Cooley

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Cooley

At Cooley, trainees work at the sharp end of the tech and life sciences markets on ‘genuinely career-defining matters’, with headline clients and responsibility from day one. Recruits were attracted to ‘the firm’s opportunity to advise ‘emerging companies in the sectors of technology and life sciences’. One trainee even describes working for clients including ‘OpenAI, Meta and Google’, often as ‘the only trainee staffed on a matter’.

That level of exposure is backed up by a culture trainees clearly rate. Respondents praise ‘the people’, ‘a very supportive culture’, ‘fantastic training opportunities’ and ‘a lot of genuine responsibility and coaching’. Standout moments include a team celebration at which one trainee’s contributions were ‘specifically called out’, ‘leading an advice call on trademark exploitation and enforcement strategy’, and simply ‘working with our teams and clients everyday’.

There are, however, some pressure points. The four-day in-office requirement has ‘occasionally felt quite inflexible and heavy-handed’, especially when long hours make it ‘difficult to have a work/life balance’. Trainees would welcome ‘a little more flexibility to work from home’, and would love the option of ‘an international secondment’.

Seat allocation and qualification processes cause some concern, with respondents describing having ‘very little understanding of why individuals are allocated to certain teams’ and some feeling ‘left in the dark’. Retention prospects can feel uncertain too, with ‘US head office pressures’ making the process feel ‘opaque and unclear’.

Pro bono is one area where Cooley really shines; ’10/10’, said one respondent. ‘There is so much available to us here’. Another agreed: ‘Our firm’s pro bono lead is superb… it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet people across the firm and take on a lot of responsibility’.

For trainees who want to work at the forefront of technology and life sciences and get stuck into high-profile work from the very beginning of their careers, Cooley is hard to beat.

A day in the life of... Emily Hall,

Departments to date: Business Litigation; General Corporate (including Private Companies, M&A and Capital Markets)

University: University of Cambridge

Degree: History

9.00am: I arrive at the office and grab a coffee and breakfast from Arthur’s, our café and barista bar. It’s a great way to start the day, and always nice to catch up with whichever colleagues I happen to bump into before diving into my inbox!

9:15am: The day kicks off with a signing for a private company transaction. Our client is an early-stage technology company, and several institutional investors are participating in its latest financing round. The documents were finalised late yesterday, and I’m now sending them out to the relevant parties to be signed. It’s fast-paced and requires strong attention to detail, but it’s really satisfying to see the deal get to this point after weeks of drafting and negotiation. The signing process is pivotal for any transaction, and I feel fortunate to play such an active role within the team.

Throughout the day, I’m responsible for fielding queries from signatories in relation to the documents and signing process. It’s great to have the chance to directly communicate with investors and the client team. As I’m coming towards the end of my seat, I feel confident handling these questions, and it’s rewarding to realise how much I’ve developed.

11:45am: With the signing underway, I turn to drafting a UK legal opinion for a public company client. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in our US offices and gain exposure to public company work. Drafting these opinions requires a solid grasp of regulatory requirements, as well as close analysis of historic corporate approvals and governance documents. After preparing a provisional draft, I speak with the associate to clarify a few points. The discussion really helps my understanding, and I quickly finalise the draft and send it over to the partner for review.

1:00pm: I take a break to grab lunch in Arthur’s and go for a quick walk with a fellow trainee. We swap stories about our current seats and chat about upcoming holiday plans. Cooley’s trainee cohort is small and close-knit, which makes for a genuinely supportive environment.

1:45pm: Back at my desk, I respond to a few follow-up queries about the documents I sent out earlier. Then, I move on to a National Security and Investment Act filing. I’m tasked with drafting structure charts to accompany the submission – a meticulous process, that involves coordinating with the client and internal teams to ensure accuracy. I enjoy the visual aspect of this task; it’s a nice change from pure drafting.

2:20pm: Next, I pivot to a seed financing matter for an early-stage life sciences client. I’m drafting some ancillary documents, including board resolutions and shareholder resolutions. Initially, I expect this to be straightforward, but the transaction turns out to be more complex than anticipated. It’s satisfying to work through the nuances and determine the necessary corporate approvals. I always enjoy the opportunity to do more bespoke drafting.

3:30pm: It’s time for an afternoon coffee break! I bump into an associate from my previous team in Arthur’s and have a chat about a matter I’d helped with during that seat – it’s great to hear how things have progressed.

