2008 Senior Lawyers Division presents Leonard L. Loeb Award to 

Jack R. DeWitt
Madison

April 1, 2009 - The Senior Lawyers Division (SLD) Leonard L. Loeb Award recognizes a lawyer who has improved the legal system and shown leadership in advancing the quality of justice for all.

Jack R. DeWitt, a senior civil litigator and a founder of the former DeWitt Porter law firm which merged with Ross & Stevens in 1994 to become DeWitt Ross & Stevens.

In his letter of nomination, retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice William G. Callow, said, “There are many excellent attorneys in Wisconsin but there are very few great attorneys. Jack DeWitt is not only a great attorney, he is a great citizen.

“Jack’s community service cannot be matched by many Wisconsin citizens,” says Callow. “The reorganization of the Wisconsin court system was drafted by the supreme court while I was a member, and I know first-hand the importance of Jack’s leadership in accomplishing that milestone in that branch of the government.”

“I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Jack since I was a law clerk at the University of Wisconsin in 1990,” said DeWitt Ross & Stevens Managing Partner Stephen A. DiTullio. “Despite my ‘lowly’ status as a first-year law clerk, Jack took time out of his schedule during my first week at DeWitt Ross & Stevens to personally mentor me. Jack sets an outstanding example for younger attorneys starting out their careers.

“Jack has always been committed to helping and serving the legal community,” says DiTullio. “His work with the State Bar has resulted in improvement in our legal system. From his highly decorated military service to his involvement in community organizations and politics, our community, state, and nation, are the better for Jack’s contributions.”

Another long-time friend and colleague, Jon P. Axelrod, said, “Jack became my mentor and imparted to me the values of our profession which I cherish. Throughout his legal career, Jack has set the standard as an outstanding civil litigator and legal scholar and extraordinary legal ethicist.”

In his nomination letter, the Hon. Gerald Nichol noted that as a senior partner DeWitt always reached out to help young lawyers. He also noted that more than 20 years ago DeWitt was one of the founders of the Dane County Bar Mediation program, “the first of its type in our state and for that matter in the country. We trained lawyers in mediation techniques and on a pro bono basis, they volunteered to help mediate cases. This was cutting edge in the civil practice at this time and it took patience and diplomacy to sell the bar and the bench to use this service. Looking back, what an impact the program has made, and Jack played a key role. Jack has sown much more than he has reaped and we are all richer because of his commitment and dedication to the profession.”

“From private practice to serving as Dane County District Attorney, to teaching with the University of Wisconsin Law School and Business School, Jack DeWitt has distinguished himself as one of the most respected leaders in our profession,” says Dane County Bar President Teresa Kobelt, “He has donated countless hours to the furtherance of the legal profession in the Madison area and throughout the state with his various community activities and volunteer work.”

A prominent civil litigator, DeWitt authored the interpretive commentaries in West’s Wisconsin Statutes Annotated and co-authored West’s Wisconsin Practice Methods. During his decades in practice, he has served as president and chair of the State Bar Board of Governors, president of the Dane County Bar Association; and trustee of the National conference of Bar Foundations. He is the recipient of the Charles L. Goldberg Award of the Wisconsin Law Foundation and the U.W. Law School Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award.

Early years. DeWitt has served as acting district attorney for Dane County, Chair of the Advisory Committee of the State Department of Veterans Affairs, member of the Dane County Veterans Commission, and chair of the City of Madison Municipal Development Committee.

A WWII infantry officer who won the Distinguished Service Cross, British Military Cross, Silver Star and Purple Heart, DeWitt retired as Brigadier General. He received his LLB in 1942 and B.A. in 1940 from the University of Wisconsin where he was a full-time member of the law faculty for four years.