9th

There can not be stealth layoffs at Cooley. Cooley has long stood for the idea that all those desiring legal employment should be able to obtain it. Furthermore, according to the new rankings, Cooley is a top ten firm due to the number of seats in its library.

Cooley does it for the lulz

That's what happens when a firm's first named partner is a turn of the century asian manual laborer.

Does leaking the agreement disparage a Firm Party? You make the call.

How you like me now?

7, can you please explain at what time the current president will be responsible for the current economy

Also, are you responsible for the firms that are letting their new hires start early?

thanks.

"Separation Agreement"

I don't need no stinkin'
"separation agreement."

Cooley ain't so cool anymore.

7- I think 18 months is usually a fair assessment, considering the time it takes for changes to filter through the business cycle. The fact that the situation was so dire Obama basically did the same thing as Bush II wanted to do (bailout + massive stimulus) indicates that whoever took over this economy was going to have to suck it up for the first year of their presidency at least. - not 6

8, 11

Anyone who buys into the myth that the President has some incredible control over the economy so that he can be "responsible for it" is an uneducated hick.

OWBPA Anyone??????

These guys are lawyers, right? So they provide the 21 days required by the OWBPA, but don't qualify the acceptance within the 21 days on the condition that you don't revoke your offer in the 7 days following your execution.

Even if no one qualifies for OWBPA protection, this is shoddy work. If no one qualifies, the 21 day period isn't necessary (why not make it 10 days)? The 21 days implies that someone is aware of the OWBPA. In law firm land these days, 50% offers are ok, so I assume 50% compliance with OWBPA is good as well.

11-I have faith that Obama can suck a lot longer than just his first year.

In fact, he seems like a long-term (hopefully just the one) sucker.

There was also another partner defection from Latham, this time at the Silicon Valley office. The rats are fleeing the sinking ship.

8 -

Well buddy, I wish that I could take credit for the fact that a few firms are calling back their deferred associates, but I think it is due to the increased demand for legal services caused in part by the benefits of the stimulus package. I guess President Obama is as good at fixing the economy as I was in wrecking it.

You're welcome.

The ship be sinking...

Latham recently lost some IP partners. If you were marketable, would you want to support the finance and derivatives partners Latham hired in 2007 (the boom will never end!)? Latham gave these now worthless people very lucrative packages. Not only that, would you want to work with a bunch of demoralized Latham associates?

16

You can't be that dumb. I voted for Obama and think he has been a disaster. The health care debacle has shown that he lacks true leadership skills.

It's hilarious how Latham is trying to repackage and market its worthless finance associates. Latham's pawning people with little to no bankruptcy experience off as bankruptcy lawyers, and charging Latham rates to boot!

19 - you're naive if you didn't know that it was going to be a disaster at times. It has nothing to do with leadership, and has everything to do with the fact that it is a hugely divisive, complex, expensive issue.

Not surprised. Cooley is a shoddy firm. They hire hire hire in good times and fire fire fire in bad times. Please do not disparage the numnuts who run this firm.

I'd be shocked if there's not a "confidentiality" clause in this agreement. That is "You will not disclose the terms nor existence of this separation agreement."

Woops....that just got violated if later signed.

"...caused in part by the benefits of the stimulus package. "

That statement is so laughably underinformed as to strain my credulity. Get it through your head, kid. As go the investment banks, so goes BIGLAW. Period. Digging ditches in Jerkwater, Texas has zero effect.

21-

His failure to articulate the White House's position shows his lack of leadership. He decided to sit on the sidelines while Congress battled back and forth. He still refuses to commit to whether or not a public option is vital and he refuses to listen to advisors regarding cost cutting measures, since many of them invovle taxing the health care of his protected class (anyone who makes less than $250,000). Apparently he is going to FINALLY lay out what his position is. Too little, too late.

Any idea which office(s) the associates were let go from?

25, are you suggesting that the US should drop all efforts at health care reform just because they haven't managed to sell it effectively?

Whoooooooaaaaa. 19 just owned 16. Bammmmm!!!!!!!!!!

26 - the associates were evenly distributed accross the offices

Obama is just a novelty -- first black president elected out of guilt and totally unqualified as the leader of a Country. He was never more than a community organizer and should go back to doing that. Let's not make this mistake like this again. We need to elect a REAL president like Mitt Romney next time around.

