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History

DeWitt Ross & Stevens acquired its present name in 1994 with the merger of two of Wisconsin's oldest and most respected law firms, Ross & Stevens and DeWitt Porter. However, our roots extend back to 1903.

The Ross & Stevens Thread

Our true beginning is embodied in the figure of William R. Bagley, a man who, in the words of one of his contemporaries, "began at the bottom of the ladder of his chosen profession and ended at the top." Bagley was born in Charles City, Iowa, in 1860. He was effectively orphaned at age two when his mother passed away and his father was called into service in the Civil War. Bagley, his brother, and two sisters were separated and adopted by relatives. They did not learn of each others' existence or meet until 15 years later.

Bagley had an extremely limited formal education, but read for the law and was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1881. He did a considerable amount of collection work for the Madison company Fuller & Johnson, which sold farm machinery in Iowa. At Fuller & Johnson's invitation, Bagley joined the company's legal department and moved to Madison in 1883. Twenty years later, Bagley opened his own practice, and was quickly joined by Frank D. Reed to form Bagley & Reed.

Bagley was widely known throughout the state and was described as a tall, fine-looking gentleman of dignified bearing. An accomplished raconteur, Bagley was designated master of ceremonies when W.D. Hoard was inaugurated as governor of Wisconsin in 1889. Bagley continued to serve in that capacity for 22 consecutive inaugurations, until 1935, when "Fighting Bob" LaFollette was inaugurated for his second term as governor.

Upon Frank Reed's retirement, William Spohn and Frank Ross, Sr., joined the firm as partners on March 1, 1927, and the firm was renamed Bagley, Spohn and Ross. Ross' father, Edward A. Ross, was a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, and was considered one of the most important intellectual leaders of the Progressive Movement. Interestingly, also joining the firm March 1, 1927, was an associate lawyer, Myron Stevens. He was the son of Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice E. Ray Stevens and eventually became a named partner in the firm.

The evolution from Bagley to Ross & Stevens to DeWitt Ross & Stevens is:

1903 Bagley & Reed

1927 Bagley, Spohn & Ross

1930 Bagley, Spohn, Ross & Stevens

1944 Spohn, Ross, Stevens & Lamb (William Spohn's son James joins the practice, as does Frank Ross' son Hugh)

1958 Spohn, Ross, Stevens, Lamb & Pick (another of Ross' sons, Frank, Jr., joins the firm)

1960 Spohn, Ross, Stevens & Pick

1965 Ross, Stevens, Pick & Spohn

1970 Ross, Stevens, Pick & Ross

1975 Ross & Stevens

1994 DeWitt Ross & Stevens

The DeWitt Porter Thread

Our DeWitt Porter predecessor firm also has a distinguished history. Norman C. Herro and Robert "Bud" Buehner started the firm Herro & Buehner in June 1949 upon their graduation from law school. Jack DeWitt, our senior name partner (still in active practice with the firm), and Adjutant General Ralph M. Immell joined Herro & Buehner in October 1956 to form the firm Immell, Herro, Buehner & DeWitt. All four named partners had distinguished military careers. Herro, still in practice at the firm, was a captain in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He was stationed in the European Theatre of Operations for three years during the war. DeWitt, also still in practice at the firm, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart for action in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge. Later, Charles Seibold would join the firm and become a senior partner. Seibold was taken prisoner during WWII and survived a German POW camp.

The namesake of today's firm, Jack DeWitt, has also established a highly distinguished legal career. He was instrumental in the movement for the reorganization of Wisconsin's then-antiquated court system in the 1950s, and is the author of a leading treatise on Wisconsin law practice. Robert Sundby, later a Court of Appeals judge, joined the firm shortly thereafter and the firm took the name Immell, Herro, Buehner, DeWitt & Sundby.

In 1969, the Immell firm orchestrated a three-way merger with Porter & Porter, and McAndrews, Pellino & Huggett. The new firm was christened Herro, McAndrews & Porter. Norm Herro left the firm in the 1970s to go into the financial services industry, and the firm became known as DeWitt, McAndrews & Porter. Herro eventually retired from banking and now practices here, at his old law firm.

Throughout the 1970s, the DeWitt firm grew rapidly through a combination of new hires and further acquisitions of existing practices. After a merger with the firm Morgan & Stewart, the firm took the name DeWitt, Sundby, Huggett, Morgan & Schumacher, and then ultimately settled on the more diminutive moniker DeWitt Porter.

The evolution of Herro & Buehner to DeWitt Porter to DeWitt Ross & Stevens is:

1949 Herro & Buehner

1956 Immell, Herro, Buehner & DeWitt

1961 Immell, Herro, Buehner, DeWitt & Sundby

1969 Herro, McAndrews & Porter

1973 DeWitt, McAndrews & Porter

1979 DeWitt, McAndrews & Sundby

1980 DeWitt, Sundby, Huggett & Schumacher

1983 DeWitt, Sundby, Huggett, Schumacher & Morgan

1986 DeWitt, Porter, Huggett, Schumacher & Morgan

1994 DeWitt Ross & Stevens

In 1994, the principals of DeWitt Porter and Ross & Stevens recognized the synergy that could be realized through a merger of these two long-standing firms. Both predecessors brought to the table solid business, real estate, and litigation practices. The Ross & Stevens side contributed long-standing expertise in employee benefits & intellectual property law to the equation, while the DeWitt Porter side contributed thriving environmental law and lobbying practices. The name was changed to DeWitt Ross & Stevens, effective January 1, 1995.

Ever Growing

The Madison law firm broke new ground in 2003 when it expanded into the Milwaukee market, the first Capitol-based law firm to do so. Making this possible was a merger with two small, exceptional law firms: Swartzberg & Duggan, and Frazer & Schapiro. As a result, clients have more attorneys, more locations and more resources available to them.

DeWitt Ross & Stevens also merged with a small local Madison firm, Hayes, Van Camp & Schwartz, S.C., in the spring of 2007.

With a reputation for good, solid work in all aspects of business, employment and invention issues, plus stellar "personal matters" attorneys such as family law and estate planning, DeWitt Ross & Stevens attracts clients from virtually every industry and interest. If you would like to have DeWitt Ross & Stevens help you, please do not hesitate to contact any of the lawyers listed on this site.