Western Michigan University Cooley Law School has elected three new members to its board of directors, effective immediately. The board voted unanimously on Feb. 22 to elect The Hon. Michael Hatty of Brighton, Jordan Sutton of Lansing, and Mitchell Zajac of Howell to 4-year terms on the board.
“Our board of directors is comprised of WMU-Cooley graduates who are highly dedicated legal professionals and well respected among their peers,” said WMU-Cooley President and Dean James McGrath.
Hatty, who graduated from WMU-Cooley in 1979, is the chief judge for 44th Circuit Court and 53rd District Court in Livingston County, Michigan. He is also the presiding judge of the Adult Drug Treatment Court, and was appointed the Business Court judge for Livingston County in April 2019. Before being elected to the bench, Hatty was a private practice attorney for nearly 30 years, focusing on criminal, real estate, negligence, business, domestic relations and municipal law. He was also appointed as a mediator and arbitrator. Additionally, Hatty has served as a Moot Court judge and Trial Skills judge for the past 14 years at various law schools throughout the state, including WMU-Cooley, and has worked with numerous community organizations.
Sutton hails from a family of WMU-Cooley graduates. Her parents, Jerry and Linda Sutton, each received their juris doctor degrees from WMU-Cooley. In 2013, Jordan Sutton followed in their footsteps, along with earning an LL.M. in Tax in May 2015. She joined the family-owned business, Sutton Advisors PLC, in Lansing in 2004, and is the managing director, attorney and registered representative.
Jordan has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the State Bar of Michigan Public Outreach and Education Committee, Mid-Michigan Planned Giving Council Board of Directors, Boys & Girls Club of Lansing Board of Directors, and WMU-Cooley’s Tax and Entrepreneurial Law Societies.
Zajac, who received his juris doctor degree and an LL.M. in Corporate Law and Finance from WMU-Cooley in 2017 and 2019, respectively, is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. As a patent law attorney and associate at Butzel Long’s Detroit office, he concentrates on automotive, intellectual property, regulatory and emissions compliance, and sports and entertainment law. Before joining Butzel Long, Zajac worked at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as an auditor, engineer and program manager. He has served as president of the board of directors for the Association for Child Development in Lansing since 2016, and has served as a committee member of the WMU Lee Honors College Advisory Council to the Dean since 2011. Outside of practicing law, Zajac has been the football coach at Howell High School since 2015.
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