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.
Admitted to Practice
- Wisconsin State Courts
- United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Presentations, Publications, & Contributions
School Law
- 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, “Recent Legal Developments and Important Considerations for Employers During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Wisconsin Society for Human Resource Management, 2020
- Presenter, “Latest Issues in Wage and Hour Law,” Bagels & Coffee with Boardman Clark, 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, 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
- Greater Madison Area Society For Human Resource Management, Former Vice President of Programming, Current Programming Committee Member
Professional Memberships
- Wisconsin School Attorneys Association
- Council of School Attorneys
- 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
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
Expulsion Notices Must Contain Specifics
School Law FYI | 09.28.22
As the procedural requirements for expulsion are usually the only basis upon which the State Superintendent reverses expulsion orders, school administration should be sure to put sufficient detail in an expulsion notice so there is no question that the student and the family were put on notice of the conduct alleged.