Sept. 23, 2009

Cooley Law School’s Grand Rapids Campus Adds Assistant Professor

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School today announced that Sherry Batzer has been appointed to assistant professor and director of the Public Sector Law Project at Cooley’s Grand Rapids campus. She had been a visiting professor at the Grand Rapids campus since 2008.

Batzer developed and implemented the Public Sector Law Project during her time as a visiting professor. As director of the Public Sector Law Project, she will continue to supervise students and staff attorneys, oversee program administration and lead program development, in addition to collaborating with public sector partners. The Public Sector Law Project offers evening and weekend Cooley students a chance for hands-on clinical experience with transactional, advisory, legislative, policy and systemic work in a government setting.

Batzer also teaches interviewing and counseling courses and serves as an attorney facilitator for a legal services project at Ferguson Apartments, a residence for the mentally disabled, where she coordinates and supervises student volunteers.

Batzer previously served as corporate counsel to Kent County from 1998 to 2008. Before moving to Grand Rapids, she served in a variety of positions in the state of Wyoming; she worked as a civil deputy county attorney for the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office in Green River, an instructor at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs and had her own private practice, Batzer-Farrens Law Office in Green River.

Batzer is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Grand Rapids Bar Association. She received an undergraduate degree from Empire State College-State University of New York and a juris doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law.

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.  Today, Cooley Law School has nearly 14,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.   Additional information about Cooley can be found at cooley.edu.