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 Law Student Seeks Chance to 'Create Change'
    Cooley Law Student Seeks Chance to 'Create Change'

    Cooley Law Student Seeks Chance to 'Create Change'

    Never tell Heather Silcott she can’t achieve success—whether in the legal field, hockey arena, or pageant world. A comment from an employer that she could “always be a legal assistant,” gave Silcott the impetus to apply to law school—and she is now a rising 3L at Cooley Law School with an exciting legal career in her sights.

  • John Desmond: Lawyers Can Serve a Greater Role as Leaders & Educators
    John Desmond: Lawyers Can Serve a Greater Role as Leaders & Educators

    John Desmond: Lawyers Can Serve a Greater Role as Leaders & Educators

    When offices started closing down back on March 16 of 2020, John Desmond (Person Class, 1994) remembered thinking at the time that this whole thing would only last two to three weeks, maybe four weeks max.

  • Erika Weiss: Embracing Heritage Leads To Native American Law Practice
    Erika Weiss: Embracing Heritage Leads To Native American Law Practice

    Erika Weiss: Embracing Heritage Leads To Native American Law Practice

    Growing up, Erika Weiss’ (Livingston Class, 2014) family didn’t talk much about their Native American ancestry. While In middle school, Weiss remembers often being asked, “what are you?” She wasn’t sure how to answer what seemed like a strange question, often saying to herself “I’m a human,” while realizing she “stuck out like a sore thumb” to those asking the question.

  • Samuel Onyegam: Doing What He Loves To Do and Making an Impact
    Samuel Onyegam: Doing What He Loves To Do and Making an Impact

    Samuel Onyegam: Doing What He Loves To Do and Making an Impact

    Samuel A. Onyegam (Wilkins Class, 2011) would be the first to say he had a good time as a student at Cooley Law School. But that didn’t mean he was into partying or the bar scene in Lansing, Michigan. He had one priority as a law student. He would make as much out of his law school education and experience as possible, and a good time meant staying focused on “learning the law the right way.”

  • Using Microsoft Word’s Readability Program: advice for lawyers
    Using Microsoft Word’s Readability Program: advice for lawyers

    Using Microsoft Word’s Readability Program: advice for lawyers

    Readability should be a goal of all careful writers. Lawyers, in particular, need to exercise care that their writings are comprehensible to the intended audience.

  • An Introduction to Compensatory Contempt, the "Other" Contempt of Court
    An Introduction to Compensatory Contempt, the

    An Introduction to Compensatory Contempt, the "Other" Contempt of Court

    Contempt of court has been in the news recently, usually as a result of someone being punished for disrespecting the court. Examples here in Michigan include a restaurant owner fined $15,000 for violating a judge’s coronavirus-closure order. And a lawyer hit with a $3,000 fine for displaying the middle finger during a zoom hearing.

  • Admissions’ Secrets to Conquering Your LSAT Prep
    Admissions’ Secrets to Conquering Your LSAT Prep

    Admissions’ Secrets to Conquering Your LSAT Prep

    The LSAT is the definitive test used in the law school admissions process. As such, your score will have a significant impact on your acceptance and scholarship eligibility.

  • COOLEY LAW Professor Renalia Dubose Speaks on Florida HS decision to pause yearbook distribution
    COOLEY LAW Professor Renalia Dubose Speaks on Florida HS decision to pause yearbook distribution

    COOLEY LAW Professor Renalia Dubose Speaks on Florida HS decision to pause yearbook distribution

    Cooley Law School Professor and former administrator from Pasco, Hillsborough and Orange Counties Renalia DuBose is available to speak to the media on the legal parameters surrounding Education Law and Legal Rights and the recent news surrounding the Florida High School Yearbook Distribution Being Paused Due to Black Lives Matter Content.

  • Chelsea Rebeck: Success Means Anticipating and Pivoting with Change
    Chelsea Rebeck: Success Means Anticipating and Pivoting with Change

    Chelsea Rebeck: Success Means Anticipating and Pivoting with Change

    Southfield, Michigan tax attorney Chelsea Rebeck (Ellsworth Class, 2012) could see the handwriting on the wall as soon as the first news reports of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns started streaming in.