Cooper, Matthew R.

After graduating from Valparaiso University School of Law, with honor awards in contracts and criminal law, Matt clerked for a Circuit Court Judge.  Matt then joined the Law Offices of Schuitmaker, Cooper, Schuitmaker, Cypher & Knotek, P.C.  Over the last 23 years, Matt has represented clients in major litigation cases and has participated in jury trials in Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Barry and Wayne Counties.  Further, Matt has prosecuted cases in Illinois, Maryland, Indiana and Michigan at the Federal and State Court levels.  Matt has worked on both civil and criminal cases.  Matt has appeared in Circuit Court in over seventeen (17) Michigan Counties.  Matt has also handled cases in the Western and Eastern Federal District Courts, the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court.

In 2011, Matt was selected by the Paw Paw Chamber of Commerce as the Community Volunteer of the Year.  He is a charter member and past President of the Paw Paw Area Rotary Club.  Matt is past president of the Optimst Club.  For numerous years, he has worked for Paw Paw Rocket Football, Inc., and Paw Paw Youth Baseball, Inc.  Matt formed both of these organizations into Michigan Corporations and obtained their 501(c)(3) charitable organization status from the Internal Revenue Service.

On a county-wide level, Matt has served on numerous county-wide boards such as the Van Buren County Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Southwest Michigan Legal Aid Burea and the Tri-County Headstart Board.

On the state-wide level, Matt currently sits on the Michigan Bar District Character and Fitness Committee.

Matt was nationally recognized for a case that he litigated for an Iraq War Veteran from Hartford, Michigan that protected the rights of all personnel serving in the United States Military.  Matt effectuated amendments by Congress to the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act, protecting the rights of men and women in the United States Armed Forces.

The Hurley case appeared on the front page of the New York Times, and every major newspaper around the world reported on the story.  Sergeant Hurley and Matt appeared on a featured story on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, alongside General David Patraeus and his wife, Holly Patraeus.