Is Cooley Really That Bad? Yes.
I’m a 2013 Cooley graduate. Being that I’m still alive, this means I’ve experienced being a Cooley graduate for 13 years, and I’ve watched my fellow graduates navigate their careers for 13 years. And I am here to tell you that, YES, Cooley is in fact, that bad.
I’ve been a licensed attorney ever since graduating Cooley, and I still had to leave the legal profession because I could only make $40,000 per year. I have thrived in literally every other field I’ve tried, making substantially more money and being treated with respect I never received as an attorney. Just don’t mention you have a Cooley law degree and you can do anything…….
It makes me sad when I talk to Cooley grads still trying to make it in the dumpster of the legal profession. Attorneys with over a decade of experience struggling to make $50,000 per year in 2026 with $250,000 in student loans they’ll never pay off. Or the countless “forever law clerks” I know from Cooley. You do not need a JD to be a law clerk.
If your LSAT and GPA can only get you into Cooley or a similarly low ranked school, please do not go to one of these predatory institutions. Please go work at a law firm as a legal assistant for a year while you get your LSAT score up and figure out if law is actually what you want to do.
Thank you for attending my Ted Talk. I intend for this to be a series on Cooley and other Tier 4 law schools.