Cooley LLP
Cooley has approximately 1,304 attorneys across 19 offices worldwide. Founded in 1920.
$255,000+
Reported first-year compensation
100
Reporting year not confirmed; 98% reported offer rate
Not reported: Partnership Track.
Openings
2L Summer 2028 · Class of 2029Open
Opens
Opened Oct 31Deadline
Jan 29, 2027
Checked 11h ago
Apply to one office only.
Materials: Cover Letter · Law School Transcript · Undergrad TranscriptLaw transcript may be submitted later when available.
3L / Entry-Level · Class of 2027Open
Fall 2027 start
New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Boston, San Diego, Santa Monica
Opens
Open nowDeadline
Not announced
Checked Oct 30
Antitrust, Business Litigation, Cyber/Data/Privacy, Debt Finance, Fund Formation, General Corporate and IP Litigation; apply to one position and office
Materials: Cover Letter · Writing Sample · Law School TranscriptRequirements shown are for the Washington, DC Cyber/Data/Privacy role within this grouped Class of 2027 listing; other roles may differ.
1L Summer 2027 · Class of 2029Closed
Opens
Closed this cycleDeadline
Not announced
ClosedMaterials: Law School TranscriptUpdated law school transcript requested once first-semester grades are available.
About Cooley
Cooley's practice is closely associated with technology, life sciences and the investors that finance growing businesses. Its work includes company formation, venture financing, public offerings, acquisitions and investment-fund matters. The firm advises companies at different stages of development, from early ventures to established public businesses.
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Life sciences is a particularly distinctive part of that history. Cooley identifies its work incorporating Genentech in 1976 as an early milestone, and its current practice serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical-device, diagnostics and digital-health businesses. Licensing and collaboration agreements sit alongside financing and acquisition work, reflecting the importance of intellectual property and commercial partnerships in those industries.
Cooley also maintains litigation and regulatory practices rather than limiting its work to company-side transactions. Its overview identifies shareholder disputes, intellectual-property litigation, cybersecurity, healthcare and FDA matters among its capabilities. That combination connects the funding and development of innovative businesses with the regulatory obligations and disputes they encounter as they grow.
Practice Strength by Market
Every band below appears on this firm’s Chambers USA 2026 profile, checked September 26, 2026. Where Chambers splits a table into The Elite and Highly Regarded, every Elite firm ranks above every Highly Regarded firm.
| Practice | Market | Recognition, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Artificial Intelligence | Nationwide | Band 1 |
Capital Markets | Massachusetts | Band 1 |
Capital Markets: Debt & Equity | California | Band 1 |
Corporate Governance | Nationwide | Band 1 |
Corporate/M&A | California: San Diego | Band 1 |
Corporate/M&A | Virginia: Northern | Band 1 |
Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Enforcement & Investigations) | Nationwide | Band 1 |
Intellectual Property | Virginia: Northern | Band 1 |
Life Sciences | Massachusetts | Band 1 |
Life Sciences | Nationwide | Band 1 |
84 reported ranking rows
Rankings
Request a CorrectionLatest published editions. Each links to its source.
Size and Standing
- $2.4B gross revenueAm Law 100, $2.4B gross revenue: #24 (opens in a new tab)
- Lawyers in 5 countriesGlobal 200, Lawyers in 5 countries: #30 (opens in a new tab)
- 1,304 attorneysNLJ 500, 1,304 attorneys: #32 (opens in a new tab)
- PrestigeVault Law 100, Prestige: #22 (opens in a new tab)
Associate Life
Vault Practice Rankings
- Emerging Companies & Venture Capital: #1 (opens in a new tab)
- Life Sciences: #1 (opens in a new tab)
- Privacy & Data Security: #1 (opens in a new tab)
- Intellectual Property: #4 (opens in a new tab)
- Clean Tech/Renewable Energy Law: #10 (opens in a new tab)
- General Corporate Practice: #12 (opens in a new tab)
- Securities/Capital Markets: #13 (opens in a new tab)
- Private Equity: #17 (opens in a new tab)
Practice Areas
Applicants "should specify their area of interest: general corporate, business litigation or one of our specialty groups" when applying or interviewing, and Cooley recruits summer associates into dedicated practice groups whose availability varies by office. Each office has summer associate assignment coordinators who keep the variety and volume of work steady, and summers join every practice group meeting held during the summer.
Inclusion
Cooley's affinity groups are open, inclusive communities and allies are encouraged to join. The 1L Diversity Fellowship pairs a paid 1L summer position with up to $50,000 toward tuition; the 2L Diversity Fellowship pays up to $40,000. The firm is Mansfield Rule certified.
Affinity groups
- Alternative Work Schedule Attorney
- Asian Pacific Islander
- Black
- Caregivers Attorney
- Cooley Inclusion Alliance
- Jewish Cultural
- Latinx
- LGBTQ+
- MENA
- Veterans at Cooley(opens in a new tab)
- Women's Initiative
Pro Bono
- Summers Can Take Pro Bono
- YesSource
- Counts as Billable
- YesUncapped; every pro bono hour counts toward billablesSource
- Average Hours Per Attorney
- 68 hoursAm Law pro bono rank #38
How pro bono work is assigned
Cooley gives pro bono work the same weight and credit as other matters. Every summer associate meets the pro bono partners and pro bono leaders in their office to learn about the work and what pro bono looks like as an associate. The firm reports 104,000 pro bono hours, 1,200 timekeepers and 1,500 plus matters.
More about Cooley
Compensation for the 2025 US summer program was $225,000 annualized, prorated by weeks worked. Every summer starts with Seascape Weekend, three days of training and team building on the Northern California coast. Splits with another law firm are not allowed beyond a brief touch-back. 1L options are the 1L Diversity Fellowship, the Patent Summer Program and the 1L IP Litigation Summer Program.