Closing Date: 19th March, 2026

Description:

Are you seeking a rewarding and challenging career? Bring your appellate skills to the Office of the State Public Defender (SPD) and make a different in the lives of Wisconsin residents! The SPD is seeking dedicated litigators for our full-time Appellate Division Director vacancy. This is your opportunity to work with a dedicated group that are compassionate advocates for their clients. The SPD is proud that its system of indigent defense is considered a model for public defender programs around the world.

SPD's mission is to enhance the quality of justice throughout Wisconsin by providing high-quality, cost-effective representation to indigent clients, protecting the rights of accused individuals, and by serving as advocates for effective defense services and a rational criminal justice system. At SPD, we are committed to diversity in hiring, retention, and career development. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. To learn more, visit our website at http://wispd.gov.

What We Offer: This is an excellent opportunity to develop a meaningful and rewarding career with the SPD. Our employees have access to an excellent comprehensive benefit and compensation package, including access to the region's best health plans, and generous paid time off starting with 3.5 weeks of vacation, 9 paid holidays, and ample sick leave so that you can truly have work/life balance! SPD employees also enjoy participation is one of the nation's top-rated pension plans. Additionally, if you have student loans, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. To learn more about the value of SPD's total compensation package, please visit our Total Rewards Calculator.

Why Work With Us? At SPD, we pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive, human-centered and family-friendly culture, where everyone is encouraged to bring their "whole self" to work. Professional development is encouraged and supported, and we offer a wide variety of training opportunities to help you grow in your career. Our leadership's goal is to provide a work environment dedicated to ensuring that each and every staff member is treated with respect and dignity, recognizing each individual's contributions to the team. We encourage all applicants to read about the SPD's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan here.

Who We Are: SPD provides legal representation for persons who are accused of crimes or are defendants in certain specified civil matters, and who meet statutory financial eligibility criteria. The mission of the SPD is to zealously represent clients, protect constitutional rights, and advocate for an effective and fair criminal justice system. Our commitment is to treat our clients with dignity and compassion, as they are at the center of everything we do.

Where We're Located: The SPD has 2 Appellate offices. Our Madison Appellate Office is located at 17 S Fairchild St, Floor 3, Madison, WI 53703, and our Milwaukee Appellate Office is located at 735 N Water St, Ste 912, Milwaukee, WI 53202. This position can be headquartered out of either office but is expected to travel to Madison at least once a week. For more information on office locations, please visit our website. You will be asked during the application process to select the location(s) you are interested in.

Position Summary:
The Appellate Division Director is response for long-range and strategic planning for the division, including fiscal, budget, and personnel and will make recommendations for changes and improvements to ensure the delivery of high quality legal services to clients while working closely with the Assigned Counsel and Trial Division Directors.

The Director is also responsible for overall coordination of daily operations of the Madison and Milwaukee offices of the Appellate Division, including the establishment and implementation of internal program policies and operations. The Director is a member of the Agency Leadership Team.

This position is required to travel statewide at least 25% of the time. Details regarding travel expectations will be discussed during the interview stage.

For more detailed information, please click here for the position description.

Salary Information:

The starting salary will be between $37.83 to $72.50 per hour ($78,686.40 to $150,000 annually) depending on qualifications as well as a $2.75/hr supervisory add-on and great benefits. The position is unclassified and in pay schedule/range 71-00.
Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan.
Final selected candidates may be eligible for moving expense reimbursement to relocate to the place of employment.

Job Details:

Background Check: We consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. A criminal background check will be done prior to an offer of employment.
Eligibility to work in the US: The SPD does not sponsor work visas at the time of hire or anytime during employment. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required Employment Eligibility Form I-9.
State Bar Admission: Successful candidates must be admitted to practice law by the Wisconsin Supreme Court prior to their start date. If you are in the process of being admitted, an appointment date would be set after being admitted to the Wisconsin Bar. See the Wisconsin State Bar for admission requirements.
Equal Opportunity Employer: The State of Wisconsin is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants from all backgrounds. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Veterans: The State of Wisconsin salutes veterans and is grateful for their service to our country. We are committed to helping veterans find employment, and offer a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability through the Veteran's Non-Competitive Appointment process.

Qualifications:
Letter of Qualifications, Resume, & Writing Sample: You must submit all documents in order to be considered. It is important that you clearly explain and elaborate on your experience and/or training in your letter of qualifications and/or resume.

All applicants must be licensed to practice law in the State of Wisconsin prior to their start date.

Qualified applicants will have education/training or experience in the following:

Complex appellate litigation skills including identifying, investigating, and litigating post-conviction claims, as well as preparing briefs.
Considerable knowledge of the principles of conflict resolution and techniques required to work with a wide range of people representing many different classifications and thorough knowledge of supervisory practices (e.g., hiring, discipline, performance evaluation, training, etc.)
Supervision and/or leadership experience in directing and developing attorneys and support staff in a criminal law setting. (e.g., various practice areas, complex motion & trial litigation, understanding of ethical concerns related to client representation, etc.)

In addition, well-qualified applicants will have experience in the following:

Working with external criminal legal systems actors (e.g., courts, prosecutors, private bar attorneys, treatment courts, law enforcement, community groups, etc.)
Experience with resolving employee relations issues

How to Apply:
To apply, click "Apply for Job" to start the application process. That will prompt you to access your existing account or create a new account. You will be asked to attach a resume and a cover letter as part of the application process. It is important that these materials clearly illustrate how your qualifications relate to the qualifications of this job.

If you encounter issues submitting your online application (e.g. signing in or uploading a resume), please contact the Wisc.Jobs Help Desk at (608) 267-1012 or wiscjobs@wisconsin.gov (Monday - Friday, 7:45am - 4:30pm).

Your letter of qualifications, resume, and writing sample are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. If all of these documents are not submitted, you will not be eligible for consideration. Application materials will not be accepted if received in an email, as a hard copy or a fax.

Materials submitted by all applicants will be evaluated by one or more job experts. Candidates that are deemed eligible will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

Deadline to Apply:
If you have any questions on this recruitment or how to apply; please contact Maggie Wild at wildm@opd.wi.gov

The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm on Thursday, March 19, 2026.