Thomas M. Cooley Law School - Riverview, Florida

P

If I could, I would rate this school at 0 stars. This school has absolutely destroyed many people with its predatory nature. People who always wanted to go to law school but weren’t able to succeed on the LSAT go to this school thinking they will graduate, but instead get dismissed after their first or second semester and are stuck paying the loans they took out . They sell the idea that they are offering an opportunity for everyone, but really it is trap. They don’t provide the resources for students to succeed, particularly during 1L year which is why you see many students being dismissed. The policies at the school are constantly changing and the professors except for 1-2 of them don’t genuinely care for students. I know people that got dismissed from this school who were no longer able to apply to other law schools, including Cooley again because of the academic dismissal they had to disclose. Don’t let the scholarship money or the convenience of any sort convince you to go to this school. There is a reason Western Michigan University has dropped them and the ABA has been considering taking away their accreditation for years.

Nathan Tamulonis

I recently completed my first year of study here, and overall, I'm very pleased.

Some general info about the school:
Part of the school’s mission is to provide “broad access to those who seek the opportunity to study the law, while requiring that those to whom that opportunity is offered meet WMU-Cooley's rigorous academic standards.”
Toward the end of fulfilling the first half of its mission, Cooley has a relatively liberal admissions policy, offers evening and weekend classes, and allows students to attend part-time while working. Also, to be candid, practically this means Cooley will accept and accommodate students that many other law schools would not. Nevertheless, the school also lives up to the second half of its mission: Professors expect students to develop a familiarity with subject matter and proficiency in analysis comparable to that of competent members of the Bar with a reasonable amount of exposure in the field. Cooley’s academic standards are truly rigorous, but the school provides students with all of the tools they need to achieve excellence. Professors are willing to meet with students outside of class time, and there is an office called the “academic resource center” (ARC) that also helps students with skills development as they begin and throughout their studies.
Cooley’s Tampa branch is fairly new, so the facilities are modern, and the classroom and courtroom technology is state of the art. Parking is never an issue, and the library has plenty of space, including a number of group study rooms.
Some students dislike that the school requires first-year students participate in a couple not-for-credit courses. I personally didn’t mind as I found they made the transition into law school easier and helped me start planning my legal career.

Lenny Rodriguez

Cooley Law School has given me an opportunity to attend law school while working full-time (40 hours a week). The only other law school in the immediate area is Stetson Law. While I don't have anything negative to say about Stetson, Cooley Law School accommodates my schedule better given it's class offerings in the evening and some classes on the weekend. I am just completing my first year of law school at Cooley and my experience with professors, advisors and other classmates has been nothing short of positive and productive. Although the admissions process is not as selective as other Law Schools, the course work is rigorous and challenging. The professors have real world experience as former judges, prosecutors, partners and general counsels for private and public corporations both domestically and internationally. Cooley does a great job in positioning students for internships in the public, private and corporate domain. As with any school, whether it's law school or undergrad, the student needs to take advantage of every opportunity being offered. Cooley provides the tools and opportunities necessary for every student to succeed. The student body is very diverse and active with networking opportunities, student competitions, social events and class review sessions. Overall, Cooley is an excellent opportunity for everyone including working professionals like myself to attend law school, where other schools would not have the same flexibility.

Avi Satlow

I'm currently a Cooley student (first term). I cannot comment on other law schools but only Cooley. This is my take thus far. They tailor your entire legal education towards prepping for the bar. Literally every class, every topic, every exam structure, and their entire curriculum is geared towards prepping students for state bar exams. So if you are a decent law student who wants a holistic education, wants to specialize, take a diverse group of electives, etc, this is not the school for you. But if you are like me that wants the material needed to pass the bar, and the supports needed to pass hopefully on the first try, Cooley may be a good fit. Cooley would also be a perfect fit for students who already have a legal employer lined up and need a place that will offer decent scholarship and gets them the J.D. and bar prep they need to legally practice. Also, Cooley is very flexible with scheduling (they offer morning/afternoon/evening/weekend classes) so that is a plus for the non traditional student. Cooley has a reputation of being "the worst law school in America." What it doesn't have a reputation of being is "the best law school for non traditional students in America."

Byron Longworth

My law school experience was everything I imagined. I had several amazing opportunities, between: National Moot Court competitions, being on the Mock Trial Board, the Honors Society, and more. I passed the Florida Bar Exam on my first shot, and landed an associate attorney position shortly thereafter. Minus the price tag, all was well at Cooley.

Steven Richard

I can't wait to begin my journey here at Cooley, I've heard that the entrance requirements are lower than average and that is what to expect upon graduation. I'm so honored to even be considered to go to school here it will be my pleasure one day to use an Ivy League graduate as a stepping stone in a court room as to what can happen as long as you are devoted, and in my case, I put God first in everything. I look forward to the opportunity to display what Cooley can teach me. God willing I get accepted.

Nicole Nicole

I started attending this school Fall 2014. I left in Spring 2016 after being accepted into another law school, where I received my law degree. 🙂

My time at Cooley was horrifying. As a 1L, I felt unprepared and thrown to the sharks. They say that's law school and law school is suppose to be difficult, but it was not suppose to be like this. There were no resources other than supplements in the library. They have the Academic Resource Center (ARC), however, they do not teach substantive material. This means if you are lost in a particular subject, ARC cannot help you. You are expected to go back to the same professor who confused you. lol

There are limited professors as well. So if you don't vibe w/ a professor's teaching method, you are up S-creek because you are stuck. Also, the staff is not diverse, so that leads to one-sided prospectives on law.

The grading is on a minus scale. Example A and A-. B and B-. So, if you don't master the subjects right away, your GPA will suffer.

High academic dismissal rate. During my year and a half there, I saw so many students get dismissed and those students really worked hard (not all). For those that don't know, when you get academically dismissed, you are still on the hook for the loans, you loose All credits (even from passed classes), you must wait 2 years (unless you are approved to comeback beforehand), and if u decide to go to another law school, you will have to disclose that you've been dismissed from another school, even when applying to take the bar exam. I was never dismissed, but the thought was scary.

Test were rough. Really rough. Also, they would test on small things that aren't tested on the bar, and make it worth so many pts. on your exam.
Also, if for some reason you can't test, they made you wait an entire semester to take the test, not a few days, lol. So when the new term comes up, you must study for the previous semester's classes and your new classes in the new semester. Imagine studying for more than 5 law classes a semester.

The good thing about the school is that you will have no choice but to learn. So I did like that. I felt prepared once I started at my new law school. Cooley also didn't give me a hard time about getting testing accommodations for my learning disabilities. The students were also helpful.

For these reasons, Cooley gets a solid 2 stars. I do not recommend this school under any circumstances. Even if they accept you with low LSAT scores and give you a scholarship. Take it again and go somewhere else. Don't risk getting dismissed from a Tier 3 law school. And obviously, this is not everyone's experience, however, I believe this is a common experience from many students who attend or attended this school. Best of luck! 🙂

V

This has been one of the worst experiences with a school I have had. From the lack of good professors with the exceptions of some, to the blantant rude comments that are made based on a student’s characteristics, I would never recommend wasting your money. They also share your confidential information with unauthorized others. Please go to Stetson if you can.