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Cooley Law School Hosts Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer During Sports and Entertainment Law Society Event

Cooley Law School Hosts Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer During Sports and Entertainment Law Society Event

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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  • All-Women U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony at Cooley Tampa Bay

    All-Women U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony at Cooley Tampa Bay

    In celebration of Women’s History Month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida will hold an all-women naturalization ceremony Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m., at Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus, 9445 Camden Field Pkwy, Riverview, Florida. The ceremony, which includes the Oath of Allegiance, will be the final step to citizenship for 55 candidates. Before the oath is administered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Sansone, of the Middle District of Florida, Cooley Assistant Dean Katherine Gustafson will provide opening remarks. The 55 citizenship candidates originate from 30 countries: Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Latvia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam. Feb 28 2023

  • Cooley Law Review Symposium Discusses Recent Affirmative Action Decision

    Cooley Law Review Symposium Discusses Recent Affirmative Action Decision

    On Thursday, Oct. 26, Cooley Law School hosted its annual Law Review Symposium, which featured an in-depth look at affirmative action. During the virtual symposium, panelists discussed the current and future consequences of the most recent Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. In their decision, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and overruled 45 years of precedent established in prior Supreme Court decisions. The Court’s ruling continues to allow colleges to consider how race has affected a student’s life and their ability to contribute to the educational institution. Panelists for the event, who led a passionate discussion on the topic, included Cooley Law School Professor and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel and Loyola University Chicago School of Law Professor Juan Perea. Cooley professor Brendan Beery moderated the panel discussion. “The Supreme Court continues its attack on continuity, stare decisis and its own credibility,” said McDaniel. “In Dobbs, the Court rejected, after 40 years, the right of women in the U.S. to make personal medical decisions. Since the landmark Bakke case in 1977, the Supreme Court has held that diversity of ideas and thought, the championing of debate in the search for both consensus and truth, was a compelling government interest that survived strict judicial scrutiny. Twenty years ago, in Grutter, the Supreme Court affirmed that decision, in a case involving admissions at the University of Michigan law school, noting that diversity does not refer to just racial and ethnic diversity. “In Students for Fair Admissions, after 44 years of state institutions' efforts to achieve that salutary goal, the Court has rejected that diversity, has rejected the need for our public institutions to embrace a diversity of thought and opinions,” McDaniel continued. “The Court did so by rejecting the standard explicitly endorsed in Grutter. The disregard by the Court for its own precedents affects not just the credibility of the Court. Universities have expended millions of dollars since Grutter attempting to meet the Court's guidance and to build generations of students capable of working and leading in a multicultural society and a global economy.” Perea added: “This symposium provided an excellent forum for discussing the Supreme Court’s most recent decision on affirmative action and its implications for higher education. Notwithstanding the Court’s decision and rhetoric, there has never been anything wrong with colleges and universities attempting to remedy their histories of race discrimination by including members of groups they previously excluded.” Cooley Law School hosted its annual Law Review Symposium, which featured an in-depth look at affirmative action. Oct 30 2023

  • Cooley to Host Forum for Residents Facing Hurricane Disasters

    Cooley to Host Forum for Residents Facing Hurricane Disasters

    Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus student chapter of the Florida State Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section, (RPPTS) and the 10CORE® Law Society will host the forum “Redevelopment After Destruction for Tenants and Homeowners” on March 18, from 9 a.m.-noon. In September 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated families living in Florida, particularly along its southwestern coast. To help families and neighbors in hurricane-prone areas, RPPTS and 10CORE® Law will host the virtual forum that will discuss available resources, and answer questions participants may have regarding hurricane damage and destruction to their homes. During the event, lawyers, real estate professionals, and other officials will provide information on FEMA rights, filing insurance claims, and how to avoid being defrauded. The forum will be moderated by RPPTS President Jacob Goss and Professor Florise Neville-Ewell. Forum participants include: * Jason Fletcher, Fletcher Legal Group * John Lawless, disaster relief attorney, Bay Areal Legal Services * Julie Torrez, Law Office of Richard D. Saba * Yveline Dalmacy, Eviction Defense Unit of Nassau Suffolk Law Services Founded by Housing and Real Estate Law Professor Florise Neville-Ewell, the 10CORE® Law Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that has provided public outreach in Michigan, Florida, Georgia and Maryland. Neville-Ewell teaches Contracts, Ethics, Property, and Real Estate Finance, leads student clinics, and is the host of the Housing Gap Podcast, a podcast dedicated to educating tenants and homeowners. The event will be held Saturday, March 18, 2023, with the Homeowners Forum running 9 a.m.-10:25 a.m. and the Tenants Forum: 10:30 a.m.-noon. Mar 13 2023