Dear Joe Conroy,

Care to finally admit that your leadership of Cooley has been an unmitigated debacle? The expansion strategy was your idea. Despite opening new offices and hiring any asshole partner you could find with a book regardless of fit with the rest of the firm, you failed to achieve any useful diversification. In the process, you killed the rest of the firm.

Tower Snow was a raging success compared to you.

Sincerely,
Cooley Culture's cold dead corpse

Obama is just a novelty -- first black president elected out of guilt and totally unqualified as the leader of a Country. He was never more than a community organizer and should go back to doing that. Let's not make this mistake like this again. We need to elect a REAL LEADER like Mitt Romney next time around.

27,

No, I am saying that Obama has done a horrible job at selling health care reform and that the liberal wing in Congress has refused to look at cost cutting measures that might work because that would limit the "free healthcare" available for people who refuse to pay for it. Don't believe me, read the reports from the budget office. I have.

30, 32, 33, 34, 35: Is clicking "Post Comment" once also "just a novelty?"

Whoooooooaaaaa. 37 just owned 30/32/33/34/35 for clicking incompetence. Bammmmm!!!!!!!!!!

30, 32, 33, 34, 35 likes to hit "Post Comment" like Mitt Romney likes to hit his (unacknowledged) multiple wives.

What 31 said.

The difference between someone of my stature and a peon that voted for Commissar Obama is that I can recognize the failures of the past administration (i.e., George W. Bush) and criticize the candidate I voted for. Notice how folks that voted for Commissar Obama are reticent about criticism for their own candidate. George W. Bush was a terrible president. Commissar Obama is worse. Consider the Commissar's stimulus package. Sure last month was good for auto dealers as a result of the ridiculous "cash for clunkers" program. Now that the party is over, the cash for clunkers hangover is starting to sink in and dealers will report lower sales that will continue to harangue this recession that Commissar Obama has failed to address in a long term manner. Commissar Obama keeps applying bandaids to cancerous tumors but his blind supporters are fine with that because this was the hope and change they believed in. I really frown on the people in this profession that voted for Commissar Obama. Why don't you cut your nose off to spite your own face?

Cooley partners may have jobs, but they still can't triforce

. ▲
▲ ▲

Cooley's culture is all about sending associates (including first years) packing. They did it in the dot com bust, they're doing it now, and they'll do it again. If you are a 2L or 3L looking at Cooley, you have been warned.

16,

Thanks for proving you are a joke with your "analysis." I will agree that the Barak machine has generated significant increases in lobbying activity -- as documented by the abajournal. Beyond that -- i can only agree that the government, which was bad at overseeing the postal service and national rail (amtrak) is now in the business of making cars and running banks.

We gotta get one of those non-disparagment thingys in our severance contracts. ... wait, sorry, what's that you say? ...hmm, it would be nice to get that six months salary back. I have been eyeing a new baby seal bone door knocker.

12 speaks the truth. Presidents dont control the business cycle. And some other guy basically controls employment levels, interest rates, and prices.

Presidents, however, are responsible for not leaving the kitty empty by irresponsible spending and tax policies, and thereby crippling the government's response to economic crisis, and its ability to invest in public goods and infrastructure. Obama has a good chance to better his predecessor on that score, even with the dire budgetary and macroeconomic situation he inherited. So lets see how it goes.

23,

If later signed? Obligation doesn't arise until you take it on by signing. Loophole.

Does anyone have any actual, substantive information on these layoffs?

Any information on the breakdown by practice group, class year, or anything else?

Any news on the effect on incoming first years (Jan '10), expected OCI hiring, as well as the offer rate for this past summer?

Any real information would be appreciated.

Good partnership news? Cooley is in serious trouble. The PA office has been hemorrhaging their best corporate partners in the Palo Alto office. It is a much weaker firm than it was just two months ago.

45,

Word is some '04 and '05 corp and life science, some new litigators, and a handful of the Heller welfare cases

16, 8 here. HILARIOUS response, awesome. I suppose the Huge Stimulus crap package that Bush passed right before he left office has nothing to do with it and it is all Obama's stimulus package right? Tell me, how do you make that distinction. Glad to know that everything bad = Bush and everything Good= Obama. He truly is the Messiah! How can anyone be so blindly partisan? Even I know Bush fell apart at the end, His first term wasn't that bad, but the second....yikes...but Obama has not faults right? YES WE CAN!

