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Isabel Zagazeta: From Toronto to Tampa, Building a Future in Law

Isabel Zagazeta: From Toronto to Tampa, Building a Future in Law

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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  • The gray tsunami has arrived; don't leave money on the table
    The gray tsunami has arrived; don't leave money on the table

    The gray tsunami has arrived; don't leave money on the table

    Cooley Professor Gary Bauer, a legal expert in the area of estate planning and elderlaw, spells out specific ways attorneys can start, at any point in their career, to optimize the quality of their retirement through planning. Professor Bauer also extends his services to any Cooley graduate who would like to schedule a presentation in their hometown. You can contact Professor Bauer at bauerg@cooley.edu.

  • Zack Hugg: Cooley Law School Connections Instrumental in Career Climb
    Zack Hugg: Cooley Law School Connections Instrumental in Career Climb

    Zack Hugg: Cooley Law School Connections Instrumental in Career Climb

    When Zack Hugg entered undergraduate school at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, he planned to seek a career in the technology field. But, by his senior year, he’d discovered interests in intellectual property and privacy laws that led him to alter course and go to law school.

  • Hard Road Proves To Be Best Path
    Hard Road Proves To Be Best Path

    Hard Road Proves To Be Best Path

    Logical reasoning and analytical thinking – that is what really drew Cooley Law School graduate Gerlinde (Linda) Nattler to the law, from as far back as in high school. She reminisced about reading stories describing ancient Roman orator Cicero’s life during a Latin class. She loved how, as a lawyer, he was able to intellectually parse out arguments and fine-tune words to razor-sharp perfection.

  • Legal Career Readiness Starts Day One in Law School
    Legal Career Readiness Starts Day One in Law School

    Legal Career Readiness Starts Day One in Law School

    Laura Bare takes her job seriously as one of Cooley Law School's associate directors in the law school's career and professional development office, but she's the first to say that getting to know the students is the best part of what she does each day.

  • Cooley Grad: Article Published in the Florida Defender
    Cooley Grad: Article Published in the Florida Defender

    Cooley Grad: Article Published in the Florida Defender

    Exclusion of Partial DNA Specimens, Specimens from Multiple Contributors and the Lab-Created Phenomenon of Allelic Dropout by Jason S. Downs Cooley graduate Jason S. Downs is an attorney in Brevard County at Murphy’s Law Offices, P.A. His article, Exclusion of Partial DNA Specimens, Specimens from Multiple Contributors and the Lab-Created Phenomenon of Allelic Dropout, published in the Winter 2019 issue, Volume 31, No. 4, of the Florida Defender, A Publication of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Downs is a member of FACDL and the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar. Before law school, he was a successful independent analyst and brief author. He was retained by many Florida criminal defense attorneys to lend his skills in formulating winning defense strategies and developing theory. He has authored hundreds of successful dispositive motions and is the author of dozens of prevailing appeals in all levels of the Florida court system and in the Supreme Court of the United States.

  • The Power of Plain English
    The Power of Plain English

    The Power of Plain English

    Background. Placing a shareholder proposal in a corporation’s annual-meeting proxy statement is the only practical way for shareholders to communicate with each other about corporate policy. Some years ago, I used the process successfully by drafting a shareholder proposal using plain-English principles. I believe that using plain English made a difference.

  • Cooley librarian creates podcast that traces history of american law
    Cooley librarian creates podcast that traces history of american law

    Cooley librarian creates podcast that traces history of american law

    Cooley’s Head of Public Services at its Auburn Hills campus library, Tim Innes, recently launched a new podcast that traces the history of American law from its most ancient roots to the present day. [This article was published in the January 13, 2020 edition of the Detroit Legal News]

  • UPDATE: The Uniform Bar Exam
    UPDATE: The Uniform Bar Exam

    UPDATE: The Uniform Bar Exam

    ALMOST EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO I blogged about Michigan’s possible adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination (“Will the Uniform Bar Exam Come to Michigan?”). The blog described the exam, its benefits, and Michigan’s slow pace when it comes to such reforms.

  • Ret. Brig. General & Law School Dean Legal Expert on U.S. Iranian Tensions
    Ret. Brig. General & Law School Dean Legal Expert on U.S. Iranian Tensions

    Ret. Brig. General & Law School Dean Legal Expert on U.S. Iranian Tensions

    WMU-Cooley Lansing campus Associate Dean and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel, who served in the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Strategy, Prevention and Mission Assurance, has been asked by media outlets to discuss the United States' strike that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani.