Kiara Hibler has a private practice as both a Mitigation Specialist and Defense Victim Outreach (DVO) Liaison, working primarily on state and federal capital cases. A mitigation specialist is responsible for thoroughly investigating the life history of a defendant who is facing the death penalty as a possible sentence. A DVO liaison serves as a bridge between the victim survivors of a homicide and the team representing a defendant. Kiara has also worked on cases of inmates who were sentenced as juveniles to life without parole (JLWOP) and who, in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, have the opportunity for re-sentencing hearings. Prior to working in this field, Kiara worked in public education supporting bilingual and ‘at-risk’ students and their families.
Kiara graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in legal studies and certificate in criminal justice. It was through those programs that she eventually met her mentor. She has been a field instructor for the legal studies and criminal justice internship program since 2018 and enjoys working with students as they explore their academic and career goals.