  Thomas Zander - Adjunct Professor of Law
E-mail: DrTomZander@aol.com
Courses Taught This Session:
Biography:
Dr. Zander graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1977, and has been a member of the Wisconsin Bar since that year. He began his legal career with the State Public Defender's Office providing appellate and other post-conviction representation. He went on to head the state's first specialized unit for providing defense representation to person alleged to be mentally ill and facing civil commitment. From 1981-1994, he was the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Inc. Under his leadership, this public interest law firm grew from a staff of six lawyers to 24 -- allowing greater legal advocacy for abused and neglected children, and for adults with legal problems related to mental disability, homelessness, and HIV disease. During his career as a public interest lawyer, he represented thousands of low-income Milwaukeeans in trials, appeals, and major litigation. He successfully litigated two major class action suits: State ex rel. Watts v. CCSB, 122 Wis.2d 65, 362 N.W.2d 104 (1985) in which the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted his argument that persons placed by courts in nursing homes are constitutionally entitled to an annual court review of their need for continued placement; and State ex rel. Jones v. Gerhardstein, 141 Wis.2d 710, 416 N.W.2d 883 (1987) in which the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted his argument that involuntarily committed individuals are constitutionally entitled to exercise informed consent for the use of psychotropic drugs.
In 2005, Dr. Zander earned a doctorate in psychology (Psy.D.). He specializes in clinical and forensic psychology, and is licensed as a psychologist in Wisconsin and Florida.
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