Thomas M. Cooley Law School

"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."

"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."

"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.""

"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."

"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."