Michael D.O. Rusco (Cooweeja Mįįnąk) has spoken, published, taught, and practiced extensively in the areas of litigation, appellate advocacy, commercial law, tribal law, and federal Indian law.
Michael D.O. Rusco (Cooweeja Mįįnąk) has spoken, published, taught, and practiced extensively in the areas of litigation, appellate advocacy, commercial law, tribal law, and federal Indian law. He has published articles on legal writing, tribal sovereignty, and tribal citizenship. He has advised businesses and tribal governments on a variety of high stakes matters including commercial contracts, business structures, construction law, constitutional law, employment law, gaming, taxation, breach of trust claims, natural resources defense, tribal code drafting, U.S. Supreme Court appeals, and collection of tribal court judgments. He is a former University of Wisconsin William H. Hastie Fellow and law professor.
Prof. Rusco has been a law professor for more than 14 years. His scholarship has focused on legal writing, tribal law, and federal Indian law. He has taught courses on legal writing, legal research, oral advocacy, contract law, contract drafting, litigation drafting, civil procedure, conflict of laws, and business structures.
Prof. Rusco’s practice experience complements his academic career. Prof. Rusco has practiced trial and appellate law for more than 14 years. During that time, he served as Senior Tribal Counsel for the Ho-Chunk Nation (“HCN”) Department of Justice, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin, Staff Attorney for the HCN Judiciary, and a business litigator at Adair & Myers, PLLC.
During his time with the Ho-Chunk Nation, Prof. Rusco’s primary area of responsibility was advising the Nation’s Department of Business, the Ho-Chunk office that oversees the Nation’s $1.5B-plus enterprises (casino gaming, dining, hotel, entertainment, retail, and smoke shops). In that capacity, he provided advice on contract review and enforcement, construction law, employment law, RFPs/RFIs, and taxation. Two of Prof. Rusco’s largest assignments were to provide legal support to the Nation’s multimillion dollar casino renovation project and guidance on a multimillion dollar dispute with an information technology services vendor.
During his tenure with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Prof. Rusco presented oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Wisconsin Supreme Court (State of Wisconsin ex. rel. Hensley v. Endicott, 245 Wis.2d 607, 629 N.W.2d 686 (Wis. 2001)). He now lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife Shanna, son Samuel, and daughter Poppy.
TRIBAL CITIZENSHIP: Cherokee Nation
PRACTICE EXPERIENCE:
EDUCATION: University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D. 1998, LL.M. 2010); University of Houston (B.A. Journalism 1993).
HONORS:
ADVOCACY, PRO BONO WORK, AND COMMUNITY SERVICE:
PUBLICATIONS:
ADMISSIONS: Ho-Chunk Nation, Texas, and Wisconsin.
ASSOCIATIONS:
PRESENTATIONS:
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