Think you can find a full-service firm with a better work/life balance? O’Conntraire.
Cozen O'Connor Lateral Profile 2024
In central Philadelphia born and raised, on the legal playground is where they spend most of their days. There’s no getting past it, Cozen O’Connor is the fresh prince of a great work/life balance. Compassion was the word of the moment as our sources described the level of togetherness felt at the firm: “My perception was that it’s a hard-working firm, but people look out for each other,” one told us, “there’s a real sense that attorneys having their own lives is important at Cozen.” And, as is so often the case, this more compassionate approach only motivates the associates at Cozen to work harder to achieve great things for the firm across its litigation, business law and corporate spheres.
View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings
Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life
Why did you join your firm? Associates say…
“I was immediately welcomed into the affinity groups, and the attorneys and staff were interested in getting to know me.”
“A lot of the partners and attorneys at the firm had been there for many years.”
“My friends who had been at Cozen loved it!”
Strategic Recruitment Focuses 2024
Business law careers
The view from the firm: Cozen O’Connor’s business attorneys help clients achieve their goals with respect to mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, intellectual property, real estate, utility & energy, environment, securities, tax, transportation & trade, employee benefits and executive compensation, bankruptcy, public and project finance, insurance corporate and regulatory, privacy and data security, and health care and life sciences.
Business law clients: Pennsylvania American Water Company, The Arden Group, Lindsay Transportation Solutions.
Recent work highlight: Represented 29 of the EB-5 Visa investors who were defrauded into investing in a Florida real estate commercial development with the matter valuing over $12,000,000.
Commercial litigation careers
The view from the firm: Cozen O’Connor is a trial firm — not simply a litigation firm. Our commitment to actual trial work benefits our clients both in the form of decisive verdicts and advantageous settlements. We practice before judges across nearly every U.S. state as well as in Canada, are well-versed in the procedural norms in their courtrooms, and win cases in the most challenging jurisdictions. Our commitment to hands-on trial practice is unusual in the current legal marketplace, even among prestigious peer firms. Our attorneys’ trial skills were developed through direct experience. Excellent trial lawyers know the language and rhythm of the courtroom. They know how to assimilate new information and recalibrate strategy as events unfold. These critical intangibles are our stock in trade. And because our litigators are trained in a wide range of areas, we can typically assign one small team to handle both unique and more general claims in a given lawsuit, resulting in a streamlined approach to staffing that maximizes efficiency.
Commercial litigation clients: J&J Snack Foods Corporation, The Beachbody Company, TRX Training.
Recent work highlight: Represented Boenning & Scattergood in its sale of all of its private client group assets to LPL Financial LLC.
Intellectual property careers
The view from the firm: Cozen O’Connor’s intellectual property attorneys are committed to protecting the rights of innovators, the power of ideas, and a fair marketplace for intellectual property assets. Cozen O’Connor’s renowned Intellectual Property Department stands out from its competitors in part by providing comprehensive IP service coupled with the reach and resources of a full-service law firm. While many peer firms have quietly narrowed offerings, Cozen O’Connor’s 50-lawyer IP group advises on all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and unfair competition, from clearance and procurement to litigation. The firm maintains a soup-to-nuts model because, quite simply, that’s what’s best for clients. Members of the IP team have diverse backgrounds in industry and technology; graduate science degrees; and decades of relevant experience as firm counsel, in-house counsel, or government regulators. Equally important, our lawyers are business people. We don’t just find legal solutions; we find practical and sustainable business solutions.
Intellectual property clients: Allied Universal, BODI, Endo Pharmaceuticals.
Recent work highlight: Handled all federal trademark and copyright protection for the Web3 company Streaming Rat, which integrates traditional media with blockchain technology.
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
23 |
0.5 : 1 |
91% |
||
|
partners made in 2023 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
76% |
84% |
89% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with children | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
The view from the firm: A top priority at Cozen O'Connor is to offer professional development support to our attorneys through comprehensive training and mentoring programs. On-the-job training is supplemented by a structured training curriculum that orients associates to the firm and to their practices. We want to enable our newest attorneys to be productive contributors from the outset. Training topics include substantive legal issues as well as general lawyering skills and matters of firm operation and policies. Lateral associates are paired with experienced practitioners, "Cozen Coaches", who are accessible to answer questions and assist in integrating the attorney to the practice of law and firm culture. The combination of formal training programs, mentoring support and coordination of assignments ensures that our attorneys have the opportunity to develop their skills to their fullest potential at the earliest stages and throughout their careers.
Hours & Compensation
|
variable |
9.1 |
48.9 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
79% |
69% |
41% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
said the benefits package makes the workload worthwhile |
found the bonus allocation fair and transparent |
Salaries
1st year: $170,000-$205,000
The firm did not disclose its salaries beyond this point.
The view from the firm: We are a meritocracy-based compensation system, and attorneys are compensated like similarly situated employees, taking into consideration market/geography, assigned department, J.D. year, and level of relevant years of experience. Associates are eligible for an annual salary increase and an annual discretionary merit bonus.
Is Cozen O'Connor the right firm for you?
|
84% |
92% |
85% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work is interesting |
felt comfortable being themselves at work |
The view from the firm: Cozen O’Connor carefully avoids the boom-bust recruiting cycle that often marks other large law firms. Instead, with a focus on financial stability and effective firm management, we maintain steady, strategic growth. We actively seek lawyers and groups who fulfill the needs of our clients and expand the breadth and depth of services that we offer. At the same time, we closely protect the culture that defines us as a firm, which contributed to Cozen O'Connor being named to Newsweek's list of America’s Most Loved Workplaces in 2023. Therefore, we take a rigorous approach to ensuring that new lawyers are a good fit for the firm both personally and professionally.
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“Close group that not only cared about work matters, but also more beyond just that; there’s a goal to develop younger associates to grow with the firm.”
“How open, friendly, and supportive nearly everyone is. People are busy, but everyone, from support staff to department chairs, make time to get to know you and support your career growth.”
“Th firm is transparent, and everyone is both nice and professional. I love having a work-life balance; you have the ability to have a social life.”
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
|
61% |
26% |
23% |
||
|
reported diverse staffing on teams/cases/matters |
of partners are women |
of associates identify as ethnically diverse |
||
The view from the firm: Cozen O'Connor has partnered with Diversity Lab to participate in the Disability Inclusion Commitments. Firms who sign up have committed to increasing inclusivity for people with disabilities by taking action on one or more of the Disability Inclusion Commitments. The goal is to take actions to foster a more inclusive environment for those with visible and invisible disabilities.
Pro Bono
|
22.6 |
91% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm is committed to pro bono |
Pro bono highlights: Veterans benefits/military affairs; asylum immigration matters; LGBTQ+ rights/name changes; assistance with non-profits and small businesses; prisoner civil rights, compassionate release, expungements and other criminal law
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: Cozen O’Connor acknowledges a responsibility to engage in sustainable business practices that protect our environment and natural resources. We are conscious of the impact our actions have on the environment and are committed to implementing operational standards that promote environmental sustainability across our office. Our green initiative, ECOzen, shares important information on sustainable options, trends, and news with the firm through annual newsletters and provides periodic recommendations to firm management.
Contact
Learn more about opportunities at the firm
Recruitment contact: Lauren Carella, Director of Legal Recruiting, LCarella@Cozen.com