Supervisors Move To Approve New County Attorney

Screenshot of Attorney Scott Brown and County Executive David Crowley at appointment hearing Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

The Milwaukee County Board is on the cusp of appointing a new corporation counsel for county government.

The job, which provides legal counsel and litigation services for all of county government, including both the executive and legislative branch, opened up when former corporation counsel Margaret Daun left to take a job with statewide broadcaster Civic Media.

Acting Corporation Counsel Scott Brown received a unanimous vote of approval from the board’s Committee on Judiciary, Law Enforcement and General Services. The full county board must eventually approve the appointment, which seems likely.

Brown is a graduate of Wake Forest University and received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 2005. He began his career that year as a judicial law clerk for now-retired Judge Frederick Schuck. He then went to the Defender Association of Philadelphia and spent six years as a public defender representing indigent clients in criminal cases. In 2012, Brown joined private practice at Niebler, Pyzyk, Carrig, Jelenchick & Hanley LLP in Menomonee Falls.

Brown joined the Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office in October 2020, in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he served as the city’s health department’s primary counsel during the tumultuous pandemic. In a letter of support for Brown’s appointment, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said “he provided critical guidance on public health measures, ensuring that the city’s response was legally sound and effectively coordinated.”

Brown initially joined the Office of Corporation Counsel in 2018. He left to join the city attorney’s office. But after the election of former city attorney Tearman Spencer, Brown was among the city attorneys who resigned amid Spencer’s scandals, including allegations of workplace harassment. Brown returned to the county’s Office of Corporation Counsel in 2021.

County Executive David Crowley appeared before the board’s judiciary committee Tuesday to urge supervisors to support his appointment of Brown. “His advisory role to elected officials and county leaders on intricate legal issues has been invaluable,” Crowley said.

The county executive noted that Brown has served as the lead attorney for the county’s contracting and procurement processes. Brown was also involved in the massive multi-district litigation effort — during his previous stint in the office — taking on the producers and distributors of opioids.

Scott also received letters of recommendation from Colleen Foley, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee; Andrew Phillips, president and CEO of Attolles Law; and from Makda Fessahaye, UW-Milwaukee associate vice chancellor of human resources and a former chief human resources officer for the city.

“My leadership has and will be guided by the principles of inclusivity, transparency and a commitment to serving the public good,” Brown told supervisors. 

He said he plans to work on modernizing the office to enhance its “efficiency and effectiveness,” and will continue to try to provide advice and support decision making by government officials that is proactive rather than reactive, mitigating legal risk before it arises.

Asked by committee chair Sup. Justin Bielinski if he learned anything from his time representing the city during the pandemic, Brown said he learned the importance of finding the right people for the right jobs and also acting quickly, telling supervisors that any missteps by the city early on could likely be attributed to failing to act soon enough.