Law Students

There’s no better way to learn what it’s like to be an associate at Cooley than to spend a summer with us.

Our summer program is designed to give participants an unfiltered introduction to life and practice at the firm. We are committed to providing extraordinary legal services in a professional, collaborative and fun environment.

Cooley Direct allows second-year law students to apply directly to our summer associate program on an earlier timeline.

The application period for the 2026 summer associate program runs from April 1 to June 16, 2025, and candidates will be considered on a rolling basis. Candidates who are serious about Cooley are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Please note: If you only have fall semester grades available, you should submit those as part of your application. Spring semester grades can be submitted later.

We work with companies throughout their entire life cycle, meeting clients where they are – and getting them where they aspire to be through our highly tailored services. Our experience is extensive: We helped form the first venture capital fund in the western US, represent the most companies in raising venture capital, lead transformative initial public offerings and M&A deals, and advise public companies and their boards on complex compliance and regulatory issues. This broad platform offers summer associates and new corporate lawyers the opportunity to gain valuable experience working with exciting technology and life sciences companies that partner with us for their legal needs.

General corporate summer associates receive a range of assignments, including many from our core practice areas – emerging companies and venture capital, public companies, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity. There also are a number of opportunities for summer associates to work with more specialized groups, such as compensation and benefits, debt finance and fund formation, among others.

We protect clients’ interests and deliver meaningful results. We are known in the industry and among peers as problem solvers, top-notch litigators and creative thinkers. With Cooley, clients get trusted counsel to prevent, mitigate and solve challenges that could otherwise impact the trajectory of their business. We recognize that our clients have diverse legal needs and business interests. From data privacy and intellectual property to employment, board actions, trade secrets and beyond, Cooley has it covered – and we defend clients against interruptions, allowing them to remain focused on their goals.

With more than 450 litigators across key business and technology centers worldwide, we handle high-stakes litigation for cutting-edge companies. Business litigation summer associates have the opportunity to learn from the best and contribute to meaningful work, receiving a broad range of assignments across a number of practice areas. Additionally, certain specialty groups, such as cyber/data/privacy, labor and employment, intellectual property litigation and patent prosecution, hire candidates directly.

Cooley offers a patent summer for entrepreneurial law school students who thrive at the intersection of discovery, creativity, business and law to train as associates in our patent counseling and prosecution practice.

Award recipients will spend two full summers at Cooley and be eligible to receive a $20,000 bonus upon joining the firm as a full-time associate.

A summer at Cooley provides a realistic view of what it’s like to practice law here. We combine meaningful work and comprehensive training with a variety of events that enable law school students to get to know our team.

Work assignments relate to ongoing client matters, offer practical exposure to the firm’s client base and practice, and are representative of an associate’s work.