MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin State Public Defenders announced Friday that it will partner with the University of Wisconsin Law School to strengthen the school’s Public Defender Project, which has been preparing aspiring attorneys for roles in public defense since 1991.
Building on the program’s strong foundation, SPD and UW Law are introducing new leadership and expanded opportunities for experiential learning. As Wisconsin faces a growing need for skilled public defenders, the enhanced Public Defender Project will help ensure a pipeline of practice-ready attorneys committed to indigent defense.
Experienced SPD attorneys Will Rakestraw and Brianna Zawada will begin teaching the program this spring as adjunct professors, offering current insights into the work of public defenders. The program will maintain its current form through the end of the 2025-2026 school year, at which point SPD and UW Law plan to roll out changes that will offer students greater opportunities to gain hands-on experience representing clients.
Driven by student demand, these new offerings will include an academic-year experiential learning component to enable aspiring criminal defense attorneys to work on SPD cases.
“Learning from the public defenders who do this work every day has always been a crucial part of the Public Defender Project through our internship placements. We’re excited to have two top-notch attorneys bringing their expertise into the classroom as well,” State Public Defender Jennifer Bias said. “Working together with the law school, we will produce attorneys who can step into our offices prepared to fight zealously for our clients from day one.”
Rakestraw and Zawada, both assistant state public defenders in SPD’s Madison Trial Office, will draw on their professional expertise as well as the SPD’s experience leading a similar clinical program at Marquette University Law School. The redesigned Public Defender Project will continue to place law students in summer internships at SPD offices across the state of Wisconsin.
“The Law School is thrilled to deepen our collaboration with the Wisconsin State Public Defenders by expanding opportunities in our Public Defender Project,” Dean Dan Tokaji said. “This strengthened partnership will further our commitment to preparing our students to become criminal defense attorneys, while also helping meet a critical need in our state’s legal system. It embodies the Law School’s philosophy of Law in Action and fulfills the Wisconsin Idea.”
Will Rakestraw is a 2010 graduate of Marquette University Law School. After several years in private practice, he joined SPD’s Milwaukee Trial Office. In the 10 years he’s been with the agency, Rakestraw has taught as an adjunct professor at Marquette’s Public Defender Clinic, supervised interns, mentored new attorneys and served as an instructor in SPD’s Trial Skills Academy.
“It’s been encouraging to see how excited the law school has been to have practicing attorneys come in and lead this program,” Rakestraw said. “We want to make sure the students who enter law school knowing they want to be public defenders are prepared to hit the ground running as soon as they graduate.”
Brianna Zawada is a 2019 graduate of UW Law. She participated in the Public Defender Project as a law student, interning in SPD’s Madison Trial Office. Upon graduating, Zawada joined SPD as an attorney in the agency’s Green Bay Office. She has trained SPD attorneys and support staff through the agency’s Trial Skills Academy and Defense Team Basics program.
“The Public Defender Project is the reason I’m here doing this job. It gave me the chance to get into the courtroom and fight for a client sitting next to me,” Zawada said. “I’m excited about being able to provide that opportunity to other students who want to experience the work we do at the State Public Defenders.”
