For sisters Sydni and Skyla Cooley, graduating from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law is not just the end of three years of legal education — it’s the latest milestone in a life they have built side by side.
Seventeen months apart and often mistaken for twins, the sisters have moved in tandem from childhood through their undergraduate years at The University of Alabama and now at Cumberland School of Law, where they will graduate this spring with their Juris Doctor degrees.
Their path to law school began with a shared foundation but different timelines. Skyla said she knew early on that she wanted to pursue law, setting her sights on the profession as a teenager. Sydni arrived at that decision later, entering college as a biology major before switching to political science and deciding during her junior year to apply to law school.
By the time they graduated from Alabama, attending law school together felt like a natural next step. “I think because we’ve done everything together, it was one of those things that just made sense,” Sydni said.
The sisters were placed in different sections during their first year, an early introduction to independence in an otherwise shared journey. By their second year, however, they were back in the same classrooms, completing the remainder of law school together.
That closeness became especially meaningful during their first semester, when their father died unexpectedly just before final exams.
“Law school is hard in general,” Sydni said, “but losing our dad a week before finals is not something you ever plan for.”
The loss forced both sisters to navigate grief alongside the demands of a rigorous academic environment. They credit the law school’s faculty and administration with creating an environment that allowed them to continue, providing flexibility and support during a time when many students might have stepped away.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it anywhere else,” Sydni said. “The faculty here gave us a space to continue on.”
The experience also shifted their perspective, leading both sisters to approach the remainder of their time in law school with a deeper sense of purpose.
Throughout law school, their relationship served as a steady source of support rather than competition. While sibling dynamics are often defined by rivalry, the Cooley sisters said theirs has always been different, rooted in trust and shared values rather than comparison.
“It’s a genuine mutual love, respect and admiration for each other,” Sydni said. “It doesn’t feel hard.”
“Having someone you trust right there with you changes everything,” Skyla said. “It’s a built-in support system that a lot of people don’t have.”
At the same time, law school challenged them to grow individually. As they prepare to graduate, both sisters acknowledge that their next chapter will look different.
After graduation, both plan to sit for the bar exam and begin their legal careers separately. The decision marks a shift after years of shared classrooms and routines, but one they see as necessary for personal and professional growth.
“I think we have to do it for ourselves to continue growing,” Skyla said.
As they prepare to join the legal profession, Sydni and Skyla Cooley leave Cumberland School of Law not only with their hard-earned law degrees, but with a shared story of resilience, growth and enduring support—one that will continue long after graduation.
