Is Cooley a good company to work for?

Cooley has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 411 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 61% of employees would recommend working at Cooley to a friend and 80% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Cooley have been left by employees working as Practice Team Assistant , Legal Secretary and Associate .

Does Cooley pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Cooley employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Cooley. This rating has improved by 7% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Cooley?

61% of Cooley employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Cooley 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Cooley?

Associate (67) , Legal Secretary (21) , Paralegal (11) , Practice Team Assistant (10) , Associate Attorney (8) , Attorney (7) , Marketing Assistant (7) , Patent Agent (7) , Conflicts Analyst (5) , Marketing (4) , Associate Lawyer (3) , Legal Assistant (3) , Legal Assistant/Paralegal (3) , Manager (3) , Marketing Specialist (3)

What are the pros of working at Cooley according to real employee reviews?

"great people to work with" ((in 51 reviews)); "Cool clients and good culture" ((in 33 reviews)); "The provide great benefits and have supportive management" ((in 24 reviews)); "Great pay and good company" ((in 18 reviews)); "Friendly colleagues, good training and no dress code." ((in 14 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Cooley according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and long nights" ((in 19 reviews)); "Management is absolutely ruthless, tons of ppl laid off" ((in 15 reviews)); "Little to no work life balance" ((in 8 reviews)); "There are too many directors and too many managers." ((in 5 reviews)); "Long hours (same for any law firm)." ((in 5 reviews))

What are employees saying about Cooley layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Cooley layoffs and their outlook for job security at Cooley in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Cooley locations?

San Francisco , New York , Palo Alto , Washington , San Diego , Boston , Reston , Los Angeles , Santa Monica , Chicago , Seattle , Buffalo , Gainesville , Coolidge , Dallas , Sunnyvale , Santa Barbara , Clinton , Las Lomas

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Cooley

Cooley reviews

4.0

61% would recommend to a friend

(384 total reviews)

Joe Conroy

87% approve of CEO

80% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.5

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Culture & values

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.5

Senior management

Cooley has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 384 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Cooley employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Legal industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

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Reviews by job title

384 reviews

2.0

Apr 23, 2013

unhappy associates, but high-quality work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-the best partners are really extraordinary litigators, extremely tough people -- if you become a favorite, you can learn and advance fast -biglaw pay

Cons

-associates are almost uniformly miserable, many desperately so -the same partners who are the best lawyers are also abusive and horrible people -favoritism - huge differences in treatment of junior associates. if you don't get singled out for grooming early on, leave

5.0

Mar 12, 2013

Good people

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good people, highly respected firm, opens doors to interesting law careers. The work can be interesting but can also be boring, just depends. Some interesting tech clients. Good out of office culture.

Cons

Having to bill in 6 minute increments is a fact of life in big law firms. Bummer.

1.0

Feb 4, 2013

If You're Not a Partner -- Don't Work Here

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Salary; they will just about hire anyone

Cons

No advancement; in order to work on the better matters, you need to really kiss up to the senior partners. The associates and non-exempt staff are treatly horribly. The firm is so cheap that you can't get a writing tablet or a box of pens to work with. However, the partners line their pockets with gold.

Viewing 367 - 369 of 384 Reviews

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Jobs at Cooley

Competitive Intelligence Analyst

Conflicts Analyst (New Business)

Senior Conflicts Analyst (New Business)

Innovation Counsel - Litigation

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unhappy associates, but high-quality work

Good people

If You're Not a Partner -- Don't Work Here

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