Margaret M. Hackett

Margaret M. Hackett graduated from the University of Notre Dame (B.A., magna cum laude, 1979) and the University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1981), after which she was privileged to clerk for the Honorable Cornelia G. Kennedy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Meg is admitted to practice in the State of Michigan and the District of Columbia. She practiced law for 25 years before joining the Thrun Law Firm in 2007, including 12 years as in-house counsel for educational institutions.

Meg's practice is varied and draws upon her extensive experience as in-house counsel across practice areas. This breadth of experience uniquely positions Meg to provide multi-faceted counsel to educational institutions embarking on innovative and complex initiatives. To the extent that her practice can be categorized, Meg serves as board counsel addressing matters of general school law, labor and employment law, public school academies, the law of higher education, special education law and State Aid and Pupil Accounting issues. She is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics of interest to school officials.

Meg is a member of the Michigan School Boards Association (MSBA) Council of School Attorneys (COSA) and currently serves as Immediate Past President on its Board of Directors; the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Council of School Attorneys; the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA); the American Bar Association (ABA); the Federal Bar Association (FBA); the Grand Rapids Bar Association (GRBA); and the Women Lawyer's Association of Michigan (WLAM), having served as a past president of the WLAM Western Region. Meg is a Life Member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Meg lives on a farm and raises pasture-fed livestock and poultry. She enjoys music and participates in the music ministry at her church. She is on the Board of Directors of the YWCA West Central Michigan and is a sustaining member of the Justice Foundation of West Michigan.