Faculty Spotlight: Jennifer Cooper (Legal Analysis I and II)
If you’ve considered a graduate-level human resources (HR) education, it’s important to explore programs that emphasize the significance of labor and employment law. While this sector of the HR profession can seem complicated and daunting, understanding legal compliance is a critical component in any strategy meant to protect an organization and its employees from legal action.
As professor for the courses Legal Analysis I and II in Tulane University Law School’s versatile online Master of Jurisprudence in Labor & Employment Law (MJ-LEL) program, Jennifer Cooper knows that modern HR professionals must master legal research, analysis and writing to thrive in their profession.
“I think that the students already come in with such a deep knowledge base, but they really lack those foundational skills and confidence,” Professor Cooper says. “And so my key objective is to help them discover the talents that they have, to allow them to analyze and problem solve like a lawyer.”
When it comes to transforming students from HR professionals to legal HR professionals with at least a baseline understanding of labor and employment law, Professor Cooper aims to provide them with precise, detailed and easily applicable tools to confidently implement in their workplaces on a daily basis.
“I always tell my students that you know more than you think you do about the law,” Cooper says. “They don’t really believe it until they get into the program, and then when they take the Legal Analysis I and Legal Analysis II classes, they’re not scared to talk to in-house counsel anymore, they’re becoming a partner, they can have a more peer-to-peer conversation [with legal professionals].”
But for Professor Cooper, teaching the next generation of legal HR professionals is about more than sharing her love of research and writing, or even advancing careers. It’s about using analytical writing to effect positive change in people’s lives and to help her students craft sound policies and make better decisions.
To hear more from Professor Cooper about her passion for legal analysis research and writing, including how it can impact labor and employment law compliance strategies, watch her full response in the video above.
For more on the advantages of an online MJ in Labor & Employment Law degree, hear from a current MJ-LEL student and HR expert.