Christine Zellar Church

I joined the full-time Cooley faculty in April 2006 following work with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, where I’d served as a staff attorney since 1998. With the Legal Aid Society, I concentrated on complex litigation in family law, domestic violence, and bankruptcy. 

During my tenure at Cooley, I have held several Associate Dean positions, including the Associate Dean of Academic Programs since 2015. I recently stepped down as the Associate Dean to rejoin the full-time faculty, teaching Secured Transactions, and lawyering skills simulation classes. I recently developed and teach Anxiety and the Practice of Law. I have coached the national team for the ABA Client Counseling Competition, and my teams have won two national championships.

Before my service with the Legal Aid Society, I was in private practice with Zellar Church and Associates, 1997-1998. After my legal career began with Legal Services of Middle Tennessee (1983-1987), I then worked as a solo practitioner (1987-1990), an associate with the firm of Bagwell, Bagwell, Parker, Riggins and Kennedy (1990-1993), a managing partner with Kennedy Zellar & Associates (1993-1995), and a managing partner in Zellar Cartwright and Love (1995-1997).

I frequently make presentations at externship and clinical conferences, and at conferences addressing innovative approaches to legal education.

Articles (Law Reviews and Law Journals)

• Christine Zellar Church, The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act:  Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence in Protection Order Cases Involving the Military, 12 T.M. Cooley L. Rev. 335 (2010).