Boardman Clark School Law Group Welcomes Two New Additions

02.02.15

Boardman Clark School Law Group Welcomes Two New Additions

The School Law Practice Group of Boardman & Clark LLP is proud to announce that James K. Ruhly and Douglas E. Witte have become members of our firm. They bring over sixty years of combined experience in representing school districts across the state. We are pleased to have such experienced and exceptional lawyers join the School Law Practice Group.

James K. Ruhly has extensive experience representing public employers, including school districts. Jim is a former president of Wisconsin School Attorneys Association and currently serves on the governing board of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Labor and Employment Law section. In 2006, Jim received the prestigious Tipler Award for service in development of school law in Wisconsin. He has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America and in Madison Magazine’s ​“Best Lawyers” for his work in employment and school law.

Jim is an elected Fellow in the Wisconsin Law Foundation and The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory gives him its highest rating for professional competency and ethical conduct. He has been selected for inclusion in the Wisconsin Super Lawyers list each year since 2005. Jim is a frequent speaker at professional events sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.

Douglas E. Witte has represented school districts and private sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, serves on its Board of Directors and is currently its President. He has been a frequent presenter to employer associations on a variety of employment-related topics.

Doug and Jim bring a wealth of school law experience to our firm, including the representation of districts in collective bargaining, contract administration, grievance processing and arbitration, open meetings and public records disputes, and proceedings before school district boards of education, the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, and courts. Both represent boards of education in contract termination, non-renewal and pupil expulsion hearings. They have conducted many investigations into alleged workplace harassment or discrimination in the public and private sectors.

Doug adds to our Practice Group’s litigation expertise. He has represented employers in employment discrimination suits before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including Wisconsin’s Equal Rights Division and the EEOC.

In addition, both Doug and Jim advise school districts on all aspects of employment law, including hiring, discipline and discharge, wage and hour laws, unemployment and workers compensation claims, and disability and family and medical leave issues.

For over fifty years, Boardman & Clark LLP’s School Law Practice Group has continuously served as general counsel and special counsel to school districts throughout Wisconsin. We currently represent over ninety school districts, CESAs, charter schools, and technical colleges. With the addition of Jim and Doug, our School Law Practice Group currently consists of fourteen attorneys and one paralegal. Eleven of our attorneys have over ten years’ experience working with school districts, with six of those having over twenty-five years’ experience.