Gary M. Ruesch
Of Counsel
Gary M. Ruesch is a co-chair and shareholder with Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet, LLC. He has over 30 years of experience representing school districts and private schools in the areas of special education law, general school law, and labor and employment law. Gary regularly counsels clients on topics such as student discipline, public records/open meetings, special education due process, employee discipline and dismissal, sexual harassment, employment and employee handbooks, school board policies, severance agreements, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, and prohibited practice complaints. Gary has successfully represented clients before various administrative agencies and courts of law.
Gary has also written about and presented on subjects related to special education, general school law and labor and employment law. He is a former adjunct professor of law at the Marquette University Law School, teaching the Education Law course. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the NSBA Council of School Attorneys, and a member and former president of the Wisconsin School Attorney’s Association. Gary has been honored by receiving recognition in Best Lawyers in America for over 20 years in the areas of Education Law and Labor & Employment Law-Management. He is also listed in Super Lawyers in the areas of Schools and Education. He is a former member and treasurer of the Greenfield (WI) School Board.
Accomplishments
- JD, Marquette University Law School
- BA, Communications, Marquette University
- Member, State Bar of Wisconsin’s Labor Law Section
- Co-Author, Discipline in the Schools. 3rd Edition, LRP Publications, 2007
- Past President and Board Member, Wisconsin School Attorneys Association
- Member, National Council of School Attorneys
- Adjunct Faculty, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Exceptional Education
- Former Board Member, Greenfield School District
- Member, Wauwatosa Civil Service Commission
- Co-Chair of the Good Samaritan Society, Catholic Charities
- AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell
- Named to Best Lawyers in America® from 2001 – 2019
- Wisconsin Super Lawyers® for 2019
- Recipient of the George Tipler Medal for Distinguished Service in School Law, presented by the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, October 2015
Up Close & Personal
Q: What is your favorite movie and why?
A: My favorite movie is The Caine Mutiny. The soundtrack is great and it is a complex study of leadership and loyalty under pressure.
Q: If you could take a six-month sabbatical what would you do?
A: Our family would take an around-the-world trip—taking plenty of time to enjoy our wonderful planet.
Q: What is your favorite book and why?
A: I enjoyed Gore Vidal's American History series. He has a great wit and an often alternative view of our politics. Perhaps Lincoln was my favorite of the group.
Q: What music would we find on your playlist?
A: You would find Celtic Thunder, Passenger, Piano Guys and Cole Porter.
Q: What is your most prized possession?
A: We own a 1987 BMW red convertible that Laura and I bought in Munich over 20 years ago. It has very low miles and has been kept off the winter roads. There is nothing like driving a 5-speed in the open air.
Q: What is your greatest personal accomplishment?
A: This is an easy one. I love my wife and children and am happy and proud to be a part of our family. When not working, I am generally with them at home, school, church or just out and about.
Q: Who is your favorite author and why?
A: I enjoy David Poyer's books about the modern U.S. Navy. He is educational and realistic in painting dramatic plots involving politics, terrorism and human nature in a fairly structured environment.
Q: Who do you admire most and why?
A: I admire Pope John Paul II as a Church leader who lived a saintly life and was willing to risk his own life for the good of many.
Q: What is your favorite quote and why?
A: "Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit" which means "bidden or not bidden. God is present."
Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Wisconsin?
A: I love the snowy weather!