Evers names district attorneys for Lincoln, Iowa counties

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Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Kristopher Ellis to serve as Lincoln County district attorney. His appointment fills a vacancy being created by District Attorney Galen Bayne-Allison’s election to the Lincoln County Circuit Court.

Ellis will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term that ends January 2025.

Ellis has been an assistant district attorney in Lincoln County since June. For nearly four years prior, he served as an assistant state public defender in Merrill, representing clients in both Price and Lincoln counties. In addition to representing criminal defendants, he also took on juvenile, revocation, and termination of parental rights cases, as well as involuntary mental health commitments. During this time, he was part of a team working to start an OWI treatment court in Lincoln County.

Before public service, he was a sole practitioner focusing on criminal litigation at the circuit court and appellate court level.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Akron School of Law, Ellis lives in Merrill with his family.

Evers on Friday also appointed Zachary Leigh to serve as Iowa County district attorney. His appointment fills a vacancy being created by District Attorney Matthew Allen’s election to the Iowa County Circuit Court.

Leigh will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term that ends January 2025.

Since earning his law degree in 2014, Leigh has been an attorney with the State Public Defender’s Office in both La Crosse and Lancaster. At various times, he has served as the sole public defender for Vernon, Crawford, Grant and Iowa counties.

Leigh helped to create both the Vernon County and Crawford County Treatment Courts, is currently a member of the Iowa County OWI and Drug Treatment Court, and was previously a member of the Grant County OWI Court.

Born and raised near Rewey, Leigh is a native of Iowa County and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville and the University of Wisconsin Law School. This past semester, he taught environmental law at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville and has also served as a mock trial coach at numerous high schools.