Stacy (Handley) Cook was the first person from both sides of her family to graduate from college. She started working at 12 years old, later taking on multiple jobs to pay for college and Law School. Hard work is something she learned from her father, a Marine and Korean War Veteran and her mom, a retired para-professional, who used her artistic and innovative ideas to develop the first Motor-Sensory room of it’s kind during the 1970’s in the Wayne-Westland School System, Special Education Department. Neither parent had a college education, however, both pushed themselves to achieve in their careers and placed a high value on continued education, the outcome of which bore two daughters that went on to become lawyers.

While in Law School Stacy Cook clerked for a fast paced law firm, researching and writing on the multiple areas of law covered by the firm. She later went on to Clerk for Judge Francis X. Gorman of the Toledo Municipal Court, also serving as the Supervising Law Clerk of the Court.

It was during this position, in the Municipal Court that Stacy became well versed in the systems, policies and departments of the court. This knowledge served her well as a practicing attorney. Stacy Cook was able to open her own practice directly out of law school serving a general practice clientele. She worked for 12 years in multiple jurisdictions in Ohio on both civil and criminal matters. In addition to her general practice, she was asked to serve as an Acting Judge for the Maumee Municipal Court. She filled this position when needed while still maintaining her private practice.

As well as meeting the needs of her general practice, Stacy Cook went on to represent the indigent and mentally ill population wherein she became well versed in the addiction/substance issues that were and are plaguing our community. She also immersed herself in learning the mental health area of law and the needs for resources in the mental health and or learning disabled community. She was called upon by Lucas County Common Pleas, Probate Court Judge Jack Puffenberger to represent mentally ill patients during their Involuntary Commitment Hearings while in-patient at the local mental hospital. Learning these resources while in practice has been a critically necessary tool that she uses daily in her current position as a Judge in the Common Please Court, Lucas County, Ohio General Trial Division.

Judge Stacy Cook has served in this seat for a full 11 years and is completing her twelfth year and her second full term. Judge Cook, has used her personal hard work ethic and has continued this method while serving as a Trial Judge. Both Judge Cook and her staff work hard to make the courtroom a user friendly experience for practicing attorneys and citizens of the community. In her spare time , Judge Stacy Cook speaks throughout the community and to local school programs to share resources and information on prevention. Judge Stacy Cook works to combine the Public Safety needs of the community with the Public Health concerns of the community to create a better use of the resources and to maintain a high personal supervision of the treatment needed to help secure the safety of the community. This method is innovative, yet worthy of the extra work and energy to properly maintain supervision with additional Judicial supervision and contacts than is normally seen.

After 30 years of combined courtroom experience as a Law Clerk, a practicing lawyer , and a Judge, Judge Stacy Cook brings to the bench a wealth of knowledge and understanding that serves this community well in both her Civil and Criminal case loads and the important areas of addiction and mental health.

In light of all that is said above about Judge Stacy Cook, nothing defines her more and nothing means more, than being a wife to Gary Cook, and Mom to her three children Madison, Delaney and Griffin.