RAHUL B. PATEL, RILEY CLASS, 2009
RAHUL PATEL CO-LEADS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING LAW FIRMS IN THE COUNTRY WMU-Cooley Law School graduate Rahul B. Patel (Riley Class, 2009) never anticipated that, less than 10 years into his law career, he would have his own law firm. Even more impressive, his Texas-based firm is now the fifth fastest growing law firm in the United States after launching the business just five years ago. In 2017, the firm made the “Best Places to Work” list by the San Antonio Business Journal. As managing partner of the firm, Patel directs the firm’s business development strategies, and brings an assertive approach to client representation in the areas of commercial real estate, commercial litigation and property tax appeal litigation. Previous to working in the legal field, Patel was in the hotel development industry. When he decided to leave in 2007, and with his father’s encouragement, Patel applied to law school. During his search for the right law school, WMU-Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus seemed to be the perfect fit. The moment his application was approved, Patel enrolled and never looked back. Patel, an Ohio State University alumnus, wanted to graduate as soon as possible in order to begin his law career. In addition to enrolling in an ambitious course load, he was
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involved in several student organizations and extracurricular activities. “Honestly, law school was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I would say I was a smart kid. I did very well in high school, but I got into Ohio State and I got distracted a little bit – distracted from my goals, distracted from things that I really wanted to do,” Patel said. “But in law school, I really found myself.” While at WMU-Cooley, Patel was chairman of the Moot Court Board, and competed in two national Moot Court competitions. He received the Moot Court Service Award, and won first place in oral arguments. Patel, a recipient of the Melissa Mitchell Leadership Award, was also the scholarly writing editor for the Law Review and a teaching assistant and tutor for Property Law I and II.