Deborah M. Smith is the Director of the Assigned Counsel Division of the Wisconsin State Public Defender. She has worked for the Public Defender since 1980. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1975 and was made a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her law degree from the UW law school. Ms. Smith attended the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard’s JFK School of Government in 1998.
Ms. Smith has been active with the Bar, professional associations, and justice system committees. She is a member of the Dane County Bar and the DCBA Legal Services Committee. Deb served on the State Bar’s Board of Governors for four years and on the Finance committee. She serves on the Professional Ethics Committee; Wisconsin Lawyer’s Assistance Program Committee, Law Office Management Assistance Committee and is the chair of the Client Protection Fund Committee. Deb served six years on the Board of Administrative Oversight of the Office of Lawyer Regulation and is now a Special Investigator. She is a member and past president of the James E. Doyle chapter of the American Inns of Court, a lawyer mentoring organization.
Ms. Smith is a mentor with the UW Law School Legal Education Opportunities program. She is a member of the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation Board, and a past president. She has taught both substantive criminal law and criminal procedure at the UW Law School. In March, 2004 she was recognized by the Wisconsin Law Journal as a Leader in the Law.
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