Joely Urdan, Chief Legal Counsel
| Telephone: 414-229-4730 | Email: jurdan@uwm.edu |
Key Practice Areas: Employment law, litigation, student issues, athletics, open records and meetings, FERPA, Clery Act and policy compliance, Title IX (sexual violence), campus safety
Joely joined UWM’s Office of Legal Affairs in July 2003 and became the Associate Director in January 2005, Interim Director in October 2012, and Director and Chief Legal Counsel in May 2014. At UWM, she works on a diverse amount of litigation and other matters including employment and personnel matters, administrative policies, student conduct issues, and campus safety.
Prior to joining UWM, Joely was an assistant attorney general in the civil litigation unit at the Wisconsin Department of Justice. She represented state agencies (including UW institutions) and employees in state and federal litigation, comprised largely of civil rights claims. She also argued appeals before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and Wisconsin Supreme Court. Joely received her law degree cum laude in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she served as a vice president for the Moot Court Board. She graduated from UW-Madison in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French.
Donna McGee, Deputy Chief Legal Counsel
| Telephone: 414-229-5197 | Email: mcgeed@uwm.edu |
Key Practice Areas: Intellectual property, tax matters, university research and compliance, contract drafting and negotiation, HIPAA compliance
Donna joined UWM’s Office of Legal Affairs in January 2006, became the Interim Associate Director in October 2012, and the Associate Director in November 2014.
Prior to joining UWM, Donna practiced at the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP in the Project Development & Finance Group. During this time, she worked on a wide variety of multi-national and cross-border transactions. After moving to Milwaukee from New York in the fall of 2004, Donna worked on water conservation and policy issues. Donna received her law degree cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2000 where she served as Associate Editor on the Moot Court Board. She graduated magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1997 where she studied East Asian History. Donna is admitted to practice in New York and Wisconsin.
Kirstin Goetz, Senior University Legal Counsel
| Telephone: 414-229-6532 | Email: goetzk@uwm.edu |
Key Practice Areas: Employment law, accommodation of individuals with disabilities, affirmative action, scholarships, litigation
Kirstin joined the Office of Legal Affairs in January 2005. At UWM, Kirstin handles a variety of legal issues, including advising the University administrators on employment-related matters, representing the University before administrative tribunals, and drafting and reviewing University contracts to ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Before joining UWM, Kirstin worked at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., where she was an associate in the Labor and Employment Department. She received her law degree cum laude in 2000 from the University of Wisconsin School of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court team. Kirstin graduated from UW-Madison in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy.
Jennifer Herzog, Senior University Legal Counsel
| Telephone: 414-251-6809 | Email: herzogj@uwm.edu |
Key Practice Areas: Charter schools; contract drafting, negotiation, and review; bankruptcy; affiliations
Jennifer joined UWM’s Office of Legal Affairs in January 2013. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002, and graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2005. Jennifer then served for two years as law clerk to the Honorable James E. Shapiro, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Subsequent to her clerkship, Jennifer worked with the corporate team at Godfrey & Kahn, S. C. as a member of the Business Finance and Restructuring Group. In that capacity, Jennifer conducted significant litigation and transactional work.
Bronwyn Nehring, Office Manager
| Telephone: 414-229-4278 | Email: nehringb@uwm.edu |
Bron joined UWM’s Office of Legal Affairs in January 2015. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the office and coordinates the intake of new matters. Bron is a proud graduate of UWM and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and International Studies.
Hector de la Mora, Senior University Legal Counsel Emeritus
| Email: hdlm@uwm.edu |
Hector retired in August 2015 after almost 41 years at UWM. He was the first and only UWM in-house staff attorney in 1974 and remained at UWM on a part-time basis as the Office of Legal Affairs expanded. During his over 40 years in the Office of Legal Affairs, he had substantial involvement with virtually all of the areas of practice covered by the office. Hector was granted Emeritus status upon his retirement in recognition of his long and distinguished career at UWM.
Hector graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 1971 and was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin at that time. He is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, United States District courts, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court Bar. Hector is a former First Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County, where he earned the nickname “Hector the Protector” for his determined prosecution of crimes.