Cooley works with some of the world’s most innovative and forward thinking businesses, regularly representing current and future leaders in technology and business. Read more about the firm’s practice specialisms and learn whether the diverse, collaborative culture at Cooley might be for you.
Proud to be Cooley
Cooley provides the opportunity to be part of a collaborative and diverse culture, representing the most innovative companies in the world. We handle game-changing deals, groundbreaking IP matters and business-critical litigation across a wide array of dynamic industries, while at the same time counseling startups and entrepreneurs poised to become the business and technology leaders of the future.
“Training with Cooley in London will be about a breadth of experience and opportunity – being challenged to achieve more than you may have thought possible and enhanced by being surrounded by a collaborative and brilliant team.”
Justin Stock London managing partner
Cooley has a rich history in the US, dating back to 1920, where we are renowned for our work on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, often where innovation meets the law. Cooley is known for its work with tech and life sciences companies throughout the world. In 2015, Cooley established its first European office in London, bringing a profile of legal experience supporting and protecting innovation and tech- nology around the world. Key to the continued success of London and further growth are integration and ensuring everyone under- stands they have a part to play in building that success.
Career opportunities
We challenge our people with endless opportunities right from the start. We help build careers through formal and informal mentoring programmes that emphasise superlative legal skills, real world problem-solving, and the development of internal and external business relationships. We are looking for entrepreneurial indi- viduals who are committed to serving our clients, energised by innovation and dedicated to shaping Cooley’s future. We want applicants who have thought about their career path and are attracted to being part of a small group of trainees with the added responsibility and hands-on involvement this often brings. Cooley offers the opportunity to work on some of the highest quality matters for some of the most interesting, dynamic and forward-thinking companies in the world. As a global city – a centre of finance and a hub for technology, innovation and creativity – London is a natural fit for Cooley’s international clients and for its strategic global growth. The office provides corporate legal advice to established and high- growth companies and investors in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities transac- tions, and private equity and venture capital financings. The London office also advises on intellectual property, technology transactions, cyber/data/privacy, compensation & benefits, employ- ment and tax matters. Our London competition team advises com- panies on all aspects of EU and UK competition law, including merger control, regulatory investigations, distribution and pricing issues, general compliance and competition litigation. About Cooley London
Cooley’s London-based litigators have one of the most sought-after complex commercial litigation teams in the UK. They have consid- erable experience in complex domestic and cross-border litigation, international arbitration and regulatory matters. They have handled litigation in all commercial divisions of the English High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Court of Justice of the EU and represented clients in all major international arbitration proceedings. We have a wealth of experience in major international asset disputes, including advising governments on their anti-corruption agencies in seeking to trace, freeze and recover corruptly acquired assets of dis- honest public officials, along with advising major private companies. Our fraud team includes a specialist white collar crime partner. The group has one of the UK’s most significant insurance and reinsurance practices, covering complex insurance and reinsurance disputes, run-off and insolvency, arbitration and commercial court litigation. With a client-first approach and an uncompromising focus on the highest levels of expertise and responsiveness, Cooley’s product compliance and liability team provides a unique level of support for product manufacturers navigating the rapidly changing interna- tional regulatory and liability risk landscape.
Accolades
Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, 100 Best Workplaces for Women and 75 Best Large Workplaces for Millennials
One of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother magazine
International Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2018
Legal Week’s London Office of the Year in 2017 and 2015 at The British Legal Awards
Transatlantic Litigation Team of the Year at the 2019 Transatlantic Legal Awards
Transatlantic Capital Markets Team of the Year at the 2018 Transatlantic Legal Awards
Highly recommended in six different categories and 17 lawyers are ranked in Chambers UK
Highly Commended – US Law Firm of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2018
22 practice areas recommended and 35 lawyers ranked by UK Legal 500
Women in Law Empowerment Forum Gold Standard certification
Training at Cooley
We believe in learning by doing, and trainees will be involved in real work from the start. Cooley trainees are often pleasantly surprised by the level of responsibility they have on the matters assigned to them. Cooley’s two-year training programme will be divided into four seats of six months each. This will likely include at least one busi- ness litigation seat, where work could involve general commercial, products, employment, insurance or IP-related matters. Other seats will be in noncontentious corporate commercial/transactional areas, where work could involve M&A, PE, VC, life sciences, finance matters, capital markets, compensation and benefits, or technology transactions. Seat options may evolve over time and in response to Cooley’s commercial business needs, but we work to ensure trainees obtain experience in the areas of greatest interest to them. Trainees will be supervised by lawyers at varying levels of seniority, as the experiences can be different but equally valuable to a trainee’s development. In addition to organising and supporting trainees through the Professional Skills Course (PSC), Cooley has developed a comprehensive training programme, which will be delivered by asso- ciates, partners and the professional development team at the firm. The aim is to enable trainees to develop practice-based skills and knowledge in our key areas in addition to professional skills cover- ing areas such as business development and finance. The support network at Cooley is extensive – trainees have an assigned supervisor, a trainee buddy in the year above, a partner mentor, the legal talent team, professional developmement team and the trainee principal, all there to help and encourage progress and growth.
