Skip to content

Two National Voices in the Fight for Justice to Headline Cooley Innocence Project's 25th Anniversary Gala

Two National Voices in the Fight for Justice to Headline Cooley Innocence Project's 25th Anniversary Gala

NBC News' Dan Slepian and criminal justice advocate Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez to headline Sept. 19 celebration supporting Michigan's only post-conviction DNA innocence organization

Read More
  • 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

    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.

  • Cooley Law School Hosts Florida Restoration Coalition Presentation
    Cooley Law School Hosts Florida Restoration Coalition Presentation

    Cooley Law School Hosts Florida Restoration Coalition Presentation

    In collaboration with the American Constitution Society and Federal Bar Association student organizations, Cooley Law School hosted a Florida Rights Restoration Coalition presentation on March 5. The goal of the event was to educate attendees on restoring voter rights and shed light on critical areas of criminal justice reform. Attorney Lenora Easter, Esq, senior counsel at the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, presented the legal education presentation, Restoring Voting Rights with Sentence Modification Remedies under FL Statute 98.0751. FRRC is the organization behind Amendment 4 - Voting Rights Restoration and is committed to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions. Amendment 4 restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions after they complete all terms of their sentence, including parole or probation. “FRRC is a grassroots organization that supports returning citizens,” said Easter. “We advocate for policies that enhance successful reentry and to build a justice-impacted people’s movement through civic engagement and public education which focuses on restoration of rights, voting registration, and criminal justice reform.” The event was sponsored by and approved for CLE credit by The Florida Bar. The discussion was open to lawyers, law students and Cooley Law School alumni, and included opportunities for members of the audience to ask questions and discuss voter rights reform with Easter and members of the FRRC. “Yes, what we do is political in nature, but people come first,” Easter said. “At the end of the day, it’s the people that drive communities, the people that drive politics.”

  • Cooley Law School Celebrates Opening of Its New Tampa, Florida Campus
    Cooley Law School Celebrates Opening of Its New Tampa, Florida Campus

    Cooley Law School Celebrates Opening of Its New Tampa, Florida Campus

    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.

  • Cooley Law School Holds Spring Honors Convocation For Tampa Bay Campus
    Cooley Law School Holds Spring Honors Convocation For Tampa Bay Campus

    Cooley Law School Holds Spring Honors Convocation For Tampa Bay Campus

    On March 24, Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus recognized students in the Hilary Term for their achievements during an honors convocation at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North in Temple Terrace.