Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

WMU-Cooley Law School alum John Nocita (Turner Class, 1991) is profiled in the Winter 2020 issue of the alumni magazine Benchmark. The profile includes an account of his donation to the law school of an impressive bronze bust of Thomas M. Cooley mounted on a marble pedestal.

Yes, that statement exaggerates—but only slightly. Academics must publish or perish, meaning to lose their chance at a tenured position. Lawyers, on the other hand, don’t lose their law license when they fail to publish. Yet they lose a critical professional-development opportunity.

To say that WMU-Cooley Distinguished Professor Emeritus Otto Stockmeyer was a little excited would be an understatement. In fact, the word Booyah, or "An expression of joy or triumph" according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, comes to mind. After his two years of suggesting, proposing, reasoning, and cajoling, Michigan will adopt the Uniform Bar Exam! 

WMU-Cooley Professor and Director of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project Marla Mitchell-Cichon gave the commencement address during the Steven Johnson Field Class Virtual Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, November 15, 2020. Read the Love Letter below.

Leading up to, during, and after the 2020 presidential election, WMU-Cooley Law School professors were called on by the media as subject matter experts. Associate Deans Michael C.H. McDaniel and Tracey Brame, along with Professors Brendan Beery, Devin Schindler, Jeffrey Swartz, and Renalia DuBose spoke on topics relating to election law and constitutional law, and offered analysis of the election and potential litigation stemming from counting ballots.

Starting a new law school from scratch is not a simple matter. WMU-Cooley Law School’s founder, Justice Thomas E. Brennan, had many concerns, large and small, to attend to, from hiring faculty to acquiring furniture. He devised the school’s innovative year-round schedule, created the Student Bar Association and Scholastic Review Board, composed the school’s motto, and designed its distinctive diplomas.  Another of Brennan’s concerns was that his students—also new, of course—achieve success at the new school. To that end he typed up a one-page list of suggestions he titled “Judge Brennan’s Ten Commandments for Law School.” For several years, Xerox copies were included in new-student welcome packets. In later years, some first-year professors attached copies to their course syllabus. But as far as is known, the “Ten Commandments” were never typeset or digitalized. . . until now. Here, preserved on the internet, is the handout that helped the first generations of WMU-Cooley law students achieve success.

Diversity and inclusion are essential, not just for groups who have traditionally been marginalized or negatively impacted by discrimination. They benefit everyone in the workplace. As a Black woman who happens to be a lawyer, I am in a group representing only 2.3% of the lawyers in the United States. That means when I go into several spaces: from the courtroom to the boardroom to the classroom, I do not look like the legal expert my audience expects. I've had to overcome that bias by making sure I am prepared and professional, and I go out of my way to be seen and known.

Professors Turn Focus to Practical Bar Passage Help As a way to assist Florida bar passage efforts, WMU-Cooley professors Paul Carrier and Matthew Marin, along with recent graduate Sara Marin (no relation) spent several years collaborating on a contract law project that teaches all MBE-tested subjects through the use of all-Florida cases.

WMU-Cooley Professor and Associate Dean Emeritus Nelson Miller shared his expertise with WalletHub.com (one of the leading outlets covering the personal finance industry) weighed in on the following answers to questions important to the car industry. 

With Halloween just a few dark and dreary days away, many individuals have begun sharing ghost stories among their friends and family. Some stories may include tales about a neighborhood home that is suspected of having paranormal activity. While many times these stories are just stories, in some instances a homeowner may believe their house is, indeed, haunted and questioning whether disclosing this information is a must before putting their home on the market.