Applying to train in London
Cooley has opportunities for trainees to start in late August 2022 and recruits for these positions through its summer programme. Interested applicants should apply to the 2020 programme, which will be open for applications frommid-October 2019 to 31 January 2020. Please submit your application well in advance of the deadline. Shortlisting may commence ahead of this date, but we do not assess applications on a rolling basis. Shortlisted applicants can expect to hear from the firm within two weeks of the application deadline, with all applicants being informed of their final status within a month of the deadline.
Submit applications at www.apply4law.com/cooley
“Cooley does a great job of mak- ing you feel like a part of the team in each seat rather than just a transient member. We are encouraged to ask ques- tions and are often given the opportunity to put forward our opinions and take ownership of tasks. This is particularly help- ful as you start looking ahead to qualification and definitely makes for a good learning environment.” Alicia Johnson-Cole Second-year trainee Current seat: Business – corporate section
“One of the great benefits about being part of a smaller intake is that you are given more respon- sibility at an early stage. The flat hierarchy is noticeable – everyone’s contribution is valued regardless of seniority and as a result you feel like an important member of the firm from day one. You are also encouraged to be as inquisitive as possible, which makes for a positive devel- opment path.” Dominic Taylor First-year trainee Current seat: Business – corporate section
Assessment and selection process
If you are successful at the initial application stage, you will then undertake an online critical thinking appraisal, designed to assess your critical thinking skills. Candidates who perform most impres- sively will then be invited to a half-day assessment centre involving a business case study. The case study has been designed to give you the opportunity to showcase a breadth of skills, including teamworking, commercial sense, communication skills, logic, judgement, creativity and decision-making. You will also have the opportunity to meet and speak with a variety of Cooley lawyers and trainees over lunch. Those who demonstrate a high level of ability across our core compe- tency areas will be offered the opportunity to participate in a series of one-to-one interviews with lawyers at varying levels of seniority.
“Cooley has been a fantastic place to learn and develop. Partners and associates go out of their way to give context and provide clear explanations, as well as make you feel like a valued member of the Cooley family.” Monica Mylordou Second-year trainee Current seat: Litigation – business litigation
Interviews will consist of a mix of competency and scenario-based questions. In addition, there will likely be a discussion about topics designed to assess your awareness of issues affecting the work of commercial lawyers and their clients. You should be prepared to talk about your interest in Cooley, the work our firm does and the clients with whom we work. The interviews are an opportunity for us to get to know you a little better and to determine how your experiences to date have prepared you to work in a law firm environment, as well as an opportunity for you to assess whether Cooley is a match for your aspirations, so you should ask questions about what is important to you. If you receive and accept an offer to join Cooley, you will hear from the firm regularly throughout the period before formally joining us. It is important to us that you feel part of the team from the beginning.
Summer programme
Cooley’s two-week programmes involve a combination of hands-on work on active matters, shadowing other trainees, dynamic skills sessions, talks, trips and social events. With the goal of involving programme participants in client work to the greatest extent possible, students may find themselves attending meetings, taking part in conference calls, going to hearings, assisting on deals, conducting research or taking part in project work. Our aim is to plan a programme from which you will learn and have the opportunity to demonstrate your potential, while simultaneously gaining as much insight as possible into the firm, our people and the work we do.
“Cooley’s summer programme gets the balance just right. You come away having gained more than just an insight into the firm. The business development, negotiation and advo- cacy sessions leave you with valu- able skills beyond that of a normal vacation scheme. The scheme’s focus remains, importantly, on ‘real life’ tasks. You are actively encouraged to pursue areas of law in which you are interested or less familiar. It is not all work. There is ample opportunity to socialise too.”
“Cooley’s summer programme was well-run and highly engag- ing – involving a mix of set tasks and ‘real-life’ work, with real emphasis placed on the latter. It was clear from the beginning that everyone wanted to involve us as completely as possible in the day-to-day life of the firm. From negotiation roleplays to drafting client letters and research memos, this entailed a steep (but excit- ing!) learning curve.” Morgan McCormack 2018 Summer Programme – starts training in August 2020
Jack Eastwood 2019 Summer Programme – starts training in August 2021
London trainees
Olivia Flasch Second-year The Hague University of Applied Sciences Law
Abby Preston First-year University of Oxford Law
Alicia Johnson-Cole Second-year Loughborough University Politics with International Studies
Neelam Atwal First-year
King’s College London English Language and Communication
Emma Lidström Second-year King’s College London Law
Corinne Robinson First-year University of Edinburgh Law
Monica Mylordou Second-year University of Warwick Law
Dominic Taylor First-year University of Oxford History
Cooley’s culture Cooley is intent on maintaining its standing as one of the world’s greatest law firms, but also on keeping its reputation as a great place to work. We fundamentally believe that the two can, indeed must, go hand in hand. We know that simple things matter – like being thanked and appreciated for your hard work. We invest heavily in preserving our culture as we grow. This is reflected in our dedication to hiring the candidates who demon- strate the traits and values we have identified as central to success at Cooley, such as creativity, entrepreneurial savvy and commitment to collaboration. It is also reflected in how we create the space and time for people to come together to talk, share, celebrate or interact. In London, staff members are invited to a regular informal lunch with Justin Stock, London managing partner. There have also been numerous planned and impromptu officewide socials, including summer and winter parties, a Christmas quiz, monthly relax and unwind events, in addition to tennis, netball and football matches.
