On Taking the Road Less Traveled

What does it mean to fly to the other side of the world for study and adventure? Students participating in Cooley’s “down under” program are finding out.

Cooley Student in Praise of a Taste of Soul and Legacy of South High School

Cooley law student Osinachi "Osi" Onukogu, events coordinator of the Grand Rapids Black Law Student Association (BLSA), feels her role in the organization is to bridge the gap between community and the law school by understanding and contributing to the community from which you live, even while in law school. Osi hails from her hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Find out below what Osi learned at the Taste of Soul event and why she is enlightened.

In-between the Facebook Moments: Learning to Appreciate the Rain in Paradise

I was walking to the bus one morning around 7:30 a.m., and could hear the birds, feel the breeze, and see the plants. I felt completely connected to my surroundings.

On the Road to Democracy Albania Initiates Judicial Reform

Albania’s history goes back to the Middle Ages, coming under Ottoman rule in the 15th century, where it remained until 1912. During the next several decades, Albania struggled to find its way, changing from principality, to republic to monarchy, and finally becoming a communist state after WWII. In 1990 when the communist regime crumbled, Albania rose from the ashes, albeit amid devastating economic and social problems. The unrest resulted in the flight of thousands of Albanians to other countries, including the United States where large Albanian communities exist in Detroit, New York and Boston.

Beyond the Basics: Learning How to Practice Law in Cooley’s Innocence Project

Yes, Students Do Have First Amendment Rights.

As the Supreme Court has reminded us repeatedly, students at public schools do not “shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate.” Administrators at public schools would therefore do well to tread carefully when dealing with students who wish to speak out in protest after the mass shooting in Parkland.

Commander Michael Shea Runs a Tight Ship at St. Michael’s Legal Center

In February 2018, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus launched a new ship and welcomed a new captain — St. Michael’s Legal Center for Women and Children, Inc. and director and U.S. Coast Guard (U.S.C.G.) Auxiliary Commander Michael Shea.

Cooley "Down Under" Law Students Learn From Maori Elders

Students participating in the Cooley Study Abroad program in New Zealand contributed to a program for Kaumatua (Maori Elders) at the Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton (Kirikiriroa), New Zealand. In a day of meaningful cultural exchange, the students, along with faculty from Cooley, the University of Waikato Te Piringa Faculty of Law, and the McCaw Lewis law firm staff, were formally invited onto the marae by way of a formal powhiri.

Senior Airman Ray Petty: A Lesson in the Power of Resilience

Everyone faces times in life when they are put down, minimized, or demoralized. For most it’s a choice of take it to heart or let it roll off. For Ray Petty, those events were many and early on in life when he was just learning self-confidence. As a child he could have accepted comments that deemed him a poor reader, not smart enough, not tall enough, not fast enough. He could have believed them instead of in himself. But Senior Airman Petty knew early on he had a mission. Today that mission is coming to fruition, thanks to an amazingly resilient character, and an amazingly resilient family.