Michael J. Julka

The current chair of the School, Municipal, Labor and Employment Law Team, Michael Julka is a 1976 graduate cum laude of the University of Wisconsin Law School and a partner in the firm.  He practices almost exclusively in the areas of school law and public sector labor/employment law. Mike serves as lead counsel for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Inc. (WASB), and many school district clients.  He is the primary author of WASB’s publication entitled A Guide to Nonrenewing Teacher Contracts, and was a contributing author to a multi-volume treatise entitled Education Law.  Before beginning his legal career, Mike taught mathematics in a public high school.  Since earning his law degree, he has continued to teach, appearing as a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin Law School and School of Educational Administration, as well as participating in numerous seminars sponsored by organizations such as the National Council of School Attorneys, Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, the Labor and Employment Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, and the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators.  Mike is admitted to practice before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.  He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin (past-chairperson of the Local Bar Grant Competition Committee and former member of the Board of Directors of the Labor and Employment Law Section) and the Dane County Bar Association, for which he has served as president.  He is also a member of the National Council of School Attorneys, the Wisconsin Public Employer Labor Relations Association, and the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association, where he has held a seat on the Board of Directors and is a past president.  He served as a special consultant to the Wisconsin Council on Municipal Collective Bargaining.  Mike has long held an AV®[1] rating by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest level of legal expertise and professional reputation, as rated by his professional peers.  Finally, he was selected by his peers to be included in the 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, he was named to the 2008 and 2009 editions of Wisconsin Super Lawyers[2], and he was the recipient of the 2008 George Tipler Award for distinguished service in School Law.

[1] AV, BV and CV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.  Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process.  Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.

[2] Selection to Wisconsin Super Lawyers is based on a statewide peer survey and evaluation.

Areas of Practice

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