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Reda Taleb’s Life’s Work: Turning Pain into Purpose — and Giving It Back to Dearborn

Reda Taleb’s Life’s Work: Turning Pain into Purpose — and Giving It Back to Dearborn

When Reda Taleb (McLean Class, 2015) talks about “giving back,” she isn’t just reciting a slogan — she’s living by example. The daughter of immigrants from Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, Taleb’s parents, along with her six older siblings, laid roots in Dearborn’s south end, an area known for its pollution-emitting factory smoke stacks and community of Arab Americans seeking the “American Dream.”

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  • Top Five Reasons to Celebrate Five Years of Affiliation
    Top Five Reasons to Celebrate Five Years of Affiliation

    Top Five Reasons to Celebrate Five Years of Affiliation

    Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School today marks the fifth anniversary of signing affiliation and licensing agreements that brought it under the umbrella of Western Michigan University. On July 19, 2013, Law School President and Dean Don LeDuc and then-WMU President John Dunn signed the agreements setting the stage for the deep cooperation and collaboration that has resulted in more than 200 joint initiatives. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate, but here are what we think are the top five.

  • Cooley Honored by the Center for Plain Language
    Cooley Honored by the Center for Plain Language

    Cooley Honored by the Center for Plain Language

    Cooley and its professors have always been known for teaching and advocating for the use of plain language in the legal profession. The professors have written several books and countless articles on the subject, edited legal writing journals and columns, and won national and international recognition for their work. And now, because of two professors’ efforts, the school has received a ClearMark Award from the U.S. Center for Plain Language.

  • J.D. Concentrations and Why They’re Important in Law School
    J.D. Concentrations and Why They’re Important in Law School

    J.D. Concentrations and Why They’re Important in Law School

    If you’re in law school, you’re there for a reason, not on a whim. Maybe you have always had a passion for the law and couldn’t wait to embrace it as a career. Or perhaps you thought a law degree would help you improve your chances for advancement in your current job. Or you thought you could help others as an attorney, but you’re not sure in what ways. Now that you are on the way to a law degree, it’s time to think about specializing and choosing a concentration.

  • Five Reasons to Choose Cooley Law School
    Five Reasons to Choose Cooley Law School

    Five Reasons to Choose Cooley Law School

    Post-graduate studies in any program are a huge commitment, but law school is especially challenging simply by its nature — the law is complex and difficult. Becoming a lawyer takes dedication, time and sometimes just sheer will power to meet all the demands and do well. So, when considering law schools, it pays to make sure you choose one that fits you, your life circumstances and your personal preferences. If you are seeking a law school that is as much an experience as it is an education, Cooley Law School has a lot to offer.

  • Professor Beery: With Justice Kennedy’s Retirement Enter a New Era of Jurisprudence
    Professor Beery: With Justice Kennedy’s Retirement Enter a New Era of Jurisprudence

    Professor Beery: With Justice Kennedy’s Retirement Enter a New Era of Jurisprudence

    Cooley Law School Professor Brendan Beery wrote this op-ed for Attorney At Law Magazine. This article has been republished with the magazine's permission.

  • Cooley Grads Making Policy and Things Happen in the State of Michigan
    Cooley Grads Making Policy and Things Happen in the State of Michigan

    Cooley Grads Making Policy and Things Happen in the State of Michigan

    If you want to be a part of any kind of movement, you have to be at the table when policy change is being discussed and when decisions are being made. Not surprisingly, over the past 40-plus years, we have seen our share of Cooley graduates take on leadership roles, at every level.

  • LeDura Watkins; One Year Later – Living Life Simply
    LeDura Watkins; One Year Later – Living Life Simply

    LeDura Watkins; One Year Later – Living Life Simply

    On June 15, 2017, the Cooley Law School Innocence Project made history with the release of LeDura Watkins from prison after serving more than 41 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. At the time, he was the longest-serving exonerated person. On June 15, 2018, Watkins came to Cooley’s Lansing campus to talk about life then, and life now.

  • High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success
    High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success

    High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success

    The recent National Jurist article called What it takes to pass today's nasty bar exam didn't surprise Cooley Law School Professor Mark Cooney. Not one bit.

  • Mark S. Michael: Grades and Success Based on Competence; Nothing Else.
    Mark S. Michael: Grades and Success Based on Competence; Nothing Else.

    Mark S. Michael: Grades and Success Based on Competence; Nothing Else.

    Having graduated WMU-Cooley 41 years ago I was given the opportunity to engage in a successful Securities, Oil and Gas, and Business practice, as well as partner in two successful businesses. Admission was easy compared to other law schools, but staying in was a challenge. A somewhat different standard than most law schools where admission is difficult but staying in was almost guaranteed. WMU-Cooley was better suited to prepare one for the real world practice of law, as well as other endeavors. You receive the same privilege to practice as one graduating from any other school. Every graduate has achieved much on their path to success. Here are some of the things I have done on my career journey: