Mary represented school districts on the unique matters that schools, school boards, and school administrators faced. Additionally, she advised public and private sector employers on a diverse set of issues.
Mary advised public school districts and private schools on a wide range of general school law issues, including matters pertaining to human resources, school board governance and policy, student discipline, business contracts, and public meetings and records laws. She led investigations into workplace misconduct and student complaints and conducted training for clients on various school law topics.
Mary also represented school districts on a variety of labor and employment law issues, such as discrimination matters, wage issues, medical leaves, safety issues, contract interpretation and negotiations, grievance, and prohibited practice claims. She advised school districts on policies and handbook provisions as well as claims before state and federal enforcement agencies.
Mary represented and supported public school districts in student services matters, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and related state law. She provided counsel in all areas of special education throughout identification, evaluation, IEP, mediation, and litigation processes. She successfully represented school districts in hundreds of special education mediations, special education due process requests and hearings, Section 504 mediations and hearings, DPI and OCR investigations, and U.S. federal district court and 7th Circuit Court of Appeals cases. She appeared and prevailed in a matter of first impression before the Wisconsin Supreme Court on behalf of school administrators. She also provided guidance for navigating complex student services matters, including student discipline, pupil nondiscrimination, and open enrollment. She previously served as a presenter for the Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System and the Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS).
Mary is currently serving as an adjunct professor of education law at the Marquette University Law School. She is a Wisconsin School Attorneys Association Past Board member, a recipient of the Tipler Award for distinguished service in School Law, a recipient of the Wisconsin Law Foundation Women in Law award and named a Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation.
She is a frequent presenter for school professional service organizations and serves as a guest lecturer for graduate administration classes. She currently serves as the immediate Past Board President of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.
I have five children and they range from ages 36 to the baby who is 21.
I am married to Bill, who is the greatest. We have a great life with a fantastic mix of family, Badger football and concerts.
On any day of the week, I am listening to a range of classical and jazz music, with a good amount of Aretha Franklin in the mix.
I love classical music and am a musician. I still play flute and piano, and play in regional orchestras such as the Manitowoc Symphony and Middleton Symphony.