12, 8 here. I agreed with you, but I was just playing off the comments started by Dubya , that he is completely responsible for all economic woes of the country but not the successes.

Sorry, PE, but Future Ellie is eating your lunch here in the ATL (present Elie is likely eating several lunches, but they are all his). You need to update your tired "socialist Obama" shtick before you sink into the irrelevance you so richly deserve.

Laid off associates were dead weight. Performers, except the exiting M&A partners, are secure.

Broader issue is if any firm will be able to keep PPP and leverage at pre 2009 levels.

51,
Existing management is underperforming so that makes them deadweight as well. They may be riding the greed right now, but every dog has his day.

51,

Dead weight =

Partners who don't bill

Partners who don't bring in any business

A management team that has lost the confidence of the associates.

Now get back to work.

Cooley's latest round was performance based -- so long as you count hours towards "performance". A handful in each office -- mostly junior associates as that is who just went through semi-annual reviews. However, I know of at least one 5th year corporate. It is actually pretty hush-hush around the firm with many, if not most, of the associates not even realizing that this just went down.

If I was law firm management, I would change the wording in each of these agreements ever so slightly so that we could pinpoint the douche-bag that leaked it to ATL and cut off their severance.

If I was Cooley management, I should be fired because it's performance based, you know.

54, I hope you're next in line on the chopping block, no severance needed for you.

I'm sure the posters who continue to blame Bush for the current economic crisis more than 8-months into Obama's presidency and over 2-1/2 years since the democrats (including then senator obama) took control of Congress, also blamed Clinton for 9/11 seeing as it occurred only 8-months into Bush's presidency, right???

The whole blaming Bush routine for everything that goes wrong in the world is beyond tired. Give it up. Obama has been a terrible failure thus far, which is why his approval ratings have plummeted at record pace and will continue to plummet unless and until he stops blaming the past administration for his mistakes as a senator and now as president and starts offering solutions (i.e., leading).

The Summer class at Cooley was also a total bloodbath.

Take the layoffs as a blessing in disguise. Biglaw sucks.

Cooley lost Climan, Flaum and Riefschneider to Dewey earlier this summer, and a few additional M&A partners left recently for Dewey as well. Those guys were really the only high quality M&A capability Cooley had; the rest of them are VC lawyers who put as much time into the M&A deals as they do the fee-capped VC deals -- which is to say, very little. But their cash-hungry VC clients love the low fees on M&A deals, so good on them, I guess.

These particular 3 new IP partners and 50 cents will buy you a cup of coffee.

56 nailed it. Liberals are the ultimate hypocrites.

Why would anyone go to Cooley -- it is a shoddy firm run by imbeciles who fail to learn from past mistakes. If you are desperate, and have no other offer, go ahead and interview at Cooley. But when the economy turns, get out because the axe be falling next cycle. It would be career suicide to hang around.

54 - High performers who met their hours in both litigation and corporate got let go in their reviews. These were not performance-based cuts to get rid of dead weight, they were economic layoffs. This firm does not give two shits about any of its associates.

There is Lathamizing going on everywhere....I wonder if Latham is Lathamizing again?

This too shall pass

I personally know several of the people who were laid off during this most recent round. They were not "dead weight." They received stellar reviews and made their hours up until the point where they were cut. These cuts came out of nowhere and were completely economic based.

The problem of course is that Cooley will never admit that. They are a dishonest firm. They market Cooley Culture to recruits, say that "we're not driven by money here, and respects your work life balance," and blow smoke up your ass until your fired. Then they pull the rug out from under you when you get hired, insist on you billing insane hours, treat you like animals, have partners yelling at their associates, and tell you for the first time that your performance isn't up to snuff when they kick your ass to the curb.

I know there are those who will say, "what did you expect, it's a big firm; that's how big firms act." Correct; that IS how most big firms act. It's just not what Cooley is marketing. I'm not mad that Cooley is acting the way they are (money grubbing, asshole partners making associates and secretaries cry); I'm mad that their fake and dishonest about it. Just put it on the table Joe Conroy; you want to play with the big boys, but are marketing yourself as the same friendly firm that Cooley probably was 10 years ago. Stop with the deception.

What was their offer rate to summers?

Well, 54 here, I personnally know a handfull of those that got fired this summer that were, in fact, dead weight. Lousy associates with lousy hours and zero potential here.

I have never seen or heard of a partner yelling at anyone at Cooley.

I know of at least one Cooley office that gave 100% offers to the summers (who 100% accepted, of course).

Anecdotes by bitter ex-Cooley associates or wanna-be Cooley associates and $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee.

Cooley is looking a lot like Heller (circa December 2007). Weak management, departing partners.

will this effect SA hirings in White's Palo Alto office?

Having been at Cooley over a decade ago, to me, the loss of Climan, Flaum and Riefschneider was a warning sign that something is not right. I never saw Climan or Flaum as being in it for the money --they stuck out the last bloodletting -- and they were loyal. Maybe they and their clients just out-grew the firm, with it focus on VC financed companies and biotech start-ups. Maybe somehting more. I don't know.

Cooley associate here. 68 is 100% right. I don't know of any summers in our office that didn't get an offer.

Laid off associates here were not good and had terrible attitudes.

Lots of Latham partners have been leaving, not just one from the CA offices. Partners have left LA and SV.

68 -- You must not be on the East Coast. There are notorious asshole partners at Cooley Reston and NYC, just to name 2 offices.

Joe Conroy personally recruited most of the assholes. Joe is a nice enough guy face to face, but horrible judgment in recruiting lateral partners.

68 must not be in PA either. Where are you? Seattle office?

54 -- you are an obvious kiss ass, with little real experience, if any, you can't spell, and will never be in "management" so please keep your petty comments to yourself.

Let's see. In 2001, Bush inherited a growing economy, a budget surplus, and peace in the world. By 2009, he had turned that into record deficits, two wars, and an economy teetering on the brink of a depression.

In 8 months, Obama has at the very least stabilized the markets. In fact, the Dow has had one of its best runs ever, and the war in Iraq is winding down.

Maybe the reason why some of you posters are unemployed is because the world of "Mad Men", wherein untalented, racist, bigoted, and sexist White males could easily ascend the corporate ladder are over.

Change has come to America, and my advice is get use to it.

Bad to worse is still Change!

77: You are a jackass.

Who says Bush inherited the growing economy? The economy already started falling when he took the sear.. Remember, the dot.com bubble burst and big bankruptcies like Enron, Worldcom, Lorel Skynet? Also, September 11 happened right after few weeks.

I feel bad for you. You are ignorant and a lousy democrat. All it will get you is a lousy job in Taco Bell.

68 -- Try current Cooley associate, speaking from more than simple anecdote. Morale, at least in SF, sucks; it's palatable. I've watched partners yell at associates and secretaries; just last month, I watched a secretary weep for over an hour after a tongue lashing from a partner.

The environment of the firm has changed. I'm not saying your experience hasn't positive, or that many associates' experience is positive. I'm merely saying that I've seen more frustration, tears, and anger within the firm than I have witnessed in my four years with the firm. It's tangible.

Where can I grab this $1.50 coffee you speak of?

Bush inherited a pretty minimal recession and responded by passing 1 trillion in tax cuts without commensurate spending cutbacks. Then he entered two wars, one under completely false pretenses, initiated programs which incentivized providing mortgages to anyone and pushed for bills that have substantially infringed on our constitutional rights.

The country is better off today than it was when Obama took office, but even if it wasn't, Republicans don't have much of a leg to stand on in their attacks.

54 - who would want to be a Cooley associate right now?

If you don't wanna be yelled at for sucking at your job that you are paid an obscene amout of money for -- do something else with your life. Try working at the Gap or being a telemarketer -- ah, wait you get yelled at in those jobs too if you suck, they just pay you a lot less to put up with it.

Why didn't ABTL post about Latham's drop backs, layoffs that happened this month? Too old hat at this point?

LOL, 77. Ha, ha. That's gotta be a parody. No one can be THAT stupid....

...wait, people did vote for Obama.

Comment removed by moderator.

