Law School Breaks Ground in Riverview

They had the country to choose from. However, the board of directors of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School selected Riverview for its fifth campus.

The nation's largest law school broken ground on its Riverview school Sept. 20.

"It's a great day in Florida and a great day for Cooley Law School," said Jeff Martlew, associate dean of Cooley's Tampa Bay campus during his opening remarks at the ground-breaking ceremony. "Our expansion into Florida brings an extraordinary practical legal education model to an underserved population of individuals seeking a flexible law degree program. Cooley has nearly 900 alumni living here, and 5 percent of our current student population are residents of Florida."

Cooley already has four campuses in Michigan: Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

The Tampa Bay campus will begin offering evening classes in May 2012, followed by morning classes in September 2012 and afternoon classes in January 2013. The full curriculum will be rolled out over a three-year period. The campus is expected to enroll about 700 students.

Beyond Cooley’s large alumni base in Florida, Cooley has had a growing presence in the Tampa Bay area through its 122 approved externship sites and its Service to Soldiers: Legal Assistance Program. The program expanded into Florida in January.

"We are pleased to welcome Cooley to our region," said Pedro Bajo, president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. "In recent years, Cooley has offered complimentary training to local attorneys who wanted to be part of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project. The program prepares local attorneys to represent members of the military in legal issues ranging from child custody concerns to housing and rental disputes."

In August, the ABA's Council on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar accepted the recommendation of the accreditation committee to accept the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s application to open a Tampa Bay-area campus. The campus has also been approved by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association and the Florida Department of Education, Commission for Independent Education.

The only other law school in the Tampa Bay area is Stetson University College of Law, which has campuses in Tampa and Gulfport.

The site of the Riverview campus, located at 9445 Camden Field Parkway, just off U.S. 301, north of Bloomingdale Avenue, includes a 130,000-square-foot building that was previously occupied by Progressive Insurance. Cooley also purchased an adjacent property that, when combined, will provide a large campus setting of 13.3 acres with more than 500 parking spaces.

Cooley will hire 24 full-time faculty and 40 support staff.

"We welcome Cooley to Hillsborough County," said Al Higginbotham, chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission. "Cooley Law School will have a great economic impact on the area by bringing several hundred students, faculty and staff to this new campus."

Renovations began Sept. 26. The facility will be occupied in three phases, with the first two phases to be completed prior to classes starting. Phase I plans call for office spaces to be occupied in January 2012. Phase II will include the library, classrooms and more office space. All renovations are expected to be completed in late 2012.

Founded in 1972, the private, nonprofit law school operates its Juris Doctor program, Joint Degree programs and Master of Laws programs across Michigan. Cooley has more than 15,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and offers enrollment three times a year — in January, May and September. Cooley is an independent law school, accredited by the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission. Additional information can be found at cooley.edu.