1WMU AFFILIATION ADVANCESWe are proud of the strong affiliation with Western

Michigan University that has already resulted in

more than 120 initiatives ranging from the

upcoming offering of courses on each other’s

campus, joint course listings, teaching and

research collaborations, shared clinical

opportunities, guest faculty appearances on

constitutional law, ethics, and medical-legal issues,

and improved student support activities. For more

details on the affiliation, see cooley.edu/wmich

REASON ONE

2ABA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSAGAIN!Tampa Bay students Elizabeth

and Bryan Devolder won the

national championship in the

ABA’s client counseling

competition. Their victory is

our second such national

championship in five years

and our seventh regional

championship in ten years.

Other schools brag about their

competition teams. Ours

succeed.

See cooley.edu/news/2015/wmu-

cooley-team-wins-national-aba-

competition

REASON TWO

“Extraordinary teamwork helped the couple capture the national championship,

the school’s second in five years.”

TEAM COACH CHRISTINE CHURCHWMU-COOLEY ASSOCIATE DEAN

INNOCENCE PROJECT SUCCESSThe students and faculty of the WMU-Cooley Innocence

Project succeeded again this year in obtaining the

exoneration of a man wrongfully convicted of a crime he did

not commit. This was our third exoneration in recent years.

And we teamed with WMU to obtain a $400,000-plus grant

from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the project’s

future efforts.

See cooley.edu/clinics/innocence_project

3

REASON THREE

2

4FOREIGN STUDY LEADS TO GLOBAL EXPERIENCEThe world is growing smaller day by day. We offer invaluable

international law experience to students who attend class in

our ABA-approved foreign study programs based in Toronto,

Ontario; Oxford, England; Münster, Germany; Melbourne,

Australia; and Hamilton, New Zealand.

See cooley.edu/foreignstudy

REASON FOUR

WMU-COOLEY STUDENTS IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

PROPOSED 3+3 PROGRAMWILL LOWER STUDENT COSTThe accelerated program being

developed with WMU will allow

students to receive their

bachelor and J.D. degrees in a

shortened time and with great

savings in tuition and living

expenses.

See cooley.edu/wmich

REASON FIVE5

TWO-YEAR PROGRAM BENEFITS MOTIVATED STUDENTSOur intensive, full-time, year-round

academic program allows ambitious

students to complete their legal

studies in only two calendar years.

It’s hard work, but it comes at

great savings.

See cooley.edu/prospective/

accelerated.html

REASON SIX

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FACULTY ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESSOur faculty are accessible, devoted to

teaching and serving the students, and keen

to share their years of practice experience.

The students rated the faculty highly again

this year in course evaluations and reported

their satisfaction with the faculty to our

accreditors.

See cooley.edu/faculty

REASON SEVEN

7

8LOW STUDENT-TO-FACULTYRATIO MAKES FOR BETTER EDUCATIONWe have 1,444 students, 47 full-

time faculty, and 98 adjunct

faculty. That calculates to a low

18:1 student-to-faculty ratio

which lends itself to small

classes and the kind of hands-on

learning of skills for which we

have become so well known.

See cooley.edu/publicinformation

REASON EIGHT

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT MAKES FORBETTER LAWYERSAlumni consistently tell us that their internships,

clinical classes, and skills classes and competitions

were among the most valuable experiences they had at

the Law School. All law schools have practical offerings,

but WMU-Cooley requires students to take them. That’s

why our students excel as practicing lawyers.

See cooley.edu/clinics

9REASON NINE

MULTIPLE CAMPUSES ACROSS MICHIGAN ANDFLORIDA GIVE STUDENTS GREAT LIFESTYLE CHOICESMany students tell us that our campus locations in

Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Tampa

Bay give them great lifestyle choices and allow

them to pursue legal education without having to

uproot their families. The deans, faculty, and staff

at each campus have done a tremendous job of

associating the Law School with local bar and

business organizations, providing students

important contacts for their future careers.

See cooley.edu/campuses

REASON TEN

LANSING

AUBURN HILLS TAMPA BAY

10GRAND RAPIDS

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING OPTIONS BENEFIT STUDENTSWHO ARE PARENTS OR ARE EMPLOYED Students also tell us that the Law School’s day, evening,

and weekend scheduling options, coupled with starting

semesters in September, January, and May, allow them

to care for their families and to stay employed while

pursuing their degrees. This means that they can

maintain their family and business relationships while

graduating with far less student loan debt.

See cooley.edu/prospective

REASON ELEVEN

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PRO BONO AND COMMUNITY SERVICEOPPORTUNITIES ABOUNDWe were outstanding again this year in

pro bono and community service.

