Office of Legal Affairs
The Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) provides comprehensive legal services to the University. We advise on a wide variety of legal issues including but not limited to personnel matters, contracting, compliance, intellectual property, campus safety, open records and meetings, and privacy.
Our office reviews and drafts policies, represents the institution in administrative hearings, acts as a liaison with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and educates the campus regarding legal issues.
We strive to minimize risks and liability to UWM while we balance the interests of UWM representatives and the mission of the University.
Mission
Legal Affairs is committed to providing the highest standard of legal advice and representation, with professionalism and integrity, in furtherance of UWM’s unique mission as a major doctoral university that serves the diverse needs of Wisconsin’s largest metropolitan area.
Organization
Legal Affairs is a small office, with four full-time attorneys and one legal support staff member. Each attorney is a generalist capable of handling a wide variety of legal matters, while also applying expertise in key areas. Attorneys rotate responsibility for new matters to ensure quick response to urgent issues and to accommodate planned workloads and schedules.
Access to Legal Services
Under the Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules regulating attorneys practicing in Wisconsin, our attorneys represent the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System as an institutional entity. This means we are available to provide counsel to any UWM employee representing the University’s interests who has questions arising in the course and scope of their employment. We do not represent or provide legal advice to students or UWM employees on personal matters, including challenges to institutional decisions.
Copyright and Permission to Use
Users of this website may copy, distribute, and display the materials on this page for any educational, non-commercial purpose without seeking permission as long as appropriate attribution is given to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. To the extent we have linked to materials of others, this license to use may not apply and separate permission may be needed from the author of the work. Legal Affairs expresses gratitude to the Universities of Wisconsin General Counsel’s Office as many legal topics are linked to the UoW General Counsel’s website, and some content has been borrowed directly from that site.