Who We Are?
ALS provides comprehensive legal services, including advice and counsel, risk and liability evaluation and prevention, and representation in legal matters and proceedings to the entire University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. In providing these services, it is anticipated that the types of legal risks and liabilities facing the institution can be minimized and controlled, and that those who must make decisions on behalf of the institution are provided with appropriate assistance in analyzing those risks and liabilities.
To accomplish this, ALS is organized on the model of a small law firm. Each attorney is both a generalist, capable of handling a wide variety of legal matters, and a specialist, with particular expertise in certain key areas. Attorneys work as practice groups, consulting with their colleagues within ALS, as appropriate. Most areas of practice are staffed by more than one attorney, so that ALS can respond to client needs.
ALS is headed by the Director of ALS, who has overall responsibility for directing the university's legal affairs and day-to-day coordination is provided by director.
These individuals, with the assistance of the ALS support staff, are responsible for responding to client requests and for assuring that an appropriate attorney is promptly designated to handle any matter.
The two practice groups are organized around certain broad, substantive legal areas. These broad areas and a representative sample of the sub-areas handled by these practice groups are as follows:
Transactional Research Team
Technology Transfer
Environmental Issues
Taxation
Sponsored Research
Purchasing
Contracts
Copyright
Trademark
Regulatory Compliance
Animal Welfare Research
Affiliation Agreements
Faculty Practice Plans
Provider Reimbursement
Managed Care Contracts
Litigation/Risk Management Team
Human Subject Research
Scientific Misconduct
Educational Affiliation Agreements
Medical Malpractice
Employment Law
Risk Management
Faculty & Staff Governance
Constitutional Issues
HIPPA
Disability Law
Personnel Policies and Procedures
Immigration International Students
Records Access and Open Meetings
Student Affairs
ALS has program assistants who handle the case management database, coordinate requests for representation in litigation, handle various other legal requests such as subpoenas and notices of claims, and support the attorneys in the day-to-day provision of services and document production in addition to responding to telephone inquiries and visitors.