Students and faculty provided

107,000 hours of free legal service

through their volunteer, clinical, and

externship activities. And our

community outreach efforts helped

children’s charities, food banks, crisis

shelters and a host of other

organizations that serve those who are

less fortunate than are we.

See cooley.edu/ethics12REASON TWELVE

EXCEPTIONAL FACILITIES PROMOTE COLLABORATIVE CULTUREOur students told us this year how much they like and gain from the

comfortable surroundings that promote learning in a collaborative,

supportive, and nurturing environment. The WMU-Cooley culture has

become one of helping, cooperating, and sharing, which we think

makes for a better education and ultimately better-trained lawyers.

See cooley.edu/campuses

13REASON THIRTEEN

“Extraordinary teamwork helped the couple capture

the school’s second in five years.”

TEAM COACH CHRISTINE CHURCHWMU-COOLEY ASSOCIATE DEAN

14WE HAVE MADE LEGAL EDUCATION ACCESSIBLEWe admit students from all regions of

the nation, from many foreign

countries, and from all types of

backgrounds. Some students have just

graduated from college while others

have been out for years. Many

students are employed, and many have

families. But our campus locations,

scheduling options, and year-round

admissions combine to afford students

the ability to attend the Law School on

their own schedule.

REASON FOURTEEN

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SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI LEAD THE PROFESSIONThis year, Thomas C. Rombach (Morse Class, 1987) and Kevin Robinson (Reid

Class, 2006) concluded their year as presidents of the State Bars of Michigan and

West Virginia, respectively. Lawrence P. Nolan (Cooley Class, 1976) just became

president-elect of the State Bar of Michigan. Kevin Cotter (Edwards Class, 2006)

was elected this year as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. And

many other alumni have risen to positions of prominence in the legal profession,

the business world, government, and academia. Did you know that WMU-Cooley

graduates have served in Congress? Or the Canadian parliament? Or Japan’s

national legislature? Or many other state legislatures? Or as judges in the courts

of many states? Or as general counsel of a Fortune 500 company? Or as presidents

of universities?

See cooley.edu/leaders

REASON FIFTEEN

KEVIN COTTER, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND WMU-COOLEY ALUMNI

16DIVERSE AND GLOBALLY ENGAGEDThe Law School is a great place at which to

learn because our student body is the most

ethnically, culturally, and internationally

diverse in all of legal education. Our

students range in age from 20 to 65. Female

students outnumber the males. More

students from other nations are enrolled at

our School than at any other law school.

Their diversity brings unparalleled richness

to the classroom and the Law School itself.

See cooley.edu/prospective/diversity

REASON SIXTEEN

UNCONDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS Many of our students are aided by the School’s

generous merit-based scholarship program. Our

scholarships are unconditional in that students retain

them throughout their enrollment so long as they are

not subject to school discipline. Students have told us

that scholarships at other schools come with so many

strings attached that they cannot realistically meet

continuing requirements. The benefit to WMU-Cooley’s

students is that they know where they stand and can

bank on it.

See cooley.edu/prospective/scholarships17REASON SEVENTEEN

ALUMNI EVENTS CONNECT AND INFORMWe stay connected with alumni through a host of networking

events around the nation. This year alone, we held 19 alumni

events in Michigan, four each in Florida, Illinois, and Texas,

three in Maryland, two each in D.C. and New York, and one

in Alaska, Indiana, New Jersey, and Ontario. We will be

coming to yet other states in 2016. Read about these past

events and look for upcoming events at

cooley.edu/alumni/events

18REASON EIGHTEEN

WMU-COOLEY GRADUATES ARE READY TO WORKNeed a lawyer or an extern to join your office?

Maybe you should look to WMU-Cooley. Externship

supervisors and employers consistently told us

this year that our students and graduates arrived

prepared for law practice, enthusiastic to work, and

ready to go. Contact our Office of Career and

Professional Development to find a WMU-Cooley

lawyer who will be effective and useful to you right

out of the gate. You won’t be disappointed.

See cooley.edu/careers 19REASON NINETEEN

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ONE OF NATION’S LARGEST ALUMNI NETWORKS A mere glance at these maps shows you that our nearly 20,000 graduates are

found in every state plus 26 other nations or territories around the world. This

geographic spread testifies to the competence, capability, and ingenuity of the

WMU-Cooley lawyer. It also demonstrates the opportunities available to our

students who know the growing importance of practicing law in the global

economy. You can easily find your fellow graduates and update your own contact

information on our website.

See cooley.edu/alumni

20REASON TWENTY

300 S. Capitol Ave. Lansing, MI 48933 | (517) 371-5140 www.wmich.edu/law