The Cooley LLP Diversity Fellowship
The application period for our 2013 Diversity Fellowship has closed. We encourage you to contact us this coming fall regarding our 2014 Summer Program.
As part of Cooley LLP's ongoing commitment to diversity, we are proud to offer Diversity Fellowships to outstanding first year law school students. Award recipients will receive a paid 1L Summer Associate position and an award of up to $30,000 to assist with law school tuition. The award will be paid in three installments: $10,000 upon completion of the 1L summer with the Firm; $10,000 upon completion of the 2L summer with the Firm; and the remaining $10,000 upon joining the Firm as a full-time associate.* Students who demonstrate a commitment to promoting diversity are encouraged to apply. Award recipients will be announced in the Spring of 2013, with the Summer Associate position to start following the successful completion of the recipient's first year of law school.
*In order to receive the second payment of the fellowship award, a Cooley Diversity Fellow must receive and accept an offer to return to the Firm following the Fellow's 2L year and must not be the recipient of a diversity award from another law firm paid between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. To receive the final payment of the fellowship award, a Cooley Diversity Fellow must receive and accept an offer of full-time employment and join the Firm as a full-time first year associate or as a full-time associate post-judicial clerkship.
The eligibility, selection criteria and application process for the program are as follows:
Eligibility
We welcome applications from all law students who:
- Are enrolled full-time in an ABA-accredited law school with an anticipated graduation date of 2015 at the time of application
- Demonstrate a commitment to promoting diversity
- Can participate in and complete Cooley's 2013 Summer Associate Program and
- Will not be the recipient of a diversity award from another law firm paid between January 1, 2013 and August 31, 2013
Selection Criteria
Fellows will be selected based on consideration of the following factors:
- Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity
- Undergraduate and law school academic performance
- Personal achievement
- Demonstrated leadership ability
- Community service
Application Process
Applications must include:
- Completed application form
- Personal statement, no more than one single-spaced page, demonstrating achievement of the selection criteria for the Diversity Fellowship
- Current resume
- Undergraduate transcript
- Law school transcript
- Other graduate program transcript(s)
Please note that all of the required information must be complete and attached before the application can be submitted (this does not include law school or other graduate program transcripts). For students who submit an application prior to the availability of first term law school grades, please send a copy of your law school transcript as soon as it becomes available. Transcripts may be sent via email to:
Septina McDonnell
Firmwide Diversity and Inclusion Manager
Cooley LLP
diversityfellowship@cooley.com
For 1L students in the 2012-2013 academic year, applications must be received by February 1, 2013. First term law school transcripts must be received via email by February 15, 2013 if they are not available at the time the application is submitted. Selected applicants will be contacted in February to arrange for personal interviews. Recipients of Cooley's Diversity Fellowship awards will be announced in Spring 2013.
To learn more about our Firm, we invite you to attend a 1L law student reception being held in the following Cooley offices in January 2013:
For more information regarding these receptions, including the date and time they will be held in each location, please email Septina McDonnell, Firmwide Diversity and Inclusion Manager, at diversityfellowship@cooley.com. Please be sure to include in the body of your email the location of the reception about which you are interested in learning more.