Nicole Appleberry

Nicole Appleberry serves as Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. She maintains concurrent professional roles as of counsel at Ferguson Widmayer & Clark PC specializing in tax law and as a civil mediator, while previously serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Livingston County, Michigan (1995-1999).

Her educational background includes:

• BA in English with honors from the University of Michigan
• JD from the University of Michigan
• LLM in Taxation from Wayne State University

Professor Appleberry's research centers on systemic legal barriers faced by vulnerable populations, particularly at the intersection of tax law with poverty, disability, and domestic violence frameworks. She pioneers dialogue-based legal skill development and mediation strategies to empower marginalized clients navigating complex systems, with emphasis on social justice applications in tax dispute resolution and low-income advocacy.

Her professional recognition includes a 2017 nomination for the University of Michigan's Golden Apple Award, the institution's sole student-nominated honor for exceptional teaching excellence.

As Clinic Director, she leads student attorneys in providing IRS dispute representation for low-income taxpayers through the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, while previously chairing the Practice and Procedure Committee of the State Bar of Michigan's Taxation Section and co-chairing the Washtenaw County Bar Association's Taxation Section.