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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Martin Peters (Trimble Class, 2015), chief of staff and general counsel for Eckerd Connects in Clearwater, Florida, has a new title: Fellow. Peters was named a Bloomberg Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and is now pursuing his master’s degree in that field. Peters is thrilled to be a part of the new and exciting program.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resulting stay-home and business closure orders, face mask requirements, and related matters in the forefront of daily lives, managing safety and health care became the biggest single issue facing the United States in the spring of 2020. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took an early pro-active approach toward trying to keep a lid on the virus. With the orders affecting many state departments and all businesses, plus the follow-through needed from those state agencies and local municipalities, it quickly became apparent that a point person was needed to coordinate all the goals the state was trying to accomplish. That someone is Sean Egan (Moore Class, 2013), deputy director of Labor in the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) since October 2019. In June 2020, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Egan as the director of Covid-19 Workplace Safety.
Christian Wise Smith (Wilkins Class, 2011) has a history of beating the odds. So when he launched his campaign for Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney and was told he had little chance of success, he simply recalled his motto: significance over success. “By that measure, what I did was very significant, and ultimately, it’s going to lead to enormous success in fighting for social justice.”
Cooley Law School Constitutional Law expert Professor Brendan Beery shares in an op-ed analysis below that he outlined for the media to answer their questions concerning Presidential immunity.
Remembering John W. Fitzgerald July 7th marks the 14th anniversary of the passing of Justice John W. Fitzgerald (1924-2006). He was the favorite son of Grand Ledge MI who rose to become Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court while playing an instrumental role in the life of Cooley Law School.
Cooley Law School Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan is frequently tapped as a criminal law expert by the media. She has appeared as a commentator on numerous radio, television, print, and internet media sources regarding criminal law and procedure issues and teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Defending Battered Women, Criminal Sentencing, and Ethics in Criminal Cases.
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Strategy and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel, associate dean at Cooley Law School, was sought out by the media to explain how President Donald Trump can use the Insurrection Act to help control riots.
Cooley has been offering online legal education for over a decade through our Graduate LL.M. Programs. Since 2010, LL.M. faculty have been teaching online classes, starting with the program in Intellectual Property Law, and then moving into other LL.M. degree programs in Tax, Homeland and National Security, and Corporate Law and Finance. We have also offered a Weekend Blended Learning Program for our J.D. students, allowing them to have 4 weeks of online instruction of a 15-week semester, since September 2017.
Tracey Brame, associate dean of Cooley’s Grand Rapids campus, Renalia DuBose, a Cooley professor in Tampa, Florida, and Criminal Law Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan, have been called upon to speak about racial injustices happening throughout the country and the legal ramifications following the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia.
