Brian is an associate attorney and is a member of the firm’s School Law, Labor & Employment, and Municipal practice groups. Brian has experience guiding public and private sector employers through a variety of challenging legal situations including: navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, employee separations, employee leaves of absences and accommodations, and discrimination and respectful workplace issues. In addition, Brian has experience with a variety of public sector issues, including First Amendment rights, and compliance with open meetings and public record laws.
Prior to attending law school, Brian was a music teacher in Illinois and received his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. Brian uses his experience as an educator to assist clients, particularly when providing presentations and trainings on a wide range of legal topics. Brian is a sought-after speaker due to his engaging and practical style. Brian gives frequent presentations, trainings, and in-services to clients and professional organizations.
Admitted to Practice
- Wisconsin State Courts
- United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Presentations, Publications, & Contributions
School Law
- Presenter, “Avoiding Traps in the Administration of FMLA, ADA Leave, and Worker’s Compensation,” Wisconsin Association of Business Officials and CESA 9, 2021 & 2022
- Presenter, “What School Superintendent Assistants Need to Know About the Legal Aspects of Public Records Requests and Public Comments at Board Meetings, Wisconsin Association of School Superintendent Assistants, 2022
- Presenter, “Avoiding Traps in the Administration of FMLA, ADA Leave, and Worker’s Compensation,” Wisconsin Association of Business Officials, Annual Accounting Conference, 2022
- Presenter, “Avoiding Traps in the Administration of FMLA, ADA Leave, and Worker’s Compensation,” Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Officials, WASPA Academy, 2022
- Presenter, “Avoiding Traps in the Administration of FMLA, ADA Leave, and Worker’s Compensation,” Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Officials, WASPA Spring HR Support Staff Conference, 2022
- Presenter, “Preparing for the Upcoming School Board Elections,” Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, First Year Superintendents Academy, 2021 & 2022.
- Presenter, “Navigating the Expanding Complexity of the First Amendment and Protected Concerted Activity,” Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Middle and High School Principals Convention, 2022
- Presenter, “Navigating the Expanding Complexity of the First Amendment and Protected Concerted Activity,” Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Associate Principals Convention, 2022
- Author, “Legal Considerations for Building Administrators in an Election Year,” Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, 2022
- Presenter and Author, “So, You Want Your School District Employees to Work During a Pandemic, Do You?” Council of School Attorneys, 2020
- Presenter, “Returning School District Employees to Work During COVID-19,” Council of School Attorneys, 2020
- Presenter, “COVID-19: The Labor & Employment Landscape for Schools,” Council of School Attorneys, 2020
- Presenter, “COVID-19: Looking Forward with Lessons Learned and More Questions,” Council of School Attorneys, 2020
- Presenter, “Emerging Issues During the Pandemic,” Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Administrators, 2020
- Presenter, “Employee Concerted Activity and Speech,” Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, Online Legal Library, 2020
- Presenter, “Legal Considerations for Building Administrators in an Election Year,” Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, 2020
- Presenter, “Accommodating Employees with Mental Health Conditions,” Wisconsin Technical College System, 2019
- Presenter, “Legal Update: Student Discipline,” CESA 2, 2018
- Presenter, “Top Special Education Legal Mistakes,” National Business Institute, 2017
- Presenter, "Help! We've Been Overrun by Federal Guidance," Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services, Spring Conference 2017
- Author, “Key Legal Considerations Regarding Student and Staff Speech in an Election Year,” Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, 2020
- Author, “Free Speech in the Racial Justice Era,” Wisconsin School News (Wisconsin Association of School Boards), 2020
- Author, “Free Speech and Student Clothing,” Wisconsin School News (Wisconsin Association of School Boards), 2020
- Author, “Liability Waivers and the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Wisconsin School News (Wisconsin Association of School Boards), 2020
- Author, “The Haze Surrounding CBD,” Wisconsin School News (Wisconsin Association of School Boards), 2019
- Author, “School Holiday Programs and the Establishment Clause,” Wisconsin School News (Wisconsin Association of School Boards), 2018
- Author, “A Guide to Nonrenewing Teacher Contracts,” Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, 2017
Private Sector Employment
