Jack DeWitt was a founder of the former DeWitt Porter law firm which merged with Ross & Stevens in 1994 to become DeWitt Ross & Stevens. He was a prominent civil litigator who authored the interpretive commentaries in West's Wisconsin Statutes Annotated and co-authored West's Wisconsin Practice Methods.

Throughout his life he was actively involved in the law profession and the community. He served as president and chairman of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin; president of the Dane County Bar Association; and trustee of the National Conference of Bar Foundations. He received the Charles L. Goldberg Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin Bar Foundation, the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin Law School Alumni Association, and the Thomas Q. McNulty Service Award from the Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation.

Among myriad experiences, he served as acting district attorney for Dane County, chairman of the Advisory Committee of the State Department of Veterans Affairs, member of the Dane County Veterans Commission, chairman of the City of Madison Municipal Development Committee, and assistant division commander of the 84th Division of the United States Army.

Notable Representations

• Jack had an important role in the enactment of numerous legislative acts and court rules involving court organization and administration, practice and procedure in civil actions and probate proceeding administrative law, state bar procedures, and professional ethics.
• He handled civil litigation and appellate work for state agencies, municipal corporations, school districts, national and state veterans organizations, major business corporations, and professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, as well as for individuals.
• Provided legislative representation for professional organizations, veterans organizations, and major corporations, and was a leader in working for successful adoption of some state constitutional amendments.
• Provided representation for businesses and municipalities before the Public Service Commission, the Aeronautics Commission, and the Interstate Commerce Committee.