Diversity at Cooley Cooley’s commitment to attracting, mentoring and retaining an exceptional team of lawyers from as many backgrounds as possible is embedded in our culture. We are dedicated to maintaining a truly diverse workplace that values and celebrates differences – from the way we relate to and support each other to the way we work together to meet the needs of our clients. Employment and privacy & data protection partner Ann Bevitt is a London office representative on Cooley’s diversity committee, a firmwide group that meets bimonthly with the aim of strengthening a culture of inclu- sivity across Cooley. Our London office features chapters of the Minority Associates Group (MAG) and LGBTQ Affinity Group. Nicole Bieber and Prina Patel, associates in our tax and business litigation groups respectively, lead the MAG group in London. Corporate associate Russell Anderson co-chairs the LGBTQ Affinity Group globally and leads the group in London. Additional resource groups include our African American Affinity Group, Asian Pacific Islander Affinity Group and Caregivers Affinity Group. London business litigation partner Sascha Grimm, who in 2018 was listed in The Lawyer magazine as one of the “Hot 100” lawyers in the UK, is a founding member of Women in Law London (WILL), a legal networking organisation focused on the retention of women in the legal sector. Sascha is co-chair of Cooley’s Women’s Initiative and a representative for London alongside mergers & acquisitions partner Michal Berkner, business litiga- tion associate Joanne Elieli and debt finance associate Louise Ryberg. We’re proud of our annual commitment to Pathways to Law, which provides legal work experience to academically able, “A” level students from underprivileged backgrounds. In addition, we review summer programme applications on a name-blind basis and conduct behavioural interviewer and unconscious bias training for all our lawyers, directors and managers. We also implement the Rare Contextual Recruitment System as part of our application system. We are excited about what lies ahead in continuing to attract and retain diverse talent.
Are you Cooley? Cooley lawyers are stimulated by solving business and legal challenges. The work we do is complex, so our lawyers must relish developing the intellectual and analytical mastery needed to accomplish finding difficult answers to thorny questions. We are seeking candidates who share this passion, as well as an appreciation of how to develop effective business and working relationships. In addition, applicants should be able to demonstrate the following:
• Motivation and initiative • Communication skills and leadership • Service orientation and work ethic
• Superior judgement and problem-solving skills • Commitment, enthusiasm and team spirit • Professionalism
www.cooley.com/uktrainee
Meet Cooley events In addition to attending a number of university law fairs, we will be hosting our annual Meet Cooley event on 12 December 2019. This event is aimed at those who are planning on applying for our 2020 summer programme before the 31 January 2020 deadline and who want to learn more about our practice areas and culture. Priority will be given to those who have reached at least their penultimate year of a law degree or the final year of a non-law degree. We will also be running a smaller meet and greet event early in 2020. This event will be a chance to come into the firm for an office tour and an informal chat with a few of our current trainees. Priority for this event will be given to those who haven’t applied for the summer programme/periods of recognised training at Cooley in the current 2019/20 recruitment cycle and may be at an earlier point in their academic pathway. This event will be a great opportunity to learn more about the firm and to gain a greater understanding of life as a Cooley trainee. Applications to attend these events can be made via our online system from mid-October 2019. Applications to attend the December event should be made by 25 November 2019. Applications to attend the meet and greet event in early 2020 will be dealt with on a rolling basis, but the last date to submit will be 28 February 2020.
Academic requirements Cooley’s academic requirements are a minimum 2.1 at degree level for any discipline and 128 UCAS points or equivalent, not to include points from AS levels or General Studies (320 points under the pre- 2017 UCAS Tariff). We will accept applications from individuals who do not meet these requirements where an individual has clear and valid mitigating circumstances and has otherwise demonstrated excellence at another point in their academic or professional history.
Trainee salaries and key benefits
• Starting salary £50,000, rising to £55,000 in second year of training • Newly qualified salary: £118,000 • 25 days holiday per year • Gym membership subsidy • Season ticket loan • Critical illness insurance
• Private medical insurance • Life assurance • Pension scheme and firm contribution • Childcare vouchers • Sports, social and celebratory events • Subsidised onsite cafe
Law school support For those who secure a training place prior to the start of law school, Cooley will pay the fees for the GDL and/or LPC and will also pro- vide a living allowance of £8,000 (per annum) for those residing inside London or £7,500 (per annum) for those residing elsewhere.
Legal talent contacts
Sarah Warnes Trainee recruitment & legal talent manager (London)
Cooley (UK) LLP Dashwood
69 Old Broad Street London EC2M 1QS +44 (0) 20 7583 4055
Claire Temple Special counsel & trainee principal
uktrainee@cooley.com
@cooleyllp
@cooleycareers
facebook.com/cooleyllp linkedin.com/company/cooleyllp youtube.com/user/cooleyllp
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