1L IP Litigation Summer Program

We encourage you to apply on November 15, 2025, for our 1L IP Litigation Summer Program.

Cooley’s IP litigation group is seeking exceptional first-year law students with electrical engineering or computer science backgrounds to join the 2026 summer program in our Washington, DC, and Palo Alto offices. Cooley offers an IP litigation summer program for ambitious law school students with strong technical skills who are eager to gain experience working on trials, appeals and related counseling. Summer associates will sit exclusively in our IP litigation practice group and receive training and mentorship from the partners and associates in this group.

Although not required, law students who commit to two full summers at Cooley will be eligible to receive a $20,000 bonus upon joining the firm as a full-time associate.

To receive the $20,000 bonus, summer associates must:

  • Spend 10 full weeks with Cooley after completing both their 1L and 2L years in law school
  • Receive and accept an offer of full-time employment, and join the firm as a full-time, first-year associate

Eligibility

We welcome applications from all law school students who:

  • Are enrolled full time in an American Bar Association-accredited law school with an anticipated graduation date of 2028 at the time of application
  • Can participate in and complete Cooley’s 2026 summer program
  • Are not the immediate family member of any partner or employee of Cooley LLP

Selection criteria

We will select summer associates based on consideration of:

  • Undergraduate, graduate and law school academic achievement
  • Demonstrated interest in IP litigation and planning to join this practice group upon graduation
  • Candidates should have a background or education in science or engineering

Application process

Applicants should submit one complete and accurate online application that includes:

  • A current résumé
  • An undergraduate transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
  • Graduate program transcripts (if applicable)
  • A law school transcript (after the receipt of first-term grades)

Please note

  • Due to the nature of the rolling application review process, offer decisions may be rendered before receipt of first-term law school grades.
  • Only one application may be submitted.
  • If you are interested in more than one office location, apply to your top choice and indicate your other interests in the open text box on the application. 

For 1L students in the 2025 – 2026 academic year, applications must be received by January 9, 2026. Upon receipt of your first-term law school grades, please send a copy of your law school transcript to Laura Stanton, firmwide IP legal talent manager. Selected applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis to arrange personal interviews.

Please direct questions regarding the program to Laura Stanton.