The mission of the Cooley Law School is to prepare its graduates for entry into the legal profession through an integrated program with practical legal scholarship as its guiding principle and focus.

This mission includes providing broad access to those who seek the opportunity to study law, while requiring that those to whom that opportunity is offered meet Cooley’s rigorous academic standards.

We set our standards high at Cooley. We expect all our graduates to pass the bar examination and to be competent, ethical practicing attorneys, so our program of legal education is rigorous, challenging, and thorough. We require our students to meet a standard of academic competence and professional conduct while at Cooley that is comparable to the standards of the legal profession. Every student will be taught the knowledge, skills, and ethics needed to be successful and respected lawyers.

In just 35 years from opening its doors to the inaugural class of 76 students, Thomas M. Cooley Law School has become one of the nation’s very best law schools. Through its accomplished faculty, its dedicated staff, and its outstanding facilities, Cooley has become nationally known for its training in the knowledge, skills, and ethics needed to practice competently and effectively. Cooley is especially proud of its many graduates who have gone into public service, whether in the judicial, executive, or legislative branches.