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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Life for Shari Wilson started off like it did for many kids – hanging out with the family, going to school, playing with friends. For just about nine years, the Wilson family led the quintessential American life. Mom taught at a nearby school. Shari rode her bike and played outside until the streetlights came on.
Joeie Skelly knew that she wanted to be a lawyer since she was 8 years old. “While other kids were playing house,” she recalled, “I pretended to play lawyer.”
Whether it's Halloween or not, verbs and nouns can sometimes be downright scary! Professor Otto Stockmeyer has gone emeritus after more than three decades teaching at Cooley Law School, with visiting stints at Mercer University and California Western. He is a past president of Scribes—The American Society of Legal Writers. A version of this blog post first appeared in the Society’s newsletter The Scrivener.
Cooley Law School 3L student, Jalitza Serrano, is living proof that you can not only conquer your fears, but transform them into something positive to help others.
Cooley Law School student Tarria Barker dreamed about doing a Study Abroad ever since she was in the 11th grade. As a little girl from the big state of Texas, she always imagined visiting places like Oxford, England, and other places far away and exciting. They just seemed almost unattainable. That is, until she heard about Cooley's Study Abroad programs while in law school.
Back in high school, no one had the 20/20 vision to see where Daniel Cardwell would be in the year 2020 – not even Cardwell himself. Moving around to different states growing up, as his entrepreneurial parents launched businesses, his education suffered. He even dropped out of high school. It wasn't until later when he discovered his struggles in school were due to an undiagnosed learning disability that things changed.
Once again it's tax season. Probably one of the most stressful times of year, outside of the pressures you might feel during the holidays or, if you are a law student, taking a law school exam. Take a deep breath. There are some easy and FREE resources you might be able to use.
A recent blog post features Cooley Law School graduate Ed Sternisha. Included is a photo of Sternisha with his law school diploma displayed on the office wall behind him. That photo got me thinking that perhaps our 20,000+ graduates — whose diplomas are on display in offices around the globe — may not know the story behind their “world’s largest” diplomas.
Cooley’s Research & Writing Department is about to unveil an updated online writing lab using Canvas technology. The online lab is an interactive site that makes writing instruction, examples, and self-assessment quizzes available to every student throughout their law-school careers.
