Mary Ellen is a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School. After passing the bar in 2006, she started a solo criminal defense practice and represented hundreds of indigent criminal defendants on the court-appointed roster in Ingham County from 2006 to 2020.

 

While practicing in Ingham County, Mary Ellen was invited to participate on a steering committee to assist in developing and implementing the Ingham County 30th Circuit Mental Health Treatment Court. Once the treatment court began operating, Mary Ellen served as a defense attorney on that treatment court team for several years. 

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In addition to her law degree, Mary Ellen earned a master’s degree in Human Services Counseling with a concentration in life coaching. She then earned a second master’s degree in Forensic Psychology, which provided her with the knowledge and skills to understand the ways in which mental illness intersects with the criminal justice system. 

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In 2020, Mary Ellen accepted a position as a public defender with the Jackson County Public Defender’s Office where she worked for five years as a senior public defender handling high severity felonies and life offenses. 

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In 2025, Mary Ellen moved to Livingston County to accept a position as a Level III Senior Felony Attorney with the Livingston County Public Defender’s Office where she is currently employed. Her caseload in that position consists of high severity felonies and life offenses. She is also frequently assigned felony cases where mental illness is a factor. 

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