Orrick SF vs. Cooley SV for EC/VC Work Forum

[Anonymous User]

Cooley seems like an incredibly strong player in the EC/VC space and I hear good things about the firm culture. It also sounds like a general corporate associate at Cooley could do a nice mix of EC/VC + some Cap Markets and M&A.

However, I will probably need to live in SF and so the commute to SV seems tough. How would the work / exit options at Orrick SF compare? It seems like their EC/VC group is good, but maybe a step below the Cooley/WSGR/Fenwick/Gunderson tier. Would my in-house exit options be materially different from Orrick than from Cooley? How does the culture compare?

[Anonymous User]

Cooley seems like an incredibly strong player in the EC/VC space and I hear good things about the firm culture. It also sounds like a general corporate associate at Cooley could do a nice mix of EC/VC + some Cap Markets and M&A.

However, I will probably need to live in SF and so the commute to SV seems tough. How would the work / exit options at Orrick SF compare? It seems like their EC/VC group is good, but maybe a step below the Cooley/WSGR/Fenwick/Gunderson tier. Would my in-house exit options be materially different from Orrick than from Cooley? How does the culture compare?

So I can't answer your question directly but here are some thoughts:

- Remember Orrick cut salaries at the start of the pandemic. In their defense, Orrick did roll back the cuts and gave above-market bonuses. I would be wary though of any firm that made pandemic-related cuts.
- SF-SV commute is not bad if you live in SOMA. Bullets get you there in 45 minutes and if you miss the bullet due to work, it is about a 45-minute train ride late at night.
- Cooley has a SF office. Just ask if you can sit there, especially since they have Cooley-flex positions.

[Anonymous User]

If you actually want to do EC/VC (or even corporate generally), I would suck up the commute for the 1st couple of years at Cooley SV, do a great job, and then look to transfer to SF office.

[Anonymous User]

Orrick is definitely a tier below. But it does have a really solid practice.

Depending on your situation, if Cooley won’t let you be in SF and you can’t move, you wouldn’t be crazy for taking Orrick though. 45-60 minute commute each way as a junior is no joke. And hating life for several years for some better firm prestige may not be the right call.

[Anonymous User]

- SF-SV commute is not bad if you live in SOMA. Bullets get you there in 45 minutes and if you miss the bullet due to work, it is about a 45-minute train ride late at night.

Careful with this. Cooley SV is 3 miles from the Palo Alto stop and 1.5mi from California Avenue.