Professional Biographies

Lisa H. Rutherford
Kathleen S. Irwin
John C. Dowling
Ben Griffiths
Nancy K. Lynch
Rebecca C. Hutton
Lisa A. Wilson
Kirsten Nichols
Pam Majewski

LISA H. RUTHERFORD Director and Senior University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas: employment law; medical  malpractice law and risk management; civil rights; faculty/academic staff governance and procedures; and study abroad.
Background: Ms. Rutherford received a BA degree with distinction from  Hamline University and a JD degree from UW-Madison. She joined ALS in 1993.

KATHLEEN S. IRWIN Distinguished University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas: research grants, and contracts;  intellectual property law; conflict of interest and scientific  misconduct regulation.
Background: Ms. Irwin received a BA in biology from Drake University,  an MS in post- secondary educational administration from UW-Madison,  and a JD with honors, also from UW- Madison. She was a medical  technologist with various clinical and research laboratories and  served as an instructor with the UW-Madison Medical Technology  Program. Prior to joining ALS in 1983, she was an attorney for the  State of Wisconsin Legislature.

JOHN C. DOWLING Senior University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas: athletics; personnel and employment law; faculty and student  affairs; and public records and open meetings law.
Background: Mr. Dowling received both BA and JD degrees from The Ohio  State University. He was in the private practice of law in Columbus,  Ohio, for five years and then served for seven years as an Ohio  Assistant Attorney General, where he was Colleges and Universities  Coordinator. He joined ALS in January 1996.

BEN GRIFFITHS Senior University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas: tax, business law, non-profit  corporations, environmental law, export and customs, immigration,  athletics, research and sponsored grants issues; and purchasing.
Background: Mr. Griffiths received a BA degree from Miami University  (Ohio) and a JD degree from UW-Madison. He served as legal counsel  for a small business and as a staff attorney/contract author for a  public interest law firm for several years before joining ALS in 1993.

NANCY K. LYNCH Senior University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas: medical malpractice law and risk management; student governance and procedures; student conduct; intellectual property, computer security, public records; diversity and affirmative action issues, and employment law.
Background: Ms. Lynch received a BA degree with Distinction from UW- Madison in 1991 and earned a JD degree, cum laude, in 1996, also from  UW-Madison. Prior to joining ALS in December 1997, she was in private  practice in Chicago, Illinois.

REBECCA C. HUTTON University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Area: medical malpractice and risk management; affiliation agreements and other contracting in the health sciences area; and HIPAA.
Background:  Ms. Hutton received a BA degree from Barat College, Masters Degrees from the University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She served as Associate University Legal Counsel at ALS, Director of Risk Management for UW Hospital and Clinics, and HIPAA Privacy Officer for the University of Wisconsin-Madison before rejoining ALS in October, 2005.

LISA A. WILSON University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas:  medical malpractice law and risk management; general health law; human subjects research; and embryonic stem cell research.
Background: Ms. Wilson received her BA from UW-Milwaukee in 1993 and her JD, summa cum laude, from Northern Illinois University in 1999. Prior to joining ALS, she clerked for two years for the Illinois Court of Appeals, one year for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and worked in private practice.

KIRSTEN NICHOLS Associate University Legal Counsel
Principal Practice Areas:  medical malpractice and risk management; trademark; and general higher education law.
Background: Ms. Nichols received both a B.S. degree in 2005 and a J.D. degree in 2008 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served as a law clerk in ALS prior to joining the staff in June 2008.

PAM MAJEWSKI Paralegal Confidential
Principal Duties:  investigate notices of claim and employment discrimination complaints; provide general paralegal support to attorneys.
Background: Ms. Majewski received a Paralegal Certificate from the American Institute for Paralegal Studies in 1996. She was employed as a paralegal with the Department of Regulation and Licensing for over 9 years before joining ALS in 2007.