Debt Finance Summer Associate – Debt Finance

Job Description

2027 Summer Associate – Debt Finance | Cooley LLP

The Tone:
This is a Summer Associate role at Cooley LLP, available across its Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Washington, DC offices. Cooley LLP recruits JD 2028 students to support its comprehensive Debt Finance practice, representing a wide array of financial sources and companies in complex transactions. This position is vital for cultivating future legal talent who will advise clients on significant debt and lease financing, venture debt, and debt securities matters. The firm values exceptional legal acumen, strong communication, and a service-oriented, business-minded perspective.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Seasonal
• Location: In-person, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Washington, DC
• Pay: $225000 yearly
• Mission: To provide legal representation and counsel to a diverse client base in complex debt and lease financing, venture debt, and debt securities transactions.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Represent a diverse range of debt and lease financing sources, including US and international banks, business development companies, leasing companies, insurance companies, investment banks, commercial finance lenders, mezzanine investors, factors, and asset-based lenders.
• Advise companies, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, and other investment funds on strategies for seeking debt financing.
• Represent banks and non-bank funds investing in emerging companies, considering factors beyond traditional financial analyses, such as a company’s investors, its capital structures, the likelihood of future funding, intellectual property, and warrants.
• Assist issuers, underwriters/initial purchasers, institutional investors, and placement agents in a wide range of debt securities transactions.
• Counsel clients on structuring diverse debt instruments, including registered public offerings, 144A debt placements (convertible and high-yield bonds), and traditional private placements, and advise on alternative deal terms.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Doctorate Degree (Juris Doctor) student, specifically a JD 2028 student (completing 1L year and applying for 2L summer program) with a completed 1L law school transcript.
• Experience: Meaningful prior work experience, coupled with engagement in extracurricular or leadership activities.
• Skills: Exceptional academic achievement and professional excellence; excellent written and verbal communication abilities; strong legal research and writing skills; sound judgment with proven problem-solving skills; initiative, motivation, and a service-oriented mindset; ability to work effectively in team settings; and an entrepreneurial, business-minded perspective.
• Bonus: A finance background is helpful.