Isabel Zagazeta is a 3L J.D. candidate and Dean’s Fellow at Cooley Law School in Tampa, Florida. Originally from Canada, she earned her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University before moving to Florida to study law at Cooley. She has earned book awards, served on Law Review, mentored incoming students, and was part of Cooley’s Moot Court team that recently won first place at the 2026 Robert Orseck Moot Court Competition. With a passion for legal writing and healthcare compliance, Isabel is building a strong foundation for a future in law at Cooley.
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On January 6, while rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Cooley Law School professors began answering calls from media outlets around the country regarding what could be considered both a criminal display of force and a violation of the Constitution.
Cooley Law School alum John Nocita (Turner Class, 1991) is profiled in the Winter 2020 issue of the alumni magazine Benchmark. The profile includes an account of his donation to the law school of an impressive bronze bust of Thomas M. Cooley mounted on a marble pedestal.
Yes, that statement exaggerates—but only slightly. Academics must publish or perish, meaning to lose their chance at a tenured position. Lawyers, on the other hand, don’t lose their law license when they fail to publish. Yet they lose a critical professional-development opportunity.
Earlier this year the Michigan State Bar Foundation announced the names of inductees into the 2020 Fellows Program. Among the twelve persons honored as Fellows is Cooley Law Professor Erika Breitfeld. A number of other Cooley Law School faculty members and senior administrators are members as well.
To say that Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus Otto Stockmeyer was a little excited would be an understatement. In fact, the word Booyah, or "An expression of joy or triumph" according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, comes to mind. After his two years of suggesting, proposing, reasoning, and cajoling, Michigan will adopt the Uniform Bar Exam! [UPDATE: IT'S NOW OFFICIAL 4/7/2022!]
As a U.S. Army Reserve Soldier, Major Carmen J. Quesenberry attended Cooley Law School while serving as the Company Commander for her Reserve Unit in Virginia and is currently serving as the Executive Officer (XO) for the Army Reserve 3rd Battalion, 95th Regiment (Signal) located in New Mexico.
Artistic endeavors: Cooley Law graduate is also a talented artist and entrepreneur
Attorney and Cooley graduate Tammy Allison worked for the U.S. Department of Justice for a decade, spanning three presidential administrations, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, when she decided to launch the first-ever black owned Federal Executive Clemency law firm. She is only the third attorney in the United States who has worked at the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) to own a firm dedicated to federal executive clemency.
Cooley Professor and Director of the Cooley Innocence Project Marla Mitchell-Cichon gave the commencement address during the Steven Johnson Field Class Virtual Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, November 15, 2020. Read the Love Letter below.
