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  Cooley Law School Hosts Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer During Sports and Entertainment Law Society Event

  TAMPA, Fla. — On March 25, Cooley Law School’s Sports & Entertainment Law Society hosted an event, “The Law Behind the Lights: Where Sports, Entertainment and Law Intersect,” at the Cooley Event Center on its Tampa campus, featuring Jimmy DuBose, a former NFL running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The event also featured, Shawuki Hilton, Esq., Cooley Law School alumnus and founding attorney of The Hilton Law Firm, and a poetry performance from Everkesia Taylor of I Am Poetry. “As a former professional athlete and present treasurer of the local National Football League Players Association, I am aware of amateur and professional athletes’ need for competent legal assistance,” said DuBose. “I was pleased to see the number of Cooley Law School students who have an interest in providing legal assistance to athletes in the future.” DuBose, an alumnus of the University of Florida Gators, was the first UF running back to rush for a 1,000 yards in a single season. He was named SEC Player of the Year in 1975, and selected to the Associated Press All-American team, and the Tampa Tribune All-Century Team in 1999. Additionally, DuBose was inducted into UF’s Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Sarasota High School Hall of Fame in 2018. He played four years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became the first player in franchise history to rush for a hundred yards before getting injured and retiring from the NFL. Outside of football, DuBose worked in education for 22 years as a teacher, football coach, dean, and assistant principal in Hillsborough, Orange, and Pasco counties. He is currently the treasurer of the local chapter of the NFL Players Association leadership, where he has served in various capacities for over 20 years. “I’d like to say that it was an amazing event and I’m grateful for having been invited to participate,” said Hilton. “I look forward to future opportunities to work with SELS.” Hilton, who practices sports law, represents professional athletes within the Canadian Football League. Before graduating cum laude from Cooley, Hilton served as the justice of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, vice president of entertainment of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and associate editor of the Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law. He has served a diverse client base on matters related to business law, contract law, consumer protection, estate planning, intellectual property, and real estate. “Our goal was to bring together professionals from sports and the arts to give students a real, firsthand look at how law shapes each path — from NFL players to emerging artists building their dreams,” said Kimberly Ayala, SELS president. “It was an incredibly powerful experience, and if you weren’t there, you truly missed something special.” Cooley Law School’s Sports & Entertainment Law Society hosted an event, “The Law Behind the Lights: Where Sports, Entertainment and Law Intersect,” on March 25 at the Cooley Event Center on its Tampa campus. Pictured from left to right: Daniel Podboy- Navarro, Cooley Law School SELS vice president; Jim Hicks, SELS faculty advisor; Kimberly Ayala, SELS president; Shawuki Hilton; Renalia DuBose, Cooley professor; Jimmy DuBose, former NFL player; Everkesia; John Johnson, SELS public relations; and Giani Villalba, SELS secretary.

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  Derek Matthews gives next generation of Cooley Law School students a start in legal profession in Tampa

  Derek Matthews (Vinson Class, 2017) is no stranger to giving back to Cooley Law School in the Tampa Bay region. Outside of legal practice, Matthews sponsors the annual Cooley Alumni Golf Outing in Tampa and participates in alumni events and mentoring programs to build relationships with faculty and fellow graduates.

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  Reda Taleb’s Life’s Work: Turning Pain into Purpose — and Giving It Back to Dearborn

  When Reda Taleb (McLean Class, 2015) talks about “giving back,” she isn’t just reciting a slogan — she’s living by example. The daughter of immigrants from Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, Taleb’s parents, along with her six older siblings, laid roots in Dearborn’s south end, an area known for its pollution-emitting factory smoke stacks and community of Arab Americans seeking the “American Dream.”

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