City Attorney

Grant F. Langley was first elected Milwaukee City Attorney in 1984. Prior to his election, Langley served as an Assistant City Attorney for 13 years. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Bar Association. He is the past president of the Government Lawyer's Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin, and a member of the Administrative & Local Government Law Section (Director 1985-1994; Chair 1991). He is currently the Chair of the Board of Governors of the State Bar. He is also a member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (State Chair 1990-1993; Regional Vice-President 1993-1995), and a past member of the District II Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility Committee (Member 1987-1995; Chair 1995). He has served on the Supreme Court Appointment Selection Committee since 2001. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University Law School.

Since 1846, the City Attorney has been the lawyer for the City. The City Attorney is elected to serve a four-year term, representing the City, its officials, departments, boards, commissions, the School Board, and other agencies. The City Attorney's office acts as a full service law firm for the City, earning respect in the legal community as a professional, high quality law office.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• By charter, the City Attorney's office handles City litigation, provides legal advice and opinions, prepares and reviews City ordinances, drafts contracts and other legal documents, and prosecutes violations of City ordinances in Municipal Court.
• In order to improve the quality of life in the City, the City Attorney's office has initiated a higher volume of nuisance actions than ever before, based on building and health code violations, tenant disturbances, drug activity, and irresponsible businesses.
• Without increasing staff, the City Attorney's office has handled an increasing case workload, which includes thousands of lawsuits and administrative cases. Assistant City Attorneys litigate civil rights cases, personal injury actions, evictions, razing cases, labor grievances, contract and constructions cases, as well as condemnation and real estate matters.
• The City Attorney has established streamlined procedures to collect outstanding claims and judgments, and has created a citywide bankruptcy clearing house, in an effort to increase City revenues.
• Hundreds of contracts, resolutions, ordinances, and opinions are prepared annually by City Attorney staff lawyers.
• The Ordinance Enforcement Division, located in the Police Administration Building, efficiently manages a caseload of municipal prosecutions numbering in the tens of thousands.

Grant F. Langley
City Attorney

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Office of the City Attorney

200 E. Wells Street
City Hall Room 800
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Phone: 414-286-2601
Fax: 414-286-8550