Feb. 22, 2008

Senior Official At U.S. Attorney’s Office To Join Cooley Law School

Alan Gershel

Alan Gershel, chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office-Eastern Michigan District Criminal Division, will join the school’s faculty as a Visiting Professor in May.  Gershel will teach Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Cooley’s new Auburn Hills campus.

"While it is tough to leave the U.S. Attorney’s Office after nearly 30 years, the itch to teach the lawyers of tomorrow is simply too enticing to resist," Gershel said.  "Cooley is an innovative school that brings students from around the country to our region for a top-notch legal education, and I’m proud to be one of the individuals who will provide that education."

Gershel started at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1980. He has served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, two terms as the Interim United States Attorney and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Gershel has led the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for close to 20 years.

"Alan will be a tremendous asset to our school and our students," said John Nussbaumer, Associate Dean of Cooley. "His decades of experience at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will do wonders for students in understanding the real-world, practical application of concepts and theories discussed in the classroom.  And he is the kind of ethical role model we look for to teach our students by his example."

Gershel earned his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, a master’s degree from Indiana State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University.
 
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country with more than 12,000 graduates worldwide.Cooley has campuses in Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Auburn Hills, Mich. In addition to the Juris Doctor program, students at Cooley can also pursue a Master of Laws degree in Taxation or Intellectual Property.