3:40pm: I receive feedback on my earlier draft documents and make the necessary amendments. Feedback is always constructive, and my team is great at explaining the rationale behind changes, which helps me continue developing my technical skills.

4:15pm: I check the signatures that we’ve received so far from the documents that I sent that morning. These are coming in quickly! I send a brief update to the client and the internal Cooley team to keep everyone informed.

4:45pm: Success – we’ve had all the required signatures for a different financing round I sent earlier in the week! I review the documents to ensure everything has been signed correctly and update the major investors to confirm they’re happy before we date the documents and arrange for funds to be transferred. I’m able to confirm to our client and all the investors that the transaction has closed, and there are congratulations all round! It’s always rewarding to get to this stage on a deal.

6:30pm: I update my to-do list and send a few end-of-day emails. Before logging off, I check in with the associates I’m working with about tomorrow’s priorities. I also make a note to follow up with a client who has an upcoming deadline, then head home.

About the firm

The firm:  Cooley lawyers solve legal issues for investors, financial institutions and established companies. Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, often where innovation meets the law. Cooley has nearly 1,400 lawyers across 19 offices in Europe, the United States and Asia, and a total workforce of over 3,000 worldwide.

The clients: Allergy Therapeutics; Araris, Autolus Therapeutics, Brainlabs; Ebay; EsoBiotec, Exscientia; Government of the Turks & Caicos Islands; Grindr, Humio; Immunocore; IQVIA; Kpler, Meta; PetLab Co, Pizza Hut Restaurants; Stanley Black and Decker; Tata Steel; Wizz Air; Zoom Video Communications.

The deals: Advised on 5 of the top 10 largest life sciences venture deals in Europe in 2024, including the single largest deal in Ottimo Pharma’s $140 million Series A financing; Autolus Therapeutics on its strategic collaboration with immunotherapy company BioNTec, and on its $350 million underwritten offering; Bicycle Therapeutics on its $555.5 million private placement offering; EsoBiotec on its definitive agreement to be acquired by AstraZeneca for up to $1 billion on a cash-and debt-free basis; GeBBS Healthcare Solutions and sponsor ChrysCapital on GeBBS’s $840 million sale to EQT Private Capital Asia; Grindr regarding defending a class action alleging misuse of private and sensitive data; Northzone as lead investor in Nivoda’s $51 million Series C financing, with participation from investors Avenir, Headline, Abstract Partners and Canaan; Kpler on its $241 million acquisition of Spire’s maritime business; Multiple high-stakes global product liability and compliance practice matters, primarily in tech, but including advising Whirlpool on the largest and most significant product liability case in the UK; Multiple critical cyber, data and privacy matters, including compliance, regulatory investigations, cybersecurity and data breach response and litigation. See more at www.cooley.com/news.

Who we are: A law firm for the future. We are the counsellors, strategists and advocates for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders of the business economy. As advisers to disrupters – particularly in the technology, life sciences and high-growth industries – we see first-hand the power of innovation. We think beyond the limits of technology to encompass leading-edge processes and individual talents for a unique blend that benefits our professionals, our clients and our communities. We seek to meet the evolving needs of our clients by building a community of professionals of the highest calibre who share our vision and embrace our values.

What we do: Cooley’s London office has built out robust practices, including corporate/M&A, finance, venture capital and private equity, capital markets, technology transactions, life sciences partnering, complex high-stakes litigation and international arbitration, IP trademarks, product compliance and product litigation, white-collar defence and investigations, tax, employment, antitrust and competition, and cyber/data/privacy among others. See www.cooley.com/services/practice for global practices and industries.

Seat options

• Business litigation (incorporating commercial disputes, white-collar defense and investigations, international arbitration and employment)
• product compliance and product litigation (incorporating ESG)
• IP litigation and trademarks
• general corporate (incorporating M&A, capital markets and private companies)
• life sciences
• technology transactions and cyber data privacy
• antitrust
• employment

Tips from the recruiter

1. Ensure you can genuinely articulate (in your own words) your motivation to train at Cooley based on specificity and good awareness of what the firm does and why that fits with what you’re looking for.
2. Be reflective and analytical about your experiences (work, academic, other interests) and how they show you have the potential to succeed in a commercial legal career at Cooley.
3. Proofread, proofread, proofread! It’s vital to show you have the discipline of self-checking what you have written – it shows how much you care about the standard of what you produce.

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