Lansing, Michigan 48933  [54] Cooley was working to gain ABA accreditation since the satellite schools opened in June 2002, but had faced delays caused by disagreements on standards, resolved by a settlement of Cooley's lawsuit with the ABA, resulting in the ABA's acquiescence. The libraries have a total of about 60 staff. WMU-Cooley's legal education curriculum and program are designed to prepare its students for the practice of law through experienced-based teaching of the law and lawyering skills. Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School is an independent, private, non-profit educational institution affiliated with Western Michigan University. Thomas M. Cooley, and Poem by D. Bethune Duffield, Esq., on the Dedication of the Law Lecture Hall of the Michigan University. [49], 36.36% of first-time takers passed the bar exam in any jurisdiction in 2019. So It's Thinking About Changing Its Name", "Cooley Sues Law Firm and Bloggers, Says Law School Falsely Accused of Misstating Grads' Success", "Cooley Law School loses 6th Circuit defamation appeal", "Thomas M. Cooley Law School v. Kurzon Strauss, LLP, et al", "Cooley Law School, October 20, 2011, "Cooley Files Motion to Dismiss Jobs Reporting Lawsuit, "McDonald v. Thomas M Cooley Law School: IV. The law school announced in August that it would close its campus in Grand Rapids, Mich., in August 2021 and move all classes and operations to its campus in Lansing, the state capital. [15] The problems of funding and facilities were not resolved but Brennan expressed confidence these troubles will be worked out. Cooley Law School was founded in 1972 by a group of lawyers and judges led by the then Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, Thomas E. Brennan. We approach challenges with creativity and a commitment to innovation. Thomas E. Brennan. The Law School was founded in 1972 by a group of lawyers and judges led by then-Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. "[74], In August 2014, Associate Dean James Robb announced that Cooley had begun laying off faculty and staff at all its campuses. But, as put in the phrase we lawyers learn early in law school—caveat emptor." In the ruling, the court held that although the graduates' complaint showed that the statistics on which they relied were objectively untrue, their reliance on the statistics was unreasonable. Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a private, independent, non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt law school dedicated to teaching students the knowledge, skills, and ethics needed to succeed in both the law and its practice and to be valuable members of society. The school was named in honor of Thomas McIntyre Cooley (1824-1898), a prominent 19th-century jurist, who was also a former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice. [46], Cooley has a library at each of its five campuses. In 2002, when Cooley was expanding, Cooley filed a lawsuit against the American Bar Association for delaying the accreditation of its satellite campuses in Grand Rapids and Auburn Hills. ", "Cooley name change to Western Michigan was long time in planning", "The New Western Michigan University Cooley Law School", "Law - Academics - Western Michigan University", "Cooley Law's Kalamazoo, Michigan, campus approved by ABA's Legal Ed section", "Western Michigan University trustees vote to end affiliation with Cooley Law, calling it 'a distraction, "Class Action Lawsuit Against Thomas M. Cooley Law School Dismissed", "LSAT scores at high-risk schools getting worse, according to analysis by law school reform group", "Comments on Proposed Revisions to Standards 316 and 501", "10 law schools are out of compliance with bar passage standard, ABA legal ed section says", "Poor bar passage rates threaten 10 schools", "Joint Degree Program - J.D./LL.M. [62] In 2020, Cooley announced it will close its Grand Rapids campus by August 31, 2021, pending approval by accrediting agencies, and that it had ceased providing classes at Western Michigan University's Kalamazoo campus. Students learn to apply legal theory to situations they may encounter as practicing attorneys. In 1871 he became Dean of the Law School. Our WMU-Cooley Community reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live, study, and work. WMU-Cooley stands firm in its belief that the study of law should not be an esoteric pursuit and that the practice of law should not be an elitist profession. The Law School is affiliated with Western Michigan University, a major national research university enrolling more than 23,000 students from across the United States and 100 other countries. We foster respect, tolerance, collegiality, open communication, and collaboration. Western Michigan University - Cooley Law School data overview: tuition, debt, salaries, enrollment, lawyer jobs, bar pass rates, and more. [22], Western Michigan University's board of trustees voted November 5, 2020 to end its affiliation with the Cooley Law School, indicating the board believed that affiliation with Cooley had become a distraction from the university's core mission. This seems to be the beginning of the end for Cooley Law School. The Law School's Strategic Plan 2020 guides us in our teaching, research, and service by setting forth our core mission, values, and vision. In an article in Inside Higher Ed education writer Ry Rivard noted: Thomas M. Cooley Law School – the largest law school in the country – is known for admitting students other law schools would not touch. The Thomas M. Cooley Law School was established by a group of lawyers and judges led by Thomas E. Brennan, a former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. [66] Cooley has been subject to intense criticism and backlash for assigning equal value of these library-based statistics to far more important factors such as bar passage rate and percentage of graduates employed following graduation.