"I often find myself sharing stories about the RCDS teachers that influenced me ... RCDS has had a huge impact on my career and my life." 

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After graduating from RCDS in 1983, Billy Cooper completed his undergraduate studies at Union College and then obtained his J.D. from the National Law Center at George Washington University in 1990. Billy joined the law firm of Marvin A. Cooper, P.C. in 1991 after having  practiced law in a large New York City law firm. He had the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of his father, Marvin A. Cooper, Esq., for many years before becoming the lead trial counsel of the firm. Over the past twenty-five years, Billy has carried forward the legacy and reputation of Marvin A. Cooper, P.C. with a belief in giving those who have been injured the best representation possible, and he has established Marvin A. Cooper, P.C. as one of the most successful personal injury law practices in the New York metropolitan area. Billy is married to Hilary, who also attended RCDS and currently practices psychology in Rye. They have three children: Maddy (Class of 2016) is a senior at Vanderbilt University, Annie (Class of 2019) is a freshman at University of Michigan, and Teddy (Class of 2025) is in the seventh grade at RCDS.

The 1983 Men’s Basketball team was inducted into the RCDS Hall of Fame in 2018. What did that moment mean to you?
The 1983 Men’s Basketball Team induction into the RCDS Hall of Fame in 2018 was one of the most exciting and humbling experiences. It is not a stretch to say that the memories and friendships from that team continue to this day (more than 35 years later). My closest friends in the world remain from that team. We were in each others’ wedding parties, we have shared laughs, and we continue to relive that amazing season all these years later. The cherry on top of being inducted as a team was having our coach, John Sabia, recognized for his amazing work!

In addition to being an alum, you have two daughters who graduated from RCDS (Class of 2016 and 2019), and you are a current parent to a son (Class of 2025). Why did you choose RCDS for your children?
Why did we choose RCDS for our children, Maddy, Annie, and Teddy, is a question that can be answered by stating that we wanted our kids to have a great overall experience in school. We have always believed that the most important part of school should be the “everything” as opposed to just the books. RCDS has allowed our kids to grow as young people through their experiences with diversity, language, and sports. That has been invaluable, and we have seen them grow tremendously because of the RCDS experience. When they each started in fourth grade, we heard, “You know, now I look forward to going to school every day.” That’s the best thing that you can hope to hear as a parent.

Is there a favorite alumni event in which you look forward to participating each year?
My favorite alumni event is the Thanksgiving Alumni Basketball game. It gives me the chance to reconnect with many generations (as I get older) of RCDS alumni who also have had a great experience at the School. It also allows me to be on a basketball court with my kids! That’s pretty special.

Was there an RCDS teacher that influenced your life and made a lasting impression?
I don’t know if I had “one” teacher that influenced my RCDS experience so much as the overall quality of the teachers that I experienced at the School. I can think of math and English teachers, history, and even drama teachers (in the Lower School) that I remember for various reasons that were most beneficial. I often find myself sharing with my family stories about the different teachers that impacted me to this day.

How did your time at RCDS shape or influence your career today?
As a trial attorney who has to interact with a wide range of people—from judges to jurors to insurance companies to clients to witnesses to police officers to medical personnel to clients—I have found that being “forced” to interact with people in a small classroom setting was invaluable in helping develop people skills, which are so important in the world and in my work. I reference my time at RCDS on a regular basis ... so, my only conclusion is that it has had a huge influence on my career and my life.