Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
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 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. As an independent institution, the Law School is solely responsible for its academic program.
The JD Program
Earn the J.D. that says: "Ready to practice"
Always Have Been A Practice Ready Law School, Always Will Be.
We’ll give you the knowledge, practical skills and ethics to hit the ground running. With our rigorous academic programs, you’ll work hard, be challenged, and gain confidence — but you’ll also get real-world experience before you graduate. So you won’t just learn the law … you’ll live and breathe it.
Experiential Learning at WMU Cooley Law School
Social Justice Clinics
- The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project
- Access to Justice Clinic
- Public Defender Clinic
Community Service Clinics
- Estate Planning Clinic
- Debt-Relief Clinic
Externships
WMU-Cooley’s externship program furthers the school’s mission of practical legal scholarship by placing students with practicing lawyers throughout the United States and in various countries around the globe. Externships are learning opportunities for students placed with nearly 3,000 lawyers and judges who have agreed to provide a mentored learning environment. Student externs receive classroom training from faculty members in addition to supervision and evaluation by their attorney mentors.
Competitions
WMU-Cooley students can choose to hone their skills in competitions against other WMU-Cooley students and, and if selected, represent WMU-Cooley against students from other law schools. WMU-Cooley faculty coach the travel teams and accompany them across the country as students compete on skills including client counseling, negotiation, trials, and appellate advocacy.
- Moot Court
- Mock Trial
- Practice Skill Competitions
Law Review
The WMU-Cooley Law Review's mission is to publish pragmatic and theoretical legal scholarship for judges, practicing attorneys, and students of law. The Law Review team is comprised of some of the highest achieving students from WMU-Cooley Law School. Together, they strive to produce a quality legal publication reflective of the caliber and diversity of students, faculty, alumni, and our school as a community. The goal is to publish articles that will be useful for practitioners and provide support and guidance for judicial opinions.
Leaders Academy
Students at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School have diverse career goals. Some want to practice in a small firm in a small town; others want to work for a large corporation in a major metropolis. Employers want lawyers with more than exceptional legal knowledge and skills. They are looking for confident people with project management and teamwork experience.
Ambitious Leaders Academy students use their time in law school to develop and refine leadership skills that set them apart in practice, in government, and in the corporate arena. The targeted experiences and focused study of Leaders Academy students will help them demonstrate to employers leadership qualities that may be otherwise challenging to illustrate.
Tuition and Aid
AWARDS OF UP TO 100% TUITION
At WMU-Cooley you can earn a 10-100% tuition scholarship that is applied to all 90 credits required for graduation as long as you are in good standing (not on probation).
There are also scholarship opportunities after enrollment.
Admitted Applicant Profile
