Shekina Apedo

Combining Social Work With Social Justice

To deepen her advocacy abilities and provide greater service to her clients, Shekinah Apedo knew she needed a law degree. "I was in social work for over 10 years, and I loved it. I knew I wanted to advocate for clients. But I could only do so much as a social worker. The only way I thought I could leverage more authority when it came to advocating for my clients was with a law degree," said Apedo.

Using the law to serve others is Apedo's passion and she wants to help others find theirs. "When I meet a person, I want to know what makes their heart beat, and I try to uplift them as best I can," shared Apedo. "That's why I know I love social work. It's the best thing ever. It's what drives my passion to serve others as a lawyer.”

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Shelika Tate

Sports Management

Shelika Tate came to law a little late, but that didn’t diminish her drive or enthusiasm. After graduating from college with a double major in political science and sociology, Tate got married and had three children before deciding to pursue law. Juggling family, work and school was a challenge Tate embraced and she thrived at Cooley.

Tate is currently pursuing her dream job of working in sports. “Something I think would be the most fun and exciting, would be to work in sports, in some facet," Tate said. "My favorite is football. I would love to work for the NFL, or for any team really. I’d work in baseball, hockey, whatever. It wouldn't matter to me."

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Stephanie Ray

Compliance Law

“I knew I needed to do something to bridge gaps in equality,” said Stephanie Ray. During college, Ray began questioning the inequalities, injustices and oppression of marginalized groups she noticed in society and that she personally experienced. “Being an immigrant; being somebody who's openly queer; being somebody who is brown and black and looks the way that I do. Those struggles have made me who I am today and are a great motivator in my journey to a legal career.”

Ray credits her law studies with giving her the tools to recognize and rectify wrongs. “I had been learning about social systems and structures in the classroom that were originally designed to ensure equal rights but had evolved over the years to be interpreted to support inequality and oppression.” She is using her J.D. from Cooley to achieve her goals by working in higher education and compliance.

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Nina Yakubov

Immigration Law

Nina Yakubov was pursuing a degree in International Public Relations in Russia when she realized, “It was very far away from politics and law and my areas of interest,” she said. After graduating from John Jay College, Yakubov got a job at an immigration law firm and it was there that she found her calling. She knew a J.D. would help her assist immigrants, an area that resonates with her personally. “I want to not only (provide) legal advice for them, but also some kind of social adaptation so the people will be more comfortable here and more self-confident.”

At Cooley in Tampa, Yakubov focused on immigration law including the importance of addressing the emotional, social and daily challenges that immigrants encounter. As an immigration lawyer, she understands her clients “need more than legal advice. They need social adaptation; they ask questions which are not related to immigration,” she said. “They ask how to get medical insurance, how to place their kids into school, where to get a car–you know, little steps. They have nobody to help them with the little steps, the little issues that can seem very funny to American citizens, but to them, it’s a very big deal,” she said. 

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Brittany Lindsay

Family Law and Children's Advocacy

Brittany Lindsay knew adding a J.D. to her finance background would better help her advocate for children. “I was looking to use my experience in business to tie into my legal background to help children and families. I wanted a career that could really bring it all together,” Lindsay said.

Before attending Cooley, Lindsay was a stockbroker, working in finance and financial planning, then a Senior Program Director at the YMCA. During the pandemic the YMCA daycare shut down, sending essential workers scrambling for safe childcare options. This experience showed Lindsay the vulnerability of children and sparked a desire to help. “I work as a family law attorney so I can truly be an advocate for children, especially in the case of divorce. Children should always be put first. I look for all the ways I can best serve children through understanding our legal system to the fullest,” she said.

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Heather Silcott

Animal and Environmental Law

Heather Silcott was working as a legal administrative assistant when she adopted Bruno, her beloved labradoodle. Silcott was horrified to learn that Bruno would be sold at auction, rather than put up for adoption. “I knew I had to save the dog,” Silcott said. “He was unfixed, and I knew people would be interested to stud him out and make money off of him. I wanted him to live a life as a dog and not just be used for breeding,” Silcott said. The adoption process highlighted the injustices she saw in the treatment of animals and led her to pursue a law degree.

“This is when I decided to look for an animal law course because I needed to know more about how the law treats animals,” she said. “The animal law course at Cooley taught me so much that it inspired me to devote my pro bono work to helping be a voice for animals.”

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Dalton Dennis

Family Law Related to Estate Planning

Dalton Dennis didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life until his love of systems led him to the law. Growing up, Dennis’ dad taught him the value of knowledge, observation and asking questions. "I remember my dad teaching us to understand the what and why of something, and its purpose," stated Dennis. "He wanted me to think about why it existed and what I might do with that knowledge." That type of organized thinking led Dennis to Cooley where he is enjoying studying legal processes.

"The thing I like more than anything is learning about systems. For instance, Socrates, Aristotle, and Karl Marx have all created systems for understanding the world; people’s motivations and how to manage those motivations and expectations," said Dennis. He is using his J.D. to work in family law and estate planning, the area of law that includes wills, establishing power of attorneys, naming beneficiaries, setting up trusts and protecting assets.

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Andreth Isaacs-Hanson

Healthcare and Ethics Law

An interest in international relations and political science led De-Andreth Isaacs-Hanson to law school, but it was her daughter’s health issues that moved her to a different field of focus. Isaacs-Hanson’s daughter was born with a rare liver disease that necessitated an urgent liver transplant. “I emailed 152 hospitals to find somebody, anyone, who would be willing to do the liver transplant surgery for my daughter."

After the successful surgery, Isaacs-Hanson decided to dedicate her life to healthcare. "Where you learn, you grow, and the more you know, the more you can give back. That's my objective – giving back in as many ways, and as best I can,” she said. Through her classes at Cooley Tampa and her externship at Moffitt Cancer Center's legal department, Isaacs-Hanson has discovered the many areas of the hospital that the law affects and how she can try to make a difference. 

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Joseph Garrido

Civil Rights Law: Advocating for Veterans

With his military background, including receiving a Purple Heart, Joseph Garrido knows that veterans need all the help they can get, including legal assistance. “There’s not a lot of guys out there who can afford legal services on top of what they’ve got going on already due to their injuries or their financial constraints,” he said. That’s why Garrido decided to switch from working at a military non-profit to attending law school. He realized that getting a law degree would enable him to provide even more help to veterans. At Cooley Tampa, Garrido focused on civil litigation and continues to serve veterans adjusting to civilian life.

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Alexis Morris

Teaching Law

Alexis Morris knew she loved studying law, but she didn’t know she loved teaching it. Morris is quick to share the law lessons she’s learned in class and believes everyone should know their rights. "You don’t really realize how much laws impact you in your day-to-day life. Many times people are inadvertently hurt, and negatively impacted by not knowing their rights," said Morris. While at Cooley Morris realized she enjoyed sharing–and teaching–her knowledge of law. "I didn’t realize until I started working in Cooley's Academic Resource Center that teaching law would be what I would do with my legal education. I never thought I would want to be a teacher, but I love working with law students and helping them figure stuff out,” Morris said.

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Shari Wilson

Civil Rights Law: Advocating for the Disabled

At age 10, Shari Wilson was diagnosed with a rare muscle disease that left her with severely weakened muscles and confined to a wheelchair. “I don’t think there are a lot of individuals with disabilities who feel like they have somebody, an ally to turn to, someone who can advocate on their behalf,” Wilson said. This passion to help others drove her to Cooley in Tampa to gain the legal knowledge necessary to advocate for people with disabilities. “I didn’t know anything about the ADA. I was not the strong advocate that I am today. I didn’t know anything about my rights and possibilities,” Wilson said.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) offers protection from discrimination and provides accommodations, Wilson believes there is more to be done. “I have a passion for wanting to make things right. Thanks to the ADA we have come a long way, however there is still a lot that can be done in our communities. I just want to be on the train to progress,” she said. 

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Josh Bemis

Corporate and Tax Law

As an undergrad, Josh Bemis was planning a career in business, but after taking, and enjoying, a corporate law class, he adjusted his plans. Bemis realized that law school would benefit a business career so he enrolled in Cooley and focused on classes in corporate, tax and business law. "Tax isn’t necessarily something that I thought I’d be into, but I really enjoyed my tax classes and the Business Organizations class. I learned that it was something I definitely wanted to do,” Bemis said. This focus led him to an internship followed by a full-time job offer at a top management consulting company.

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Danielle Lofton

Family and Transactional Law

As an undergrad, Danielle Lofton was a film studies major who happened to take a pre-law class because of her love for TV courtroom dramas. This newfound path led her to Cooley where Lofton focused on family law that encompasses divorce, marriage, children, custody and adoption. “I was interested in family law because it is an area where I can help people who are dealing with financial and emotional legal issues,” said Lofton. She also studied transactional law, the area of law that focuses on negotiating, structuring and implementing transactions in business, real estate, labor, sports and media. She is using her J.D. to help disabled people more easily enter the workforce, and is also working in transactional law.

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