But despite graduating with honors from Ohio State University, her LSAT score led to only one Michigan acceptance. Cooley awarded her an Honors Scholarship.

Krystal went on to graduate with honors from Cooley Law School, ranking in the top 10 percent of her class. She served as an Associate Editor of Cooley’s Law Review and Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association. She won five Certificates of Merit for earning the top grade in her
class and was selected to receive the school’s Leadership Achievement Award and Alumni Distinguished Student Award.

While at Cooley, Krystal worked as a volunteer for the school’s Innocence Project and for the Legal Aid and Defender Association of Detroit. She did her externship at the Washtenaw County Public Defender Office and then worked as an intern for Federal District Judge Gerald E. Rosen.

As a result of that experience, Federal District Judge Victoria A. Roberts hired Krystal for one year as a death penalty law clerk. Judge Roberts has since extended her clerkship in both time and level of responsibility.

Krystal Johnson

Krystal knew her career path ever since she was a little girl. Family and friends would always ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she would tell them matter-of-factly that her dream was to become a lawyer.

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