. Forum

[Myself]

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[LeDique]

http://www.nalpdirectory.com/employer_p ... oley%22%7D

HTH.

[Myself]

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[Anonymous User]

Bump.

Different poster here. I already hit up all the traditional sources of info and am looking for anecdotes. Anyone willing to comment? Thanks!

[LawIdiot86]

Just had a screener and ding there. They're tech-focused, but not just IP, more of a venture capital type. My experience says they are most similar to Wilson Sonsini, with a touch less of the Silicon Valley focus. They tend to be more flexible on GPA if it is the right fit, but really are looking for a good fit.

[Anonymous User]

My best friend works for the Palo Alto office and loves it. Very "friendly" firm, according to her, which would support the assertion of the other poster who said they value fit over strict adherence to numbers. She's only worked there for 3 years, but she has no plans on leaving because of the environment. She said they do a lot of tech stuff, but she's not involved in it and they do have large non-tech practice areas.

[Anonymous User]

My best friend works for the Palo Alto office and loves it. Very "friendly" firm, according to her, which would support the assertion of the other poster who said they value fit over strict adherence to numbers. She's only worked there for 3 years, but she has no plans on leaving because of the environment. She said they do a lot of tech stuff, but she's not involved in it and they do have large non-tech practice areas.

Thanks, this is very helpful. Could I ask what practice area she does there? I've heard a lot about their VC/transactional, but not as much about lit or other departments.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at Cooley this summer. I had a fantastic time and it is a great firm to work for. Like the previous poster said, Cooley focuses a lot of fit. During the summer, Cooley flew all of the summers out to California for a 4-day resort retreat. It was a blast and for the most part, the summers from all the offices were fun and normal people.

The offices have a very laidback vibe -- everyone wears jeans. As a summer, I was typically in around 9 and out by 6:30 -- only had to stay late a few times (and by late, I mean 8 PM). As for work, there was plenty to go around. The firm is very busy and doing well.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at Cooley this summer. I had a fantastic time and it is a great firm to work for. Like the previous poster said, Cooley focuses a lot of fit. During the summer, Cooley flew all of the summers out to California for a 4-day resort retreat. It was a blast and for the most part, the summers from all the offices were fun and normal people.

The offices have a very laidback vibe -- everyone wears jeans. As a summer, I was typically in around 9 and out by 6:30 -- only had to stay late a few times (and by late, I mean 8 PM). As for work, there was plenty to go around. The firm is very busy and doing well.

Did most of the 2L summers get callbacks from Cooley? Do you get a sense of how Cooley compares to peer firms like WSGR and Fenwick?

[Anonymous User]

In broad strokes, I've heard that Cooley is very life science/pharma focused compared to the other SV giants.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at Cooley this summer. I had a fantastic time and it is a great firm to work for. Like the previous poster said, Cooley focuses a lot of fit. During the summer, Cooley flew all of the summers out to California for a 4-day resort retreat. It was a blast and for the most part, the summers from all the offices were fun and normal people.

The offices have a very laidback vibe -- everyone wears jeans. As a summer, I was typically in around 9 and out by 6:30 -- only had to stay late a few times (and by late, I mean 8 PM). As for work, there was plenty to go around. The firm is very busy and doing well.

I also worked at Cooley this summer. Great firm, really great people... Cooley is I guess best know for representing emerging companies in both life sciences and general tech (clients include Space-X, Zynga, Yelp), but the firm is also a leader in privacy work, and is strong in a bunch of fields. I'd echo the sentiment about fit. Cooley is fiercely proud of its culture and makes its hiring decisions with preserving this culture in mind.

[Anonymous User]

Had an interview with Cooley today. Partner seemed very nice. Very business-like, though, wasn't really interested in chatting. He got right down to brass tax: "What office would like to be placed?" "Connections to the area?" "What kind of practice?" Etc.

We did do a small bit of small talk when we discussed my hometown (he had visited it a few times), and I asked him about the particular location I was applying to. I thought we engaged the most when we talked about the law business (how the recession has hit Cooley (I didn't ask about this, he voluntarily discussed it), things like that).

It was a bit more stiff than some interviews I've had, but overall, I think I actually appreciated how willing he was to talk specifically about Cooley. I felt I learned a lot about the firm's focus and business. Probably more than most of the other firms and interviews I had, as a matter of fact, so that was good.

[Anonymous User]

I don't know about the rest of the offices, but everyone in my office received an offer. The firm was very upfront in the beginning that the offer was yours to lose.

[Anonymous User]

How stable is the firm?

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

This thread is highly relevant to my interests.

[Anonymous User]

I got a ding from Cooley without having interviewed with them...

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone comment on the business outlook of the firm and also the likelihood of getting a fulltime offer after the summer? I'm particularly interested in the Palo Alto office. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

The firm seems healthy (SV corporate work has been a bright spot in the downturn though it has slowed down a bit as of late). I would imagine you needn't be worried about getting no-offered.

Not sure how many SAs they took for 2012 summer. 100% offer rates for their 13 SAs in 2011. Only 3 SAs in 2010.

[Anonymous User]

Hoping for more input/insight here too.

Boston seems to be doing well. At least two laterals in the last two months, with a few more lateral postings on the website (corporate and IP). They've gone from two SAs in 2011 to three SAs in 2012 and are looking for five in 2013.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, they do seem to be hiring quite a bit, especially in the lateral market. This indicates they are busy, though I worry that if they overhire, there might be more layoffs coming down the road.

Aside from the 2009 layoffs, does anyone know anything regarding Cooley's "model" during downturns? I.e., in terms of lathaming, stealthing, etc.? They did not seem to do deferrals as far as I am aware, which is a good thing, and they seem conservative in their hiring of summers.

In general, though, this firm is not oft-talked about, so it seems quite difficult to gain insider info.

[bk1]

Aside from the 2009 layoffs, does anyone know anything regarding Cooley's "model" during downturns?

They drastically slashed their next year's class size.

[Anonymous User]

Aside from the 2009 layoffs, does anyone know anything regarding Cooley's "model" during downturns?

They drastically slashed their next year's class size.

Really? How so, and from what size to what new size? Thanks for bringing this up. I haven't heard about this at all, and it seems incongruent with their lateral hiring.

[Old Gregg]

Aside from the 2009 layoffs, does anyone know anything regarding Cooley's "model" during downturns?

They drastically slashed their next year's class size.

Really? How so, and from what size to what new size? Thanks for bringing this up. I haven't heard about this at all, and it seems incongruent with their lateral hiring.

How would it be incongruent? Firms can have different needs for various levels of seniority.

[Anonymous User]

anyone know about their 3L hiring process?