Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

When Zack Hugg entered undergraduate school at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, he planned to seek a career in the technology field. But, by his senior year, he’d discovered interests in intellectual property and privacy laws that led him to alter course and go to law school.

Logical reasoning and analytical thinking – that is what really drew WMU-Cooley graduate Gerlinde (Linda) Nattler to the law, from as far back as in high school. She reminisced about reading stories describing ancient Roman orator Cicero’s life during a Latin class. She loved how, as a lawyer, he was able to intellectually parse out arguments and fine-tune words to razor-sharp perfection.  

Exclusion of Partial DNA Specimens, Specimens from Multiple Contributors and the Lab-Created Phenomenon of Allelic Dropout by Jason S. Downs WMU-Cooley graduate Jason S. Downs is an attorney in Brevard County at Murphy’s Law Offices, P.A. His article, Exclusion of Partial DNA Specimens, Specimens from Multiple Contributors and the Lab-Created Phenomenon of Allelic Dropout, published in the Winter 2019 issue, Volume 31, No. 4, of the Florida Defender, A Publication of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Downs is a member of FACDL and the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar. Before law school, he was a successful independent analyst and brief author. He was retained by many Florida criminal defense attorneys to lend his skills in formulating winning defense strategies and developing theory. He has authored hundreds of successful dispositive motions and is the author of dozens of prevailing appeals in all levels of the Florida court system and in the Supreme Court of the United States.

WMU-Cooley’s Head of Public Services at its Auburn Hills campus library, Tim Innes, recently launched a new podcast that traces the history of American law from its most ancient roots to the present day. [This article was published in the January 13, 2020 edition of the Detroit Legal News]

Haley Monaghan thought she wanted to be a lawyer, but the thought of going back to school after her undergraduate degree wasn't appealing.

Anyone who’s ever seen an episode of Law & Order knows there are the police, and then there are the defense attorneys. They rarely like each other, they have different goals, and they certainly aren’t in the same camp.

Read about WMU-Cooley Law School graduate Mechelle Woznicki, and other Grand Rapids attorney's role in offering Limited Scope Representation in the Legal News story below by Cynthia Price. 

“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.

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.

Using social media to promote businesses and products has become the norm in recent years, but attorneys and law firms often struggle to figure out how social media could benefit their specific practice areas. As a young attorney, Shequel Ross (William Johnson Class, 2013) decided to use social media to get legal information in front of a large audience and teach individuals about their rights.