Last week I wrote about the lawsuit Cooley Law School filed against some bloggers, lawyers, and former students. Since that time, I have read more of the sour grapes and “woe is me” hyperbole of the contentious material. So sad… you would think the law school owed them something because they decided to get a great legal education from a great law school that emphasizes a practical approach. Were they forced under threat of physical violence to attend Cooley? Should Cooley (or any law school) misrepresent any statistics regarding the school or the success of its students? Of course not!
While it may be true that the legal profession is experiencing its deepest recession in memory and law schools continue to raise tuition prices and recruit students, fierce competition among law students is nothing new. I can still remember my first day of class back in the early 1980s. We were told “Look to your right, look to your left. One of the three of you won’t make it.” That was true, at least back then. At the time, Cooley did have a high attrition rate, about one-third. Personally, I thank Cooley’s founder, Justice Thomas E. Brennan, Sr., every time I see him for giving me the opportunity to get a legal education. Why do these people who now complain about Cooley think they were owed anything but an opportunity? I thank Dean Don LeDuc and all the faculty, who gave me the chance to be able to do what I love, representing injured people – being a trial lawyer. Is law school right for everyone? Are there too many lawyers? Law schools? The defendants in this case have their own opinions, but I see that as a free market determination.
Becoming a lawyer takes hard work. If you want to become a lawyer and are willing to work hard in school and after you graduate, I highly recommend the Thomas M. Cooley Law School to give you the opportunity.
