Jan. 7, 2008

Nation's Largest Law School Opens Auburn Hills Campus

Cooley Law School Auburn Hills Campus

As it celebrates the 35th anniversary of the first class offered in Lansing, Thomas M. Cooley Law School welcomed its first class to its new Auburn Hills campus. While the campus will replace most of the school's presence on the campus of Oakland University (OU), Cooley will continue to operate its two joint-degree programs at OU. The new Auburn Hills campus is located near OU, separated only by the Chrysler World Headquarters complex.

"We are excited to kick off January 2008 classes with the opening of our Auburn Hills campus,"Cooley President Don LeDuc said. "This dedicated campus represents a top-notch learning environment specifically tailored to the needs of law students."

More than 600 students will study at the 67-acre Auburn Hills site, 2630 Featherstone Road, in a recently renovated 65,300-square-foot structure that had sat vacant for more than five years. The structure includes environmentally green building features such as many renewable and recyclable materials, reflective roofing to minimize heat gain and an enhanced heating and ventilation system.

The law school also will add 62,000 square feet to the structure in the next 12 months.

The school will seek certification for the new complex under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country and includes the largest African-American and second-largest minority student enrollment. Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs in Michigan's capital city in Lansing, in suburban Oakland County, and in downtown Grand Rapids. Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Laws programs.