Wisconsin inaugurated its first women attorney general last month when Peggy Lautenschlager was sworn in as the state’s “top cop.”

Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said he had the occasion to meet with Lautenschlager and discuss a number of issues with her.

“I think she has a terrific amount of energy, and she’s very smart,” Blanchard said. Blanchard said Lautenschlager performed excellently as the first women U.S. Attorney in Wisconsin’s West District, a post she held until April 2001. While a U.S. Attorney, she was a member of former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno’s advisory board.

Lautenschlager started her career in public service as the district attorney for Winnebago County, the first women to hold that post, and then represented the Fond du Lac area in the state Assembly.

Lautenschlager said being the first woman to hold a number of prosecutorial offices is a unique experience.

“My sense is that people think it’s a little unusual for the role of the prosecutor particularly; women are just not perceived of being in that role,” Lautenschlager said.

“Being the first women in a position might place burden on you — people are watching and analyzing you, and perhaps they’ll be more critical than of a male counterpart.”

Lautenschlager said she hoped having a woman in the elected office for the first time would set precedent.

“A women holding this position allows for young women to include this possibility in their dreams and aspirations,” Lautenschlager said.

The attorney general’s office is in charge of over 500 employees. It includes a Division of Legal Services made up of 100 lawyers and a Division of Criminal Investigation and Narcotics Enforcement.

The attorney general’s office also deals with the system of appeals, environmental enforcement and cases in which people sue the state.

The office would also defend the University of Wisconsin System’s schools if a lawsuit were to be brought against them.

“For example, if someone sued the university for violating affirmative action, or if they slipped and fell and were suing for liability, we would handle it,” Lautenschlager said.

Lautenschlager herself has been a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin Law School, from which she received her J.D. in 1980.

“Probably most of our work gets done outside of trial court. The majority of our work involves investigations, appeals and offering opinions on issues,” Lautenschlager said.

One of the first things Gov. Jim Doyle did when he was inaugurated in January was order Lautenschlager to recover legal fees paid to state legislators on trial as part of the caucus scandal. Lautenschlager said her office worked on that directive and has changed the procedure the state uses to pay legal fees to its employees.

Lautenschlager said she sides with state officials who are calling for the approval of the Impartial Justice bill, which would provide a funding mechanism to make state Supreme Court races entirely funded by the public. Lautenschlager said the state government should not have any elected officials who think their campaign victory was due to special-interest funding.

“I don’t think that the citizens of Wisconsin want Supreme Court justices who feel like they should be out soliciting campaign funds from special interest groups,” Lautenschlager said.