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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Brandon Ayers always wanted to go to law school. He took a somewhat winding path to get there, but once he did, he jumped in with both feet, earned his J.D. degree in just a fraction over two years, and passed the bar a month after graduation.
At Cooley Law School, one of the activities students can participate in is the moot court program. Recently, graduate Brandon Ayers and law student Lauren Simasko talked about that experience.
David Malson, by anyone's standards, personifies career success and a meaningful life. But Malson would say it has been his dedication and commitment to building balance and forging strong relationships that has guided him, both personally and professionally. Malson is one of many Cooley graduates that will be featured in the 2019 summer edition of Benchmark Magazine. Here's an excerpt from his upcoming feature. Look for the full story in the next issue of Benchmark Alumni Magazine coming out in June 2019!
Recently I encountered three examples of comma misuse among legal writers. At first I thought the comma faults were random. But then I noticed they had something in common; in each case the comma preceded a verb. The commas create the impression of a runner stumbling midway to the finish line. From a law-school student publication: “May the odds forever, be in your favor.” From a legal newspaper: “And a lot of these kids, were really good players.” From a law-school press release: “[The law school] is committed to pursuing a collaborative approach in working with the Council, to continue meeting ABA standards.”
Nathan Tamulonis hails from Indianapolis, but after college everything seemed to converge together in what he calls the "perfect storm." The warm breezes of the Tampa Bay area were calling him, and Tamulonis and his fiancé, Hanna, made the decision to make Tampa their home, and Cooley Law School Tamulonis's law school.
Cooley Law School Professor Gary Bauer considers his job an important one for those law students considering going solo. His years of business and marketing experience, alongside nearly 20 years of teaching experience, are invaluable in helping Cooley Law School students learn to navigate the successful road to solo practice. Read Professor Bauer's top five essentials when starting to go solo in his Feb. 16, 2017 SoloLawyerByDesign blog post below.
Kishnee Theus figured out that she was going to go to law school during her sophomore year of undergraduate studies. It was at that time that there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti. As a Haitian-American, this affected her personally. She had two aunts who were in Haiti, one an American citizen and the other not.
Students often tell Cooley Law School Professor Barbara Kalinowski that they are bad writers or they say, "It's just not my thing." Those kinds of comments don't wash for Kalinowski, especially in the classroom.
It was a law book Alexis Morris picked up in grade school that started her interest in the law. After something occurred in the classroom, she remembers her teacher pulling out an education law book from her shelf and then starting to read from it to the students. She then went to look at the book closer after class.
