John R. Orton

Primary Areas of Practice:

• Accidents & Personal Injury
• General Litigation
• Municipal

Education:

• J.D., Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee, WI, 1981
  • Law Review
• B.A., magna cum laude, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN., 1978
  • Oxford University, Oxford, England, 1977

Bar Admissions:

• Wisconsin, 1981
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1981
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1981

Positions Held:

• Frisch, Dudek & Slattery, Ltd. Milwaukee, WI., 1981 – 1984
• Curran, Hollenbeck & Orton, S.C., Mauston, WI., 1984 – Present
  • City Attorney, City of Mauston, WI, 1986 – 2009
  • Village Attorney, Necedah, WI, 2002 – Present
  • Village Attorney, Camp Douglas, WI, 1997 – Present
  • Village Attorney, Hustler, WI, 1996 – Present
  • Township Attorney, Town of Lyndon, WI, 2000 – Present

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• Wisconsin Bar Association, 1981 – Present
  • Litigation Section, 1981 – Present
    • Board of Directors, 1989 – 1992
  • Admin & Local Gov. Section, 1999 – Present
    • Board of Directors, 2003 – 2010
    • Chairman, 2009 – 2010
  • Board of Governors, 2013 – 2017
    • Executive Committee, 2016-17
    • Election Steering Committee, Chairman
  • Wisconsin Association for Justice, 1984 – Present
  • Wisconsin Judicial Council, 2017- Present
    • Vice Chairman, 2019 – Present
    • Evidence & Civil Procedure Subcommittee
    • Executive Committee

Significant Cases Handled:

• Dakter v. Cavallino, 2015 WI 67, 363 Wis.2d 738, 866 N.W.2d 656 (Jury instructions in truck accident cases)
• Heitman v. City of Mauston, 226 Wis.2d 542 (Ct. App. 1999) (Direct legislation in Municipal law)
• Hagen V. Labor & Industry Review Com’m, 201 Wis.2d 51 (1996) (Shoulder Injuries in Workers’ Compensation law)
• Betthauser v. Medical Protective Company, 172 Wis.2d 141 (1992) (Statute of Limitations in Medical Malpractice)
• Winslow v. Brown, 125 Wis.2d 327 (Ct.App. 1985) (Tort of civil conspiracy)

Publications:

• “Jury Instruction Formulation in Negligence Cases,” The Verdict, Fall, 2015
• “Establishing ‘Public’ Highways in Wisconsin,” 2008 Wisconsin Bar, Administrative & Local Gov’t Section Blog.
• “Discovery of On-going Police files under the Open Records Law,” 2004 Wisconsin Bar, Administrative & Local Gov’t Section Blog.
• Review of Rush v Savchuk, 64 Marq. L. Rev. 374, 1981 (US Supreme Court case regarding personal jurisdiction)

Community Involvement:

• St. Patrick School: Gala Fund Raising Committee, 1999 – Present
• Mauston High School: Athletic Booster Club Founder & Director, 2001-04
• Mauston High School: Music Concert Series Board, 2000 – 2005
