Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

Amanda Burch always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Raised on a steady diet of the Matlock TV attorney series, she planned her undergraduate degree to dovetail neatly into her J.D., and she was on her way. She chose WMU-Cooley because the weekend classes and part-time schedule meshed well with the reality that she needed to continue working while in school.

Law school is a grueling time. From attending class to participating in externships, and everything in between, your schedule is packed. Keep your life and legal education organized with these helpful apps for law students!

During the month of October, the WMU-Cooley Law School Innocence Project is doing its part to build awareness about wrongful conviction and its human impact. Part of their efforts included bringing back and giving voice to those exonerees who found freedom through the work of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project and the national network of advocates working steadfastly to right this wrong.

“Look to your left, look to your right; one of you won't complete your law school journey.” I remember getting this from deans and professors when I first started at WMU-Cooley. I also remember thinking one of the “ones” should have been me.

Daniel Cardwell is a first-year law student at the WMU-Cooley Law School. He earned an M.A. in English: Rhetoric & Writing from Northern Arizona University and an M.A. in Library & Information Science from the University of South Florida. He comes to WMU-Cooley with a background in higher education as both a long-time member of Hillsborough Community College’s Writing Center staff and as part of the college’s adjunct English faculty. 

Even at nine years old, Joseline Hardrick knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She remembers being glued to the TV watching Matlock and Perry Mason with her mother. She loved to watch the attorneys, and all the courtroom drama, especially the parts where they were cross-examining people. Her mother was thrilled. Hardrick recalls her mother making sure to tell anyone who would listen that her "baby's going to be a lawyer."

Amy Dickinson is a syndicated advice columnist. In a recent installment of “Ask Amy” she responded to a letter from “Chatty-Sister.” Sis complained that her brother, who was living at home while preparing for the LSAT, demands absolute silence in the house when he takes practice tests.

Growing up, WMU-Cooley graduate Kate Barnaby remembers how much she loved learning about our legal justice system. It wasn't just that her dad was part of the Navy and Honor Guard, it was more than that. She recalls many visits to Washington, D.C., and how her dad made a point of taking the family everywhere, including the White House, Capitol Hill and all the impressive monuments.

My colleague Joe Kimble has attempted to refute the common superstition against beginning a sentence with the word "but."

As investigators continue to uncover evidence surrounding the two mass shootings this past weekend, WMU-Cooley Law School Associate Dean Michael C.H. McDaniel and former Deputy Assistant for Homeland Defense Strategy answers questions from law students and to members of the media regarding the investigation, current laws, and steps the government can take to protect citizens from domestic terrorism.