Patricia N. Engel

Patricia N. Engel

Shareholder, Attorney

Ms. Engel represents students and their parents in school law matters and special education issues throughout the State of Wisconsin. As a former special education teacher, Ms. Engel is uniquely qualified to understand and address the diverse and difficult educational issues that families encounter, including disability issues and disciplinary matters. Ms. Engel represents students and their parents in a variety of ways including during the following:

• Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings seeking eligibility for special education services and appropriate and effective IEP’s
• Section 504 meetings seeking eligibility and appropriate accommodations
• Mediations
• Due process hearings
• State and federal court proceedings
• Disciplinary proceedings and expulsion hearings

Ms. Engel is a frequent speaker on special education topics and received the 2001 Charles Dunn Author Award for the article she co-authored in Wisconsin Lawyer on school expulsion and special education law.

Areas of Practice

• School Law
• School Litigation
• Civil Litigation

Bar Admissions

• Wisconsin, 1988
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
• U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit

Education

• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
  • Juris Doctorate cum laude – 1988
  • Honors: Order of the Coif, American Jurisprudence Award
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
  • Bachelor of Science – 1980
  • Honors: With Distinction
  • Major: Behavioral Disabilities

Published Works

• School Expulsions: Not all are Equal”, Wisconsin Lawyer, October, 2001

Honors and Awards

• 2001 Charles Dunn Author Award

Professional Associations and Memberships

• State Bar of Wisconsin, Member
• Waukesha County Bar Association, Member
• Association for Women Lawyers, Officer and Director, 1991 – 1994
• Association for Women Lawyers, Member
• Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA)

Pro Bono Activities

• Camp AweSum, Inc., Board Member 2012-present (Camp for children with Autism)
• SPRED Helper Catechist, Christ King Parish 2006-2016 (Religious education program for children with special education needs.)