that it will be putting off hiring half of its summer 2028 class, with the intention of allowing those at law school to spend more time on the content of their classes, and come to a more informed decision when it comes to what types of law they are interested in.

We also heard that Cooley is also shifting back towards pre-pandemic expectations of office attendance, with junior associates are expected to be in the office four days a week (increasing from three days a week). Our sources were on the fence about this: “I think they think that it’s always better when it might not always be. Personally, I’m always a lot more efficient when nobody is bothering me at home.”

Cooley is recognized as a Strong Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The Work

A large proportion of the firm’s associates are either members of the general corporate group, or the business litigation group. For their first two years of life at Cooley, associates in these groups have their work distributed to them through a centralized system, which is overseen by associate development managers (who also serve as additional person to talk to about how busy you are and top you up with work if necessary). One associate clarified that the central system is “not a rigid system” and stressed that “it is still perfectly acceptable to say to a partner ‘I would love to work with you’ under the system.” The small population of associates that belong to more specialized groups will have partners and senior associates dish work out to them directly.

Cooley is recognized as a Strong Performer for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Career Development

Most associates will have a formal and focused training session scheduled at least every two weeks. These will be related to an associate’s practice group or a practice group ancillary to it. Associates will also often take on mock exercises with example clients, which is followed by in-depth debrief sessions. The firm has also recently worked to introduce hands-on drafting sessions. If associates are unsure about anything, email blasts are also sent out which allows anyone to ask any questions they may have.

That said, some of the greatest value comes from learning on the job, and we heard that senior partners are often around to help out: “Partners provide really good feedback” remarked one associate, whilst also arguing that they were great at “differentiating between telling what you absolutely have to do and what the individual partner often likes to do.” There are opportunities for those who seek them out too: “I was extremely invested in the case, and it became my main focus” one told us, “I had a great relationship with one partner in particular, who was coaching me through stuff, and I feel like you learn the most in those situations.”

Fancy yourself as a BigLaw partner one day? At Cooley, the road to partnership appears well laid out and achievable, and during our calls we heard from associates that clearly had aims to one day make partner: “It’s something that feels relatively achievable here.”

Cooley is recognized as a Strong Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Cooley associates had a positive outlook when it came to the hours they found themselves working. One junior reported that they had “never had a time where I’ve been worried about the hours I was billing.” In fact, one even recalled a partner checking in to make sure they weren’t burning themselves out.

Base associate salaries at Cooley increase on a lockstep basis (i.e. salary moves upwards according to school year). Associates have a billable hours target of 1,950 hours, at which point you become eligible for a bonus. There is also an opportunity for a merit-based bonus for those associates that go above and beyond, though some of the interviewees we spoke to felt that the way this bonus was structured was less clear.

Culture

Whilst it’s perhaps unsurprising that a firm named ‘Cooley’ prides itself on its workplace culture, this pride certainly doesn’t seem to be unfounded: “The culture is second to none, and they were correct in highlighting that,” one junior enthused. Associates reassured us that “Cooley hires people that you will want to be friends with” and we heard that everyone, even laterals, integrate seamlessly. In fact, to such an extent that even people who had moved from a different city to join Cooley said the office community had made it easy to integrate. The firm frequently organizes social events; there’s a happy hour and holiday-themed socials (we heard about the occasional magic shows and that by the time summer rolls around, there’s an outing every two weeks). Cooley’s inclusion groups also provide associates with the chance to socialize.

“The culture is second to none, and they were correct in highlighting that…”

Senior associates and partners were not viewed as unapproachable, scary figures in eyes of Cooley associates, and were instead described as open and willing to guide you. Senior associates at the firm are reportedly great at introducing juniors to everyone they need to know. “Cooley has a very flat hierarchy,” one told us, and partners “ask you for your opinion.” The old adage that juniors should be seen and not heard couldn’t be further from the truth – “they expect you to have something to say. Partners are never like ‘why this person to is talking to me?’” one associate reassured us.

Pro Bono

There is no cap on how many pro bono hours can contribute towards an associate’s billable hours target, and this approach to pro bono was strongly praised. Associates have got involved with everything from helping people prepare for fires in LA to immigration matters and criminal expungement. As one junior affirmed, “If you see a pro bono matter that looks interesting to you, you can do it.” The firm is partnered with the LA-based Inner City Law Centre, and the firm is reportedly looking to expand partnerships with similar organizations in different cities.

Cooley is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

At Cooley, there are many dedicated ethnicity and race-centered inclusion groups (such as the Asian pacific American group, and Middle Eastern lawyers group) and a dedicated calendar to help you see what all the groups are planning. There are also groups for parents and LGBTQ associates.

Juniors were quick to highlight how well funded these groups are and how much they had enjoyed the exposure to other cultures. Associates also stressed that allies are welcome to join these groups, and associates are also able to start their own too. Those on inclusion group committees help to pick out things like speakers for their events.