While it might seem otherwise, Cooley Godward isn t just about tech. In December 1998, the firm did its part for baseball in the Bay Area. Partners Kenneth Adelson and Christopher Westover, representing the owners of the Oakland A s in an arbitration proceeding with the city and county, successfully negotiated an agreement to keep the A s in Oakland until at least 2004. Certainly, Cooley interviewers are concerned with fit. One contact reminds us that the young associates here are highly intelligent, but well-rounded and interested in many outside activities.
Insiders also stress the importance of summering with the firm.
I have heard that candidates apply to the Palo Alto office hoping that their chances of getting hired are better than if they applied to work in the San Francisco office. People are very good about trying to maintain a work-life balance even though it s not always possible in this crazy time. A contact from the firm s Boulder office also points out that the firm is very supportive of employee s life decisions. Many contacts, however, note that the times, they are a changin . Cooley used to be known as a lifestyle firm, one insider in Palo Alto wistfully notes, but I think those days are long since gone.