TAMPA, Fla. — On March 25, Cooley Law School’s Sports & Entertainment Law Society hosted an event, “The Law Behind the Lights: Where Sports, Entertainment and Law Intersect,” at the Cooley Event Center on its Tampa campus, featuring Jimmy DuBose, a former NFL running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The event also featured, Shawuki Hilton, Esq., Cooley Law School alumnus and founding attorney of The Hilton Law Firm, and a poetry performance from Everkesia Taylor of I Am Poetry. “As a former professional athlete and present treasurer of the local National Football League Players Association, I am aware of amateur and professional athletes’ need for competent legal assistance,” said DuBose. “I was pleased to see the number of Cooley Law School students who have an interest in providing legal assistance to athletes in the future.” DuBose, an alumnus of the University of Florida Gators, was the first UF running back to rush for a 1,000 yards in a single season. He was named SEC Player of the Year in 1975, and selected to the Associated Press All-American team, and the Tampa Tribune All-Century Team in 1999. Additionally, DuBose was inducted into UF’s Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Sarasota High School Hall of Fame in 2018. He played four years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became the first player in franchise history to rush for a hundred yards before getting injured and retiring from the NFL. Outside of football, DuBose worked in education for 22 years as a teacher, football coach, dean, and assistant principal in Hillsborough, Orange, and Pasco counties. He is currently the treasurer of the local chapter of the NFL Players Association leadership, where he has served in various capacities for over 20 years. “I’d like to say that it was an amazing event and I’m grateful for having been invited to participate,” said Hilton. “I look forward to future opportunities to work with SELS.” Hilton, who practices sports law, represents professional athletes within the Canadian Football League. Before graduating cum laude from Cooley, Hilton served as the justice of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, vice president of entertainment of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and associate editor of the Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law. He has served a diverse client base on matters related to business law, contract law, consumer protection, estate planning, intellectual property, and real estate. “Our goal was to bring together professionals from sports and the arts to give students a real, firsthand look at how law shapes each path — from NFL players to emerging artists building their dreams,” said Kimberly Ayala, SELS president. “It was an incredibly powerful experience, and if you weren’t there, you truly missed something special.” Cooley Law School’s Sports & Entertainment Law Society hosted an event, “The Law Behind the Lights: Where Sports, Entertainment and Law Intersect,” on March 25 at the Cooley Event Center on its Tampa campus. Pictured from left to right: Daniel Podboy- Navarro, Cooley Law School SELS vice president; Jim Hicks, SELS faculty advisor; Kimberly Ayala, SELS president; Shawuki Hilton; Renalia DuBose, Cooley professor; Jimmy DuBose, former NFL player; Everkesia; John Johnson, SELS public relations; and Giani Villalba, SELS secretary.
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LANSING, Mich. – On Oct. 17, Cooley Law School, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, and Safe & Just Michigan, held an expungement fair to aid in the removal of certain arrests and convictions from qualifying individuals’ public criminal records.
Cooley Law School will host an Expungement Fair from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, in the law school’s lobby. During Cooley Law School’s expungement fair in March, volunteer attorneys and law students under the supervision of licensed attorneys assisted 122 guests with their expungement paperwork.
LANSING, Mich. – On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Cooley Law School Innocence Project recognized National Wrongful Conviction Day with a free panel discussion at the law school’s Lansing campus.
LANSING, MI - On Sept. 30, Cooley Law School hosted the State Bar of Michigan’s Face of Justice program where law students met with experienced legal professionals to answer questions, jumpstart networking, and discuss the route to becoming an attorney.
LATHRUP VILLAGE, Mich. – Cooley Law School Innocence Project Co-Director Ann Garant has been inducted into Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2025 Class of Influential Women of Law. The recognition ceremony was held on Sept. 26, at The Mint at Michigan First Conference Center in Lathrup Village.
LANSING, Mich. – On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Cooley Law School Innocence Project will recognize National Wrongful Conviction Day with a free panel discussion at the law school’s Lansing campus. The event will feature exoneree Gilbert Poole Jr., as well as author, legal scholar, and Cooley graduate Nathan Goetting, who is now director of the George Romney Institute for Law and Public Policy at Adrian College. The event will also include Ohio Magistrate and Court Administrator Christy Cole and Cooley Law School Innocence Project attorneys.
TAMPA, FL. – Sept. 18, 2025 — On Sept. 16, Cooley Law School officials officially opened the doors to its new Tampa, Florida, campus at 12906 Tampa Oaks Blvd. Area judges, lawyers, community and business leaders, along with Cooley alumni, students, staff, and faculty celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting event.
Lansing, MI – August 14, 2025 - Cooley Law School today announced a new partnership with Collegiate and AlumniFi, two digital-first financial brands powered by MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU), to support students and alumni in building financial wellness at every stage of their journey.
LANSING, MI — Two free, fillable power-of-attorney forms prepared by the Kimble Center for Legal Drafting at Cooley Law School are now available for download on the State of Michigan’s Elder Abuse Task Force’s website, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Thursday, Aug. 7.
