Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Judge Lawrence H. Cooke: A Career That Went Beyond the Bench

By Parker Niles
Parker Niles is a 2017 cum laude graduate of Albany Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from Union College.
While in law school, Parker was an Executive Editor for Notes and Comments for Volume 80 of the Albany Law Review. He has also served as a teaching assistant and as a judicial extern for the Hon. Mae A. D’Agostino in the U.S. District Court for Northern New York.
Parker is currently a first-year associate at Holland & Knight in Boston.

Judge Lawrence H. Cooke’s reputation as a judge and then the Chief Judge for the New York State Court of Appeals was well earned.  He did not get a bid to the Court of Appeals on his first try in 1972,  but when he was finally elected in 1974, he was voted in by one of the highest margins ever.

Judge Cooke then went on to become one of the most respected judges to ever sit on the Court of Appeals. He was known for his work ethic, being fair and practical, caring for others, and being a proponent of state constitutional law.

Lawrence Cooke was born on October 15, 1914 in Monticello, New York.  He was born into a family with a background of working in the public sector of the law as his father, George L. Cooke, was the county judge, surrogate judge, and children’s court judge of Sullivan County for many years.

After graduating from Monticello High School, Cooke attended Georgetown University. After graduating from college, Cooke decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and attend law school.  Cooke began his law studies at Harvard Law School, but then soon transferred to his father’s alma mater, Albany Law School.
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To read the paper, open HERE.