Chad Cooper
Litigation Services
Philadelphia Office

Background
I grew up on the Main Line, about fifteen minutes outside of Center City. I went to high school with Kobe Bryant and even played in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament against him, which did not end well for my team. I went to University of Michigan for college and upon graduation, I came back home for law school, graduating from Penn law in 2002.

My Decision to Work at Schnader

I never expected to work in a firm when I entered law school. In fact, I worked for the District Attorney in Philadelphia after my first year of law school. But after my second year of law school, I decided to find out what working in a firm entailed. I was very impressed by the lawyers at Schnader who all seemed down to earth and friendly in addition to being excellent attorneys. So, I happily accepted an offer to be part of the Schnader summer class in 2001 and had a wonderful experience. For me, it was an easy decision to accept the offer to work here.

After I had spent a little over two years at Schnader, I took some time off to clerk for a federal judge here in Philly. That was a wonderful experience that the firm supported 100%. I highly recommend clerking to anybody considering litigation. And having two years of practical firm experience helped me hit the ground running when I began my clerkship.

My Work at Schnader

I like to call myself a litigation generalist. I’ve been fortunate enough to gain exposure to a wide array of legal fields. From IP work, to corporate litigation to antitrust litigation, to First Amendment work (my true love); I’ve been lucky to work on cases from the day they are filed through the appeal. Schnader also gives associates plenty of opportunities to do pro bono work, which is a wonderful way both to gain experience and to give back to the community. I have been part of a team that filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court that overturned a law that violated the First Amendment. I have also taken the lead on prisoner civil rights cases and helped children in need of representation through my work with the Support Center for Child Advocates.
Associate Life

Working at a law firm is going to involve long hours at times. This is a service industry and it is impossible to produce the top-notch legal work expected at Schnader without putting in the time. Still, everybody here recognizes that family comes first. There are a lot of associates with young children (myself included as I am the very proud father of twin nine-month old girls) and while the work/life balance can at times be difficult, the people at Schnader know how important it is to be able to put the work down and let loose, be it crawling around with kids or playing street hockey. The bottom line is that I work hard but have time for outside interests (I normally arrive in the office between 8:30 and 9:00 and I leave around 7).

I’d be happy to discuss my work here, associate life, or why I think the Flyers will win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime or if would like to get in touch with me with any questions about Schnader, please click here.