About the Milwaukee City Attorney
Meet the 43rd City Attorney of the City of Milwaukee Evan C. Goyke.
Meet Evan Goyke
Evan was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended Marquette University Law School. During law school, Evan participated in the Milwaukee Street Law program where he taught high school students at Tenor High School and completed a year-long internship with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Following graduation, Evan worked as an adjunct professor of law at Marquette and was hired as an attorney with the Wisconsin State Public Defender.
Evan was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2012 representing the 18th Assembly District, which included neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s north and west sides. During his tenure in the Legislature, Evan partnered with the City Attorney’s office and local stakeholders to address repeated nuisance complaints at tobacco outlets. These properties exploited a loophole in state law and too frequently became magnets of criminal activity. Passing this state legislation has empowered residents, alderpersons, and the City of Milwaukee to hold property owners accountable, improve quality of life and reduce crime. Again working with the City Attorney’s Office, Evan authored legislation to prevent landlords that haven’t paid their taxes or fixed up their properties from acquiring new properties at Sheriff’s sales, where a number of known bad landlords were gaming the system.
Evan and his wife Gabriela (Gaby) live on Milwaukee’s near west side. They have two sons, Miguel and Luca, and live in a formerly foreclosed home and have been working to restore it to its original beauty. They share their home with Pistachio, their six-pound ferocious guard dog. Gaby is also a graduate of Marquette University Law School and works as a public defender within the Federal legal system. Both are active in their neighborhood and broader community.
PRIORITIES
What the City Attorney is focused on
Evan Goyke believes city government works best when it is honest, accessible, and focused on the people it serves. As City Attorney, he is committed to running an office that lives up to that standard. His highest priority is to ensure the City Attorney's Office does excellent legal work and improves the everday, quality-of-life issues the City faces to help guide a prosperous path forward for our City.
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Transparency & Public Trust |
| The City Attorney's Office needs to be open and transparent. In order to create a system that fosters trust between the city and the office, there must be a reliable level of communication and transparency ensuring the office functions with trust and accountability always in mind. |
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Reliable & Accessible Leadership |
| The City of Milwaukee needs reliable leadership. The work of the City Attorney's Office should be felt across the city and one that is accessible, responsive, and pursuing the public good in everything it does. |
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Professional Excellence |
| The City Attorney ensures the office operates as the kind of high-quality, fully-staffed municipal law firm that Milwaukee deserves with strong internal standards, experienced and capable attorneys, and a culture of accountability. |
BACKGROUND
Professional Experience
| 2024-present | City Attorney, City of Milwaukee |
| 2013-2025 | Wisconsin State Assembly, 18th District |
| Represented Milwaukee's near west side and parts of Wauwatosa. Served as Senior Assembly Democrat on the Joint Committee on Finance. |
| 2009-2013 | Wisconsin State Public Defender & Adjuct Professor, Marquette Law School |
| Staff attorney with the Public Defender's Office. Taught in the Milwaukee Street Law Project, placing law students in Milwaukee high schools. |