Cynthia L. Cooper

Cynthia L. Cooper is a journalist, author and communications consultant.

As a communications consultant, Cooper has worked with a variety of nonprofit and governmental organizations, including Amnesty International USA, Open Society, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, Lambda Legal Education and Defense, The Parenting Project, Coalition Against Hunger, Raising Women’s Voices, New York City Comptroller’s Office, Center for Dispute Resolution, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Wind Dancer Films and others. She has served as a political speechwriter, video producer, director of the court information office for the Minnesota Supreme Court and communications director at The Center for Reproductive Rights. In these positions, she has written pamphlets, educational materials, annual reports, campaign literature, white papers, op-eds, newsletters, web content, press releases, media kits, tip sheets and video scripts.

Her bylined articles have appeared in many outlets, including the National Law Journal, Ms. Magazine, New York Law Journal, Women’s eNews, Marie Claire, Glamour, Ford Foundation Magazine, Equal Justice, ABA Journal, Mother Earth News, In These Times, The Nation, Huffington Post, FAIR Extra!, American Constitution Society, Canadian Woman Journal, Perspectives and more. She served as the starting senior editor for the online publication, On The Issues Magazine; head of an investigative unit at an ABC-TV affiliate; managing editor for newsletters at the New York Law Journal Publishing Company; and, founder and director of the Community Legal Education Program at Legal Aid of Minneapolis. Journalism honors include an APEX Award for Publishing Excellence, EXCEL Award from the Society of National Association Publications, EMMA (group) and Page One (Minnesota); she was awarded special citations by NARAL and the City of Providence, R.I.

As an author, Cooper has written seven nonfiction books, including Homeowner’s Legal Guide (Consumer Reports); Mockery of Justice (Northeastern University; Penguin/Dutton), made into a CBS-TV movie and featured on Dateline, NOVA and other shows; Who Said It Would Be Easy (with Elizabeth Holtzman) (Arcade); Insider’s Guide to the Top Fifteen Law Schools (Doubleday); Know Your Rights (Chief Editorial Consultant, Spokesperson) (Reader’s Digest); Cheating Justice (co-author) (Beacon Press) and others. Cooper is also a playwright with plays produced throughout the U.S. and published in 15 volumes.

Cooper has a juris doctor with distinction from Emory University School of Law; a B.A. cum laude in urban studies from Cleveland State University, and studied mass communications in the graduate program at the University of Minnesota.