• Kristi Egger believes a Public Defender should:

    • Work full-time and be a regular presence in the office

    • Carry a case load

    • Be a regular presence in Court

    • Actively supervise and encourage the attorneys and staff

    • Be present to answer questions, strategize, and consult with attorneys and staff

    • Provide daily hands-on and effective leadership

  • Kristi Egger is a Public Defender who:

    • Has over 33 years experience in the Public Defender’s Office

    • Has handled over 10,000 cases

    • Has handled every type of case, including juvenile, misdemeanors, felonies, appeals, child support & paternity, mental health civil commitments, and cases where mental illness affects a person’s criminal responsibility

    • Volunteered to be the first attorney from the Public Defender’s Office to serve on the Lancaster County Mental Health Diversion Team

  • Kristi will continue to be a Public Defender who:

    • Protects clients’ Constitutional rights

    • Advocates for improvements in Nebraska’s system of justice

    • Works to increase involvement in problem solving courts, like Veteran’s Court, Drug Court, DUI Court, and Mental Health Diversion

    • Works toward the establishment of a Mental Health Court for Lancaster County

    • Advocates for reforming the ineffective and counterproductive Cash Bail system for non-violent offenses, a system that penalizes the poor at the tax-payers’ expense

    • Continues to oppose bias and discrimination of all kinds

    • Fights for equity, fairness, truth, and human dignity

  • Kristi Egger is a Public Defender who:

    • Earns her salary through tangible, daily work

    • Strategically manages how caseloads are assigned

    • Controls the budget in the most responsible and cost-effective ways

    • Implements ways to reduce the number of incarcerations, with a focus on non-violent crimes, by strongly promoting more effective and cost-saving alternatives

    • Is responsible and transparent with the use of her time, and that of Office employees

Kristi Egger has over 3 decades of experience working in the Public Defender’s Office. Throughout her long career, she has earned a well-established reputation for dedication, intelligence, a strong work ethic, and integrity.

Kristi served 33 years as a Deputy Public Defender, acting as lead counsel in over 10,000 cases, training and supervising law clerks, and mentoring young attorneys. Very few attorneys have the depth or range of experience she has handling juvenile, felony, misdemeanor, appeals, and mental health cases. With extensive work with the Public Defender’s Office case management system, Kristi is well-prepared to administer case assignments and caseloads. She has a deep understanding of the court system, of the nearly fifty attorneys and staff of the Public Defender’s Office, and the partnerships necessary to serve their clients, the people of Lancaster County. She knows first-hand the complexities of the job. Her decades of hands-on work in Nebraska’s justice system have given Kristi the knowledge and skills necessary to run the Public Defender’s Office.

Kristi has served the people of Nebraska and Lancaster County her entire 33-year career as a Public Defender. Even in school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she knew this was her calling. Kristi Egger has the proven experience, dedication, knowledge, and work ethic to effectively lead as your Lancaster County Public Defender.