Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

The law library is going to be one of your best friends while you are in law school. Here are some important things to keep in mind as you look to the law library for resources and other support throughout your legal education.

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. In our final episode, we discuss a series of study aids that’s structurally similar to the “Big Three” we talked about at the start of this series – 1) Understanding, 2) Examples and Explanations, and 3) Nutshell – but is geared more for MBE Bar preparation rather than law school courses; specifically: Emanuel’s Bootcamp for the MBE series.

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. In episode No. 9, we're giving a quick nod to a basic study aid that might help those inclined towards audio rather than print: the Sum and Substance series.

Starting law school can be thrilling, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming when you are trying to establish good study habits and learning how to make the most of every minute you have in learning the law. Ashley Heidemann, with JD Advising, a Michigan-based firm that advises law students about how to succeed in law school and pass the bar exam, shared advice based on her experience as a student and advisor.

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. In episode No. 8, we’re discussing professional exam prep multiple choice resources available in the library. We're specifically looking at resources geared less towards law school courses and more towards the state and multi-state bar exams.

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. Episode No. 7 touches on The American Law Reports (ALR). The ALR is a legal periodical maintained by a succession of publishers (currently West) that commissions and prints extremely deep articles exploring narrow legal topics.

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. We're veering away from the sort of mainstream law school study guides we’ve talked about so far in this series to discuss a type of resource that might already be familiar to you in a larger, non-legal context and can help you get a basic answer to nearly any legal question you might encounter: The Encyclopedia.

Getting students ready to pass the Bar Exam is something Professor Emily Horvath takes very seriously. As the director of academic services with the law school, not only does she work to create solid curriculum and programming, she puts in an effort that begins day one, the minute a student steps into the classroom. 

The Library Minute is a video series describing study aids and other secondary sources available for students in the WMU-Cooley Law School libraries. In episode No. 5, we’re discussing a few of the Sample Question guides available in the library, and what to look for from each.

One of Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School’s oldest and finest traditions is presentation of the Distinguished Brief Awards. Since 1985, Distinguished Brief Awards have been given in recognition of the most scholarly briefs filed in the Michigan Supreme Court, as selected by a panel of eminent lawyers, judges, and faculty members. Two or three briefs are chosen annually and are printed in their entirely in the WMU-Cooley Law Review. The award reflects the law school’s longstanding commitment to teaching and celebrating effective legal writing.