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Cooley is one of the big names in startup and venture law. It was founded in San Francisco in 1920. In the late 1980s it moved its main offices down the Peninsula to Palo Alto, closer to the companies and investors it served. Today its Palo Alto office sits on Hanover Street in Stanford Research Park, a few minutes from Page Mill Road.
This profile covers the firm's history, the deals it is known for, its free founder resources and what a visitor should expect. For the wider picture of legal help for founders, see our guide to startup law firms in Palo Alto.
Founding in San Francisco
Arthur Cooley and Louis Crowley started the firm in San Francisco in 1920. For its first decades it was a general practice firm in the city. Its link to technology and venture capital began in the 1950s.
Wikipedia credits the firm with forming Draper, Gaither and Anderson in 1958, which it calls the first venture capital partnership organized on the West Coast. It also says the firm formed Raychem and National Semiconductor in the 1950s. Those clients put Cooley at the start of the industry that would later be called Silicon Valley. Our history of venture capital on the Peninsula explains how those early funds worked.
The move to Palo Alto
By the 1970s and 1980s the firm's best known clients were biotech and computer companies on the Peninsula. In the early 1980s it took both Genentech and Amgen public. In the late 1980s, according to Wikipedia, it relocated its offices from San Francisco to Palo Alto. Wikipedia still lists Palo Alto as the firm's headquarters.
The firm kept a large San Francisco office, at 101 California Street. But the move signaled where the work was. Palo Alto put Cooley's lawyers near Stanford, the research park and the venture firms of Sand Hill Road.
Startup law is local work. Founders want to meet their lawyers over coffee, sign papers the same day and get quick answers when a term sheet arrives. Investors want counsel who already know the other side. A Palo Alto base made all of that easier. It also put Cooley within a few miles of many of its clients.
Names over the years
Like most law firms, Cooley changed its name as partners came and went. Wikipedia mentions Cooley, Crowley, Gaither, Godward, Castro and Huddleson in 1971 and Cooley, Godward, Castro, Huddleson and Tatum in 1989. The firm was known for years as Cooley Godward. Today it is Cooley LLP.
Notable work
Wikipedia lists a run of well known clients and deals.
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Formed Draper, Gaither and Anderson, an early West Coast venture partnership. |
| 1971 | Represented Disney in the copyright case Walt Disney Productions v. Air Pirates. |
| Early 1980s | Took Genentech and Amgen public. |
| 1989 | Handled Qualcomm's initial public offering. |
| 1993 | Incorporated Nvidia, then took it public in 1999. |
| 2025 | Advised Machinify, a Palo Alto healthcare payments company, on its acquisition by New Mountain Capital. |
Our profile of Machinify covers that last deal from the company side.
Growth beyond the Peninsula
Cooley grew into a national and then international firm. On October 31, 2006 it merged with the New York firm Kronish Lieb Weiner and Hellman, which took it from about 440 lawyers to about 550. The New York Times called it a leading Silicon Valley law firm in its report on the deal.
It opened in London in January 2015 with a 55-lawyer practice and in Beijing in 2018. Wikipedia lists offices in 13 U.S. cities plus London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Brussels and Singapore. It reports revenue of $2 billion in 2022. The American Lawyer placed Cooley 19th in its 2024 Am Law 200.
The firm also had lean years. It cut 114 jobs in 2009. After hiring heavily in 2020 and 2021, it laid off 150 employees in late 2022 and delayed start dates for some incoming associates. Those cycles mirror the venture market the firm depends on.
A family tree of law firms
In 1995 two former Cooley partners, Robert Gunderson and Scott Dettmer, started Gunderson Dettmer. That firm also focuses on startups and venture capital. It is now based in Redwood City, one more example of how talent from one Peninsula firm seeds another.
Cooley GO and founder resources
For founders, the most useful thing Cooley publishes may be Cooley GO. It is a free website organized by company stage. It walks through starting a company, protecting ideas, raising money and selling, with sample documents and a glossary. It is worth reading even if you never hire the firm.
Pair it with our own guides to incorporating a startup, term sheet basics and equity and stock options. A founder who knows the vocabulary gets more out of a first meeting with any lawyer.
Working at Cooley
Cooley hires lawyers, paralegals and business staff in Palo Alto. Wikipedia notes that Fortune has listed the firm among its 100 Best Companies to Work For, which is rare for a law firm. Its careers pages list open roles by office and describe programs for law students. Law firm recruiting for students runs far ahead of graduation, so check dates early.
Many people who work in startup law here move between firms, company legal teams and venture funds over a career. If you are new to the area, our guide to finding a tech job in Palo Alto covers commutes, pay and housing in general terms.
Cooley and Stanford
Cooley's Palo Alto office sits on Stanford land in the research park. Its work with university spinouts is part of everyday business here. Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing, now at 485 Broadway in Redwood City, licenses inventions to new companies. Those companies need counsel for formation and financing. We found no single formal partnership to report. The connection is the steady flow of Stanford founders, faculty and graduates through local law firms.
Cooley shares the neighborhood with other firms. Wilson Sonsini has its headquarters on Page Mill Road. DLA Piper lists 3203 Hanover Street, just down the block.
Visiting and nearby
The Hanover Street office is private. There are no public areas, exhibits or tours. Meetings are by appointment only. The building has badge access.
Good to know
- Address: 3175 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
- Do not walk in to ask for a consultation. Use the firm's published contact channels.
- Cooley's San Francisco office is at 101 California Street if your meeting is in the city.
The Hub, the research park's gathering space at 3215 Porter Drive, is close by. Coupa Café runs a coffee shop there that serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays. For a wider choice, the restaurants on California Avenue are a short drive or bike ride away. The nearest Caltrain station is California Avenue. From there, bike or check the research park's SRPGO commute program for shuttles and buses that serve Hanover Street.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cooley headquartered in Palo Alto?
Wikipedia lists Cooley's headquarters as Palo Alto and says the firm moved its offices there from San Francisco in the late 1980s. Cooley lists its Palo Alto office at 3175 Hanover Street in Stanford Research Park. The firm also has a large San Francisco office at 101 California Street.
When was Cooley founded?
Arthur Cooley and Louis Crowley founded the firm in San Francisco in 1920. It has carried several longer names over the years, including Cooley Godward, before settling on Cooley LLP.
What is Cooley known for?
Cooley is known for technology and life science work, venture capital financings and public offerings. Wikipedia credits it with taking Genentech and Amgen public in the early 1980s, handling Qualcomm's 1989 offering and incorporating Nvidia in 1993 before taking it public in 1999.
What is Cooley GO?
Cooley GO is a free website the firm publishes for founders. It is organized by company stage and covers forming a company, protecting ideas, raising money and selling, with sample documents and a glossary.
Can I visit Cooley's Palo Alto office?
Only by appointment. The Hanover Street building is a private office with no public spaces or tours. Founders looking for a first meeting should use the firm's published contact channels rather than walking in.