Anyone on the ground know how many associates were let go? And will other firms follow suit or is this a Cooley/ECVC vulnerability?
Which class years were targeted ?
This is such a non-issue 
Everyone’s trying to make this into a bigger story than it is, they weren’t large scale layoffs, again just a couple of low performing associates. I feel like someone must be really upset about being laid off and is going around and starting rumors all over the place.
Sure things are slow, the firm is tightening up and letting some low performers go but that’s seriously it
Cooley associates too scared to speak out? Shameful.
I mean people have known this was happening at Cooley all the way back in like August-September and Cooley associates/former associates have definitely discussed it on this board and fishbowl. I got let go from them as a junior and quickly landed on my feet elsewhere at a place that was probably a better fit for my life anyway. They gave me three months severance, so honestly it resulted in me getting a nice windfall while I doubled-up on salaries for two months.
Happy for you on landing on your feet! Any idea how prevalent the layoffs were?
Not really, haven’t spoken to the 1-2 people I would ask about this since August. Last I heard there were a significant amount of suspicious absences from the Capital Markets practice group meeting.
Is this second and third years mainly?
Couldn’t say. I was so floored by my firing and the firm handled it so callously (literally got my name wrong on some of my separation documents) that I basically removed them from my brain entirely the instant I closed the Zoom.
Damn, typos, how callous.
Gunderson just laid off a bunch of people as well
(1) It wasn’t a typo like Marc vs. Mark or something, it was the wrong name entirely like Brandon vs. Brett.
(2) Obviously that was just a quick example. No one gave me any indication that anything was seriously wrong prior to my review, told me that they were letting me go because my “issues weren’t fixable” (despite me talking directly to the people I worked with and them saying that’s absolute BS), said that they’d help me on my job search but offered no resources to do so and never followed up, the partner who was in charge of my separation basically told me not to talk to him when I reached out for help offloading my work, etc.
I’m glad I got out of there last year before the slowdown. Even in summer 2021 there was general consensus that tech stocks were due for a correction (I saw valuations double and triple in a matter of months in 2020), but they kept bringing in laterals and large summer classes to meet the demand. Cooley gave me bad reviews as a junior too btw. Then I got great reviews as a midlevel and at my new firm. It is probably BS that your issues weren’t fixable. That place is a sweatshop for juniors and they don’t train you.
Were first years targeted? Seems like they would have the hardest time finding a new biglaw home.
“They gave me three months severance, so honestly it resulted in me getting a nice windfall while I doubled-up on salaries for two months.”
from Anonymous on Nov 10 above
You should actually pay back the windfall.
I know.
It sounds ridiculous.
It may take 5, 10, or 20 years to see that it’s not.
LMAO at this flame
I know
expected that
the passage of time will change your outlook
Guess I’m not helping by giving it oxygen, I can’t believe some people would stoop to trolling people who have recently been laid off. Kicked any dogs or elderly people on the way to work today?
I’m a big believer that you see people’s true character when you are placed into tough situations. If what has been said is true of the Cooley lay off (it passes the sniff test with me), I would be giving that place a wide wide berth.
Sounds really unpleasant, and you should absolutely not take any of their “performance critique” seriously, we all know the real reason. Happy to you bounced back quickly and best of luck.
x2. Encouraging laid-off associates to return their severance payments, even in jest, is ridiculous. We need IP bans at this point assuming Dooley is doing it.