  • Cooley Law School Students Participate in Moot Court Competition in New York City

    Cooley Law School Students Participate in Moot Court Competition in New York City

    Cooley Law School’s Moot Court team competed in the 32nd Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York City March 2-4. The Cooley team included William Bowman, Nick Prowse, and Stephanie McKinney. They are coached by Cooley graduates Coaches Lauren Simasko and Brandon Ayers. Jointly sponsored by St. John’s Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition is one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions. It promotes and recognizes the finest oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice. Student teams representing law schools from across the country argue in at least two preliminary rounds on alternating sides. Bankruptcy practitioners judge the preliminary rounds and briefs, and leading appellate and bankruptcy judges preside in the advanced rounds. The legal situation posed to the competitors for this competition included whether post-petition, pre-conversion increase in equity in a debtor’s property inures to the benefit of the debtor or to the bankruptcy estate upon conversion of a case from chapter 13 to chapter 7; and whether Chapter 7 trustee may sell, as property of the bankruptcy estate, the ability to avoid and recover transfers. Bowman and Prowse, both second-term law students, competed as petitioner’s counsel in the first and third round. The two flourished and the judges recognized the pair with positive feedback noting their “ability to maintain a dialogue, high-level understanding of the issues, and impactful use of case law.” In the second round, Bowman and McKinney competed as respondent’s counsel. Coach Simasko said, “they both had some of their strongest moments of the whole process. McKinney approached the argument with a no-nonsense demeanor that radiated throughout the round.” Though the team did not advance to the final round, Simasko said, “It was incredible to see so much growth amongst the team, both in skills and confidence. They approached the NYC rounds eager to show off their skills and each performed at the highest level we have seen so far. Ayers and I are so proud to have been their coaches and know they have bright legal futures ahead.” Photo Courtesy Kara Marie Photography: Pictured (left to right) William Bowman, Stephanie McKinney, Coach Lauren Simasko, Professor Martha Moore, Coach Brandon Ayers, and Nick Prowse. Mar 12 2024

  • Cooley Law School Associate Dean, Graduates Named to Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly Hall of Fame 2025 Class
    Cooley Law School Associate Dean, Graduates Named to Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly Hall of Fame 2025 Class

    Cooley Law School Associate Dean, Graduates Named to Michigan Lawyer’s Weekly Hall of Fame 2025 Class

    Tonya Krause-Phelan, Cooley Law School associate dean of academics and professor, has been named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame Class of 2025. In addition to Krause-Phelan, Cooley Law School graduates Karl Numinen (1992) and Rebecca Walsh (1991) were also named to this year’s Hall of Fame class.

  • Cooley Law School Faculty Co-Author Book ‘Wills, Estates, and Trusts: Statutes, Cases, And Problems’
    Cooley Law School Faculty Co-Author Book ‘Wills, Estates, and Trusts: Statutes, Cases, And Problems’

    Cooley Law School Faculty Co-Author Book ‘Wills, Estates, and Trusts: Statutes, Cases, And Problems’

    Cooley Law School faculty Michael Molitor, Dustin Foster, and Emily Horvath have co-authored the textbook, “Wills, Estates, and Trusts: Statutes, Cases, and Problems.”

  • Cooley Professor Ret. Brig. Gen. Michael C.H. McDaniel Shares Importance of U.S. Military During Veterans Day Event

    Cooley Professor Ret. Brig. Gen. Michael C.H. McDaniel Shares Importance of U.S. Military During Veterans Day Event