- Presenter, “The Law Surrounding Employees with Mental Health Conditions,” State Bar of Wisconsin Labor and Employment Section, 2022
- Presenter, “Legal Update,” 5G Benefits HR Summit, 2021 & 2022
- Presenter, “Employment Law Update,” Greater Madison Area Society for Human Resource Management, Human Capital Conference, 2022
- Presenter, “Seeing Through the Purple Haze of Marijuana, CBD, Other Drugs and Employment Laws,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, 2021
- Presenter, “The Annual Employment Law Update (COVID-19 Edition),” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, Human Capital Conference, 2021
- Presenter, “The Annual Employment Law Update (Non-COVID-19 Edition),” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, Human Capital Conference, 2021
- Presenter, “HR Legal Update: Recent Developments and Hot Topics,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, Professional Development Summit, 2021
- Presenter, “Recent Legal Developments and Important Considerations for Employers During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, 2020
- Presenter, “Managing Employees Return to the Workplace During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Verona Area Chamber of Commerce, 2020
- Presenter, “Accommodating Employees with Mental Health Conditions,” Dane County Bar Association, 2020
- Presenter, “Navigating Employee Leaves, Disability, and Worker’s Compensation” Blackhawk Area Society for Human Resource Management, 2020
- Presenter, “Recent Legal Developments: Workplace Law in Action,” Greater Madison Area Society for Human Resource Management, Professional Development Summit, 2019
- Presenter, “The Annual Legal Update” Greater Madison Area Society for Human Resource Management, Human Capital Conference, 2019 & 2020
- Presenter, “Avoiding Legal Traps in Employee Handbooks,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, 2019
- Presenter, “Understanding Employer Responsibilities Regarding Sexual Harassment in the Wake of the #metoo Movement,” Dane County Buy Local, 2018
- Presenter, “Taking a Closer Look at Harassment Policies and Procedures in the Wake of #metoo,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, 2018
- Presenter, “Taking a Fun Seriously at Work: The Line Between Humor and Illegal Harassment,” University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Continuing Studies, 2018
- Presenter, “I Was Just Kidding: Responding to Harassment, Bullying and Humor in the Workplace,” Greater Madison Area Society for Human Resource Management, 2018
- Presenter, “Legal Issues Surrounding the Opioid Crisis and the Workplace,” Greater Madison Area Society for Human Resource Management, 2018
- Presenter, "Driving Employers Crazy: Employee Travel Pay and Travel Expense Reimbursement," HRWebAdvisor Webinar, 2017 & 2018
- Presenter, “Employee Substance Abuse and Alcoholism: Navigating the Legal Labyrinth,” HRWebAdvisor Webinar, 2017
Community Involvement & Board Memberships
- Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, President
- Greater Madison Area Society For Human Resource Management, Former Vice President of Programming, Current Programming Committee Member
Professional Memberships
- Council of School Attorneys
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services
- Wisconsin Towns Association
- National Public Employer Labor Relations Association
- Wisconsin Public Employer Labor Relations Association
- Dane County Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Wisconsin
Honors & Recognition
- 40 Under 40 Class of 2023, In Business Magazine
See our disclaimer regarding third-party awards.
Education
- J.D., magna cum laude, University of Wisconsin Law School, 2016
- Order of the Coif
- Wisconsin Law Review, Senior Note and Comment Editor, 2015-2016
- Gwynette Smalley Law Review Prize, for special contribution to the Wisconsin Law Review, 2016
- Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Award, for achievement in Professional Responsibilities, 2016
- Wisconsin Association of Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Scholarship Award, 2016
- Mardi Gras Sports Law Moot Court Competition, 2015
- Summer internship with the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights in Chicago, Illinois, 2014
- Academic Awards for top performance in courses on Public Sector Labor Law, Professional Responsibilities, and Constitutional Law II
- M.S., Educational Leadership, Northern Illinois University, 2010
- Certified as a K-12 principal in Illinois
- B.M., Music Education and Jazz Studies, with highest honors, DePaul University, 2005
- Certified to teach K-12 music in Illinois
Brian’s Latest Writing & Presentations
Changes to Public School Records Retention Schedules
School Law FYI | 05.24.23
School districts across the State recently received information from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) regarding records retention which attempted to outline some changes and actions districts may need to consider. This FYI will attempt to explain what has happened and what steps districts should consider taking.