County’s Top Attorney Leaving For Broadcasting Job

Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

Margaret Daun, Milwaukee County government’s chief attorney, is leaving the county for a job with a new statewide media company.

Daun is taking a position as General Counsel for Civic Media Inc. and expanding her radio show, The Maggie Daun Show. Daun was appointed to the position in 2017 by then county executive Chris Abele. Deputy Corporation Counsel Scott Brown will become acting corporation counsel when she resigns March 4.

“I am grateful for Ms. Daun’s service during her time with Milwaukee County. She has been a reliable, steady hand for residents, taxpayers, and citizens, and a true partner to County decision makers,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement. “I am wishing Ms. Daun the best of luck in her future endeavors.”

The Office of Corporation Counsel works at the intersection of every function of county government providing legal advice, representing the county in civil litigation, reviewing contracts and intergovernmental agreements, opining on legislation and analyzing court decisions.

Daun’s tenure with the county overlapped with a period of change and upheaval, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a new push for racial equity and justice both within and without county government, legislative redistricting and a pivotal policy initiative securing a new sales tax for Milwaukee County.

Crowley’s office said Daun’s “legal guidance helped deliver results for the Milwaukee County” on these and other major issues that have been the focus of county policymakers in recent years.

Daun is a graduate of Milwaukee Public Schools. She earned a masters in Economics from Marquette University and a juris doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She began her legal career clerking for federal Judge Michael Kanne in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. From there she moved on to the white-shoe international law firms White & Case LLP in New York, then Winston and Strawn LLP in Chicago. In 2011, Daun began her career as a government attorney working as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Milwaukee.

In 2018, Daun involved the county in a series of landmark multi-jurisdictional lawsuits against the producers and distributors of prescription opioids like Oxycontin. Daun’s office worked with attorneys and municipalities from around the country to sue these firms for misleading the public about the dangerous effects of long-term use of prescription opioids. The suit would eventually net county government the largest settlement for a municipality in state history.

Daun said her time as OCC has been “an honor and a privilege,” adding that the office will be “in good hands with Attorney Brown.

“I am sad beyond measure to leave Milwaukee County,” Daun said. “My work with the incredible public servants in the Office of Corporation Counsel and throughout the County, as well as many dedicated elected officials, has been the highlight of my professional career.”

Under Crowley, the county has implemented a strategic plan to achieve racial equity in Milwaukee County. This plan, and a focus on racial equity and existing disparities, has been integrated into county government decision making. Daun was praised by the county executives office as a “tireless advocate for equity and inclusion.”

County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson praised Daun for her “keen mind and dedication to public service” and said the next corporation counsel has big shoes to fill.

“I am excited for her next chapter where she can share those talents directly with the public,” Nicholson said. “She is a true woman of influence.”

Nicholson and Daun have demonstrated a close and cooperative working relationship since Nicholson took over as chair of the board. But supervisors, and the board in general, are not always keen to follow the advice Daun has dispensed during her time with the county. At various times, supervisors have challenged, ignored or dismissed Daun’s advice when it conflicts with their personal political or policy goals.

In one instance, Sup. Sheldon Wasserman went head to head with Daun over land use and public access rights for a handful of residents in his district.

“While Maggie and I didn’t always agree, her opinions were well reasoned and objective, the hallmark of excellent public lawyering,” he said. “No one ever doubted that Maggie would answer questions directly, honestly, accurately, and completely. I wish her well!”

Move to Broadcasting

After leaving county government, Daun will become the General Counsel at Civic Media, a statewide media company that launched in 2022.

Her eponymous radio show, The Maggie Daun Show, will also be expanded, airing daily Monday through Friday for two hours in the afternoon.

“I am thrilled to join Civic Media during this period of rapid growth, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to speak directly to Wisconsin voters,” Daun said in a statement released by Civic Media. “Given the historic importance of the 2024 election, making the move to become the attorney at the network and expand my role as talk show host is about the only job that could have compelled me to leave the County.”