Skip to content

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

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.

Read More
  • Cooley Professors Discuss Russian-Ukraine War and Violations of International Law
    Cooley Professors Discuss Russian-Ukraine War and Violations of International Law

    Cooley Professors Discuss Russian-Ukraine War and Violations of International Law

    As the Russia-Ukraine War continues, Cooley Law School Professors David L. Finnegan and retired Brigadier General and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Michael C.H. McDaniel, experts on international law, have created a video-blog series sharing various interpretations of international law as it pertains to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The first three video-blog posts take a look at three important topics when looking into the violation of war crimes. Hosted on Cooley’s blog site, the video blogs also can be found on the Cooley Law School YouTube channel and are available for members of the media to share with their audiences.

  • Legal and Criminal Justice Expert speaks to Media on Police Officer Shooting
    Legal and Criminal Justice Expert speaks to Media on Police Officer Shooting

    Legal and Criminal Justice Expert speaks to Media on Police Officer Shooting

    Following the April 4 shooting death of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya by a Grand Rapids police officer, many have expressed frustration over the use of deadly force, questioning police policy on de-escalation, as well as frustration over length of time to conduct and release information from the investigation.

  • Robin Sutara: Unassuming Trailblazer
    Robin Sutara: Unassuming Trailblazer

    Robin Sutara: Unassuming Trailblazer

    Robin Sutara (Witherell Class, 2010) has always been a trailblazer. Perhaps an unassuming trailblazer, but she has definitely carved out a career and life path that has taken her to extraordinary places and heights. Sutara, who twice graduated from Cooley, garnering her JD in 2010 and then returning for her Masters of Law in Intellectual Property and graduating in 2013, was named as Microsoft UK’s first Chief Data Officer in January 2021. She is responsible for collaborating with Microsoft’s customers throughout the UK, learning about how they leverage data and artificial intelligence, and working closely with them to create new solutions for a variety of functions and across multiple industries, including retail, banking and healthcare. Sutara has been with Microsoft for more than two decades, serving in a number of leadership positions on the way to her current role with the company. Sutara’s previous roles included consumer support engineer, technical account manager, business operations manager and chief of staff, where she was responsible for all operations and business management functions for the corporate vice president for the Azure Data engineering organization. Azure is a cloud computing service operated by Microsoft for applications management via Microsoft-managed data centers.

  • Jon Kohler: Brokering and Conserving Natural Lands
    Jon Kohler: Brokering and Conserving Natural Lands

    Jon Kohler: Brokering and Conserving Natural Lands

    When you read articles featuring Jon Kohler (Adams Class, 1997) about his success as a land broker, you read about the deals that include large swaths of land in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. You also read about the value of the land and how the deals were brokered. What you don’t read about in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others is Kohler’s passion for conservation and the need to rehabilitate and maintain many of the lands his company brokers in their most natural states.

  • Rabih Hamawi: From Insurance Agent To Insurance Lawyer
    Rabih Hamawi: From Insurance Agent To Insurance Lawyer

    Rabih Hamawi: From Insurance Agent To Insurance Lawyer

    Sometimes seminal moments in one’s life can change a career path. For Rabih Hamawi (Story Class, 2015), who at the time, owned and operated an insurance agency in Livonia, Michigan, it was a not-so-ironic realization that led him to now battle in court against insurance companies on behalf of his clients.

  • Cooley Law School Faculty Expert Analysis on Rittenhouse Verdict
    Cooley Law School Faculty Expert Analysis on Rittenhouse Verdict

    Cooley Law School Faculty Expert Analysis on Rittenhouse Verdict

    Following the not-guilty verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse on November 19, 2021, Cooley Law School Criminal Law Professors Jeffrey Swartz and Anthony Flores were interviewed by media in Michigan and Florida.

  • Former Judge and Criminal Law Professor Expresses Concerns Over Arrest Procedures
    Former Judge and Criminal Law Professor Expresses Concerns Over Arrest Procedures

    Former Judge and Criminal Law Professor Expresses Concerns Over Arrest Procedures

    “I am sympathetic to the prosecutor’s cause for gun safety reform, but at this point, the ends do not justify the means.” - Former Judge and Cooley Law School Criminal Law Professor Jeffrey Swartz.

  • Why Writing Well is Essential to Your Legal Career
    Why Writing Well is Essential to Your Legal Career

    Why Writing Well is Essential to Your Legal Career

    Writing is a necessary evil to some and a welcome respite to others. But whether you love it or hate it, lawyers spend much of their time writing, and writing well is important to success as a lawyer. Cooley understood these two facts from the start, which is why Cooley now has a nationally recognized research and writing program. Designed to teach students plain-language writing and techniques that will serve them throughout their careers, the program has raised the legal-writing bar nationwide.

  • Vaccines. Masks. Mandates and the law. Cooley Experts Weigh in.
    Vaccines. Masks. Mandates and the law. Cooley Experts Weigh in.

    Vaccines. Masks. Mandates and the law. Cooley Experts Weigh in.

    Despite the apparent confusion and divide on the topic of vaccines, masks, and mandates, Cooley professors are very clear about what the law says, and what is allowed, not allowed, and why.