86-
Slanderous (or libleous always forget which is which)

Let's just say that these people that were fired were good attorneys that were making their hours -- they were still the worst of the bunch or they wouldn't have been let go, bad economy or not. Go ahead and keep telling yourselves that these folks were really great attorneys that were screwed by the big bad evil firm but sooner or later you'll have to face the facts that they weren't cutting it at the firm, for one reason or another.

88-

In the case of Cooley, not cutting it = not sufficiently kissing the ass of certain asshole partners. Some people went to Cooley with the admittedly naive belief that ass kissing was not the No. 1 performance objective. Those current and now former Cooley attorneys have doubtless been disabused.

83 and 88 -- Nobody is claiming to be a victim of a big bad evil law firm. People are claiming to having been deceived. I honestly have no problem if partners yell at associates (who indeed make an obscene amount of money). The problem is Cooley going around acting like it's something it's not. It's like the preacher man who tells the congregation that the church is a peaceful haven, then goes home and beats the crap out of his wife and kids.

Cooley should just be honest about what it is: another big law firm that acts exactly like any other law firm. Their partners will yell at you and the staff, and the fact that you get paid a lot means you should suck it up. You're expected to spend days awake without sleep, and not be thanked for it (remember: thank you = the mountains of money we pay). And associates shouldn't ever ever complain about the way they're treated because they should have expected it, their acting like babies, they get paid ridiculous amounts, and the economy sucks.

Do you think we can fit the above on their recruiting brochure?

88: If these attorneys weren't cutting it and weren't great attorneys, they shouldn't have been getting stellar reviews up until the day they got fired. I know for a fact that this happened (at least to some people; I obviously can't speak for everyone).

Further, your post implies that these people were crap attorneys, which I think overstates it a bit. Even assuming your premise is correct (that they were in the bottom 10-20% of Cooley attorneys), I think it's hard to say that 20% of the attorneys on Cooley's payroll until a year ago were "crap attorneys." They just didn't cut it at Cooley, for whatever reason.

The snottiness from some people on here toward people who just lost their jobs is disgusting.

Comment removed by moderator.

Cooley simply isn't the firm that it once was. Cooley Culture was a very real thing throughout most of the decade. Yelling wasn't tolerated, associates and partners trusted each other and honestly cared about each others' well-being. Now, after a change in management, all those values have gone out the door. No amount of lip service can change that. Put it this way: five years ago there's no way that a copy of Cooley's separation agreement would be sent outside the firm. There's no loyalty anymore.

Cooley management wants it both ways. They want to become one of the big dogs and compete with the Latham and Skaddens of the world, but still market itself as a different place to work. Unfortunately, at least over the past 10 months, it's transformed into a dime a dozen BigLaw firm but they've been unable to establish themselves as a big time player. If Cooley associates are going to get yelled at and treated as though they're replaceable, they'd rather do it across the street. At least they'd get paid more and pick up some prestige points on their resumes.

Most Cooley associates chose Cooley over more prestigious firms because of the promise of a humane and respectable practice. Call us naive, call us stupid, call us whatever you want. But it was that place up until recently.

Unfortunately, the partners and management don't understand it nor, quite frankly, do they seem to care. The fact that numerous associates, in this economy, are outright quitting with no job or prospects in hand is a statement in and of itself.

93: Well stated.

89

I concur.

Disabused former associate.

93 - you're right on point.

93 really nailed it.

Compare the comments in this thread to threads for other firms. Two things quickly become self evident:

1. Cooley had a great culture and recruited some fabulous people on that basis. They were loyal, decent people who believed in a work hard play hard lifestyle and stood up for their comrades when they were slighted.

2. That culture is dead and gone and people are really pissed off about it.

As 93 said, I think that the most telling thing is the number of associates who have voluntarily quit in the last couple of month with no job prospects in one of the worst economic climates since the 30s

The associates that didn't get laid off who feel they can dismiss the associates that did get laid off as being underperformers need to get their heads out of their asses. Just a few reasons a firm might layoff associates who aren't "underperformers": (1) office politics; (2) race/gender considerations (Cooley is well aware that they have been shredded on diversity rankings year after year); (3) whether you have work for that type of associate; (4) departure of partners with whom associates worked; and (5) because the firm has mandated that every office cut a certain percent of associates.

Cooley has cut around 20% of its associates. In other words, if the layoffs were performance-based, 20% of Cooley's associates sucked and Cooley didn't do anything about it until the economy tanked. Law firms don't keep underperformers around until layoff time.

