Lorrie Coffey
MJ, Employment and Labor Law, Tulane Law School Class of 2023
Hi everyone, my name is Lorrie Coffey and I’m a Talent Management Consultant for a small
workforce development firm, Horizon Point Consulting, based in Decatur, Alabama. I’ve been in
human resources for almost twenty years and most of my career have specialized in
employment law and compliance.
I have always had a love for law and in undergrad I studied criminal justice with the plan of
becoming a criminal lawyer. Life had other plans and I ended up stumbling into a career in HR
working for organizations where I had the opportunity to focus on employment law and
compliance. During the first few years of my career I was able to work with an employment
attorney who taught me a great deal, however, most of my knowledge was self-taught through
my own research.
I chose the MJ-LEL program because it had the one thing that every other Master’s program I
researched was missing – law. I do not want to be a practicing attorney, I love consulting. I
chose the MJ-LEL program for two reasons. First, obtaining my Master’s will solidify to my
clients that I have the expertise they are looking for and they can be confident in the services
and guidance that I provide to them. Second, through my job I get the opportunity to teach and
mentor other HR professionals and I hope to be able to take that to the next level and begin
adjunct teaching once I complete the MJ-LEL program.
Lorrie Coffey Bio © 2022 by Lorrie Coffey is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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Lorrie provides some advice to our new incoming class:
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Some of you will get that, some of you will have to Google it.
First, congratulations on the journey you are about to embark on and welcome to the Tulane Law School
MJ-LEL Program! The next two years are going to fly by, so enjoy every minute of it. Get to know your
classmates. Each week write down one thing that you learned; you’ll be amazed at how long that list is
by the time you graduate. This isn’t going to be an easy journey, but you already know that. For some of
you, you’re coming into the program right out of undergrad or a few years out of college. For others,
you’re probably like I was. You haven’t opened a text book in decades and are freaking out at the
thought of going back to school after so long. Well, I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath and sigh of
relief, because it turns out this program isn’t that bad. It was designed for people like us.
Now, there are going to be times when you get behind in your studies (I got 4-5 modules behind and still
caught up), there will be times when you miss the live classes (I missed A LOT), and there will be times
when life just gets in the way. It’s ok, this program understands that and you can catch up. For me it was
all about scheduling my schoolwork into my day, which was usually on the weekend. And if you need
help, your professors are there, just communicate with them. This program is designed for you to
succeed.
Use the resources provided to you, you’ll have Google Scholar, WestLaw, your textbooks, lectures, and
additional resources posted in the modules by your professors. The answers are in the materials,
sometimes you have to dig, but they are there. If you get frustrated with an assignment, walk away from
it for a while and come back to it later with a fresh mind and fresh eyes. Organize your assignment files
in a way that makes it easy for you to search through them as you may need to refer back to them for
future classes.
And a few specifics for you. Professor Cooper’s Legal Literacy courses are the foundation for every other
class you will take. And finally, if you can, attend the Immersion Weekend both years, you won’t regret
it.