Brad Novreske

Brad primarily focuses on criminal postconviction and appellate cases ranging from direct appeals of recently resolved cases to case reviews and postconviction litigation on decades-old convictions for serious felony offenses. In addition to his appellate caseload, Brad has become the leading expert on the defense of child pornography cases arising from the use of the anonymous peer-to-peer network Freenet, now known as Hyphanet, and continues to be at the forefront of groundbreaking litigation on the intersection of the Fourth Amendment and technology in cases involving child pornography. Brad frequently serves as an expert consultant for the defense on Freenet cases charged at the state and federal level nationally. In addition to consulting, Brad has provided training on the litigation of Freenet cases and other issues related to internet-based child pornography charges.

Brad was born and raised in Iowa but has made Wisconsin his home since 2015. He started his academic career at Iowa State University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies, and a second bachelor’s degree in Russian and Eastern European Studies. He obtained his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a master’s degree in Russian and Eastern European Studies in 2016, focusing on human trafficking in Russia and the former Soviet republics. While in law school, Brad obtained an extensive amount of experience working with multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices, first in the Eastern District of Michigan with the Violent and Organized Crime Unit, and then in the Eastern District of Wisconsin with the Criminal Division. In these roles, Brad worked on cases involving human trafficking, sexual exploitation, gang-related homicide, drug trafficking, and other serious federal offenses.

Brad joined Kuchler & Cotton after spending several years as a prosecutor in western Wisconsin and rural South Dakota, where he concentrated primarily on domestic violence, sexual assault, and internet crimes against children. As a prosecutor, Brad gained invaluable experience and a deep understanding of the investigative and strategic decision-making processes that come before a criminal charge is ever issued. Brad has seen first-hand the ways in which prosecutors prioritize convictions and quick case resolutions, often at the expense of a thorough, unbiased search for truth and justice.

Brad is admitted to practice in all Wisconsin state and federal courts and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.