98 et al. Do you really think those people just up and quit? Or was it a stealth layoff? (sorry, nevermind - that would *never* happen at Cooley... at least not at the old Cooley)

Cooley was doing stealth layoffs starting in late fall 2008 and continued after the announced layoff in January 2009. It was so quiet, many associates did not even realize that people had left.

100: I am not 98, but I can absolutely assure you that stellar performers have up and quit, and it was not a stealth layoff. Absolutely guaranteed.

102-

Yikes.

-100

I wonder if the stellar performers at Cooley who are quitting are following the lead of Cooley partners who have left over the last few months:

Rick Climan (head of M&A)
Keith Flaum
Eric Reifschneider (head of technology transactions)
Jane Ross
Jim Donato
Michael Knight
Craig Waldman (head of anti-trust and trade regulation)

I believe there are more partners who have left but these are the only ones I know of for sure.
.

Let's face it. If you actually suck, you don't get 3 months severance. Any questions?

ok -- I know that this string died long ago, but I could not resist responding to the exalted associates who label others "deadweight".

Because these posts sound like other Cooley associates airing our dirty laundry, let's get a few things straight. I have been around long enough and know enough about "Cooley culture" to see the truth. When you are needed, you are awesome. Your reviews are awesome. You are a team player. You are on a "great trajectory." You are [insert whatever b.s. is necessary to blow smoke up your ass to keep you around.] Then, regardless of what you have done or what stage you are in your career (i.e. new associate who was the next "star" or a wishful-partner-to-be who has had series of successes year in and year out), something happens and you are no longer needed: The big case settles (or you win it); the deal flow dies down; the IPO market shuts down; your partner champion moves on; the partner you hitched your wagon to loses out in a firm political battle; you become the "competition" for partners already hungry for work and suddenly they don't want you on their turf.

Yes, there are a few exceptions to this rule, but I can't help but shake my head at those who feel so superior to those who have been shown the door. Do you really think that they are "deadweight" and you are not? Most of the Cooley associates that I know -- including the ones that have been shown the door -- are intelligent and hardworking. They put in their time just like you are doing. They made sacrifices just like you are doing. Chances are they were better people and less of a jack ass than you, but maybe you are just more bold when you can hide behind a hidden post.

Do you think that I am wrong? Run the numbers. How many people started your year? How many make partner? And now that we have a four-year "gate" for partners, how many of those will become "deadweight" after a dozen years of doing what you are doing. Careful what you label others, because I would take the bet that you will become the same -- except that when you run into an ex-Cooley alum, we will remember you as the jackass.

I don't blame the partners. The good ones are under a tremendous amount of pressure. Others have spent so much time posturing and preening that they have lost all social skills. Yes, there are plenty of things that the firm could do better.

However, when my time comes and I am deemed "deadweight" or if I am exalted to the holy thrones of partnerdom (i.e. you better get clients in four years or you are "deadweight"), I would hope that I have built a network of trust with others. If you have been dancing on the graves of others, then you have become the jackass. Karma bites.

And to the partners who jumped on to post about how great things are going and how the "high performers" have nothing to worry about. Really? Do you think we are stupid?

I cannot believe that I worked at this firm for two years. Reading these comments is so depressing. In my office the winter and summer layoffs included several women and one minority male. (The diversity practices in this office are abysmal.) All of these associates had made their hours except a few were shy less than 100 hours for 2008 because the partners were hoarding work like crazy at the end of 2008. There were a few more, but those were long time associates that knew there time was up. The turf war by partners at my office are so horrific that you can't get your own clients. You would probably get fired for this reason alone. You are a slave and a work horse while your billable rates are low - then you are dead weight unless you have some redeeming quality. It's just a soul-sucking place. It's not worth the money. The ironic thing is that many associates would gladly trade some $$ to have the old culture back. Cooley is in over its head. They are trying to play with the big boys and fail to learn from their mistakes. They should stick to what they know or slowly grow the firm in other directions. The acquisition of Heller was idiotic. The expansion to Seattle likewise - um didn't they do that before. How did that go? Joe Conroy is just not managing partner material. It's a hellish place. I think I have learned though that all big law is. So, unless you are a sadist, just run away in general.