    Cooley Law School Professor Ret. Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel spoke to a group of citizens about the importance of the U.S. military during a Veterans Day event hosted by the Lansing Board of Water and Light on Wednesday, Nov. 8. “When you think about Homeland Security or Law Enforcement or Board of Water and Light workers, we are working best when the public does not think about us and they forget that we are even there, applying essential services,” said McDaniel, who served as Michigan’s first homeland security adviser. “That is true for the U.S. military worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of service members are in over 80 countries around the world, to assure peace, and if not peace, at least stability.” The event focused on the importance of the nation’s military services throughout the years and how veterans are in need of support long after they’ve returned home. “There are over 2.3 million American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or depression,” said McDaniel, who detailed national data about veterans suffering from PTSD, substance abuse and suicide. “Fifty percent of those with PTSD do not seek treatment, and out of the half that seek treatment, only half of them get ‘minimally adequate’ treatment. These statistics are sobering and often ignored.” McDaniel delivered message to the nation’s veterans, echoing the words of first U.S. President George Washington in his speech to the Connecticut troops before their enlistment ran out during the Siege of Boston in 1775: “Your exertions in the cause of freedom, guided by wisdom and animated by zeal and courage, have gained you the love and confidence of your grateful countrymen; and they look to you, who are experienced veterans, and trust that you will still be the guardians of America. More human glory and happiness may depend upon your exertions than ever yet depended upon any sons of men. He that is a soldier in defense of such a cause, needs not title; his post is a post of honor, and although not an emperor, yet he shall wear a crown—of glory—and blessed will be his memory. McDaniel concluded, “Veterans, blessed will be your memory. Thank you. God Bless the United States of America. Cooley Law School Professor Ret. Brigadier General Michael McDaniel spoke to a group of citizens about the importance of the U.S. military during a Veterans Day event hosted by the Lansing Board of Water and Light. Nov 14 2023

  • Cooley Professor and Graduates Honored as Top Women Lawyers

    Cooley Professor and Graduates Honored as Top Women Lawyers

    Cooley Law School Associate Dean of Academics and Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan has been selected as a member of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2023 Class of Influential Women of the Law. Each year, the Women of the Law program honors women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, their commitment to their communities and their service to the profession. In addition to Criminal Law, Krause-Phelan teaches Criminal Procedure, Defending Battered Women, Criminal Sentencing, and Ethics in Criminal Cases. She is currently making strides to improve the law school community and student curriculum by actively engaging with faculty on identifying the key objectives, as well as roles and responsibilities of a full-scale curriculum review. “Dean Krause-Phelan’s leadership reaches beyond the classroom,” said Tracey Brame, Cooley professor and director of the Cooley Law School Innocence Project. “She is a mentor to students, a committed change-maker, and a servant to the law. Evidence of her commitment and passion can be seen in public defender, prosecutor, and public service offices across our community, where her former students are carrying on her torch.” Before joining the ranks of academia, Krause-Phelan began her legal career working as an assistant public defender at the Kent County Office of the Defender. While a defender, she handled and tried all types of felony cases ranging from shoplifting to murder. After three years as a defender, she moved to private practice, specializing in criminal defense where she represented both appointed and retained clients in both state and federal courts. While still practicing, she began her teaching career as an adjunct professor at Ferris State University where she taught both Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure to criminal justice majors In addition to Krause-Phelan, Cooley graduates Stephanie Arndt, Christensen Law; Jennifer Hetu, Bodman; Mary Pat Meyers, Meyers Law; and Lori K. Smith, O’Reilly Rancilio are among the 35 lawyers selected for this year’s honor. An awards luncheon honoring the nominees will be held on Sept. 22 at Petruzzello’s in Troy. Aug 02 2023

  • WMU-Cooley to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Event Featuring Robyn McCoy

    WMU-Cooley to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Event Featuring Robyn McCoy

    Attorney and advocate Robyn McCoy will be the keynote presenter during WMU-Cooley Law School’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day commemoration. McCoy has received numerous awards for her commitment to social justice and has traveled extensively for the organization of programs that promote equal justice for all people. The presentation is part of the law school’s monthly Community Conversations series and will be held virtually beginning at noon on January 17. McCoy, who was mentored by first lady Michelle Obama, is a part-time lecturer at Eastern Michigan University and teaches the course “Law and the African American Experience.” She was a legislative assistant to State Representative Ronnie Peterson and is currently a partner with McCoy & Associates, PLLC located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She specializes in criminal defense, family law, education advocacy, estate planning, probate, wrongful death, and personal injury. The virtual event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, noon-1 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the virtual event by signing up at https://info.cooley.edu/community-conversations WATCH THE MLK DAY COOLEY COMMUNITY CONVERSATION HERE. Jan 09 2023