Editor’s note: Cooley is among the finalists for The American Lawyer’s 2021 Litigation Department of the Year award. The winner will be announced at The American Lawyer Industry Awards in New York on Dec. 2.

To understand the rise of Cooley’s litigation department, one needs to understand the evolution of the economy over the past decade. More specifically, the rise of technology companies such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft to become some of the largest companies in the world.