Cooley
Coverage of Cooley in the Nexus archive.
- AI is the business-model shock law firms need
Law firms' traditional business models, reliant on time-based billing and limited investment, are being disrupted by AI technologies that perform routine legal tasks at lower costs. Firms like Kirkland and Cooley are investing heavily in AI, while others may consolidate, leading to a bifurcation in the legal industry. AI-native law firms, such as Crosby, highlight the shift toward technology-driven legal services.
- AI will identify BigLaw’s rainmakers faster — and weed out the rest
AI is expected to accelerate the identification of future legal rainmakers in BigLaw by focusing on strategic and business-building skills rather than execution. Cooley's CEO, Rachel Proffitt, highlights that AI will enable earlier talent sorting, promoting those with high EQ, tech, and networking skills while reducing reliance on traditional lockstep advancement. The firm is developing an AI-powered portal for routine legal tasks.
- I left Big Law to become an investor, but building an AI firm proved more lucrative. We hit 6 figures in our first 6 months.
Kristina Subbotina transitioned from a corporate startup lawyer at Cooley to founding Lexsy, an AI-powered legal platform for startups. She raised $650K, achieved $372K in revenue with 41 customers, and previously built a $1.3M law firm by sharing legal horror stories on social media.
- A top Silicon Valley law firm wants startup founders to stop asking chatbots to do legal work and use this instead
Cooley, a Silicon Valley law firm, has launched Cooley Go Lab, an AI-powered portal for startups to handle routine legal tasks. The tool, developed with Legora, targets founders in Y Combinator's summer cohort to address common contract issues. It aims to replace chatbots with a structured, law-firm-backed solution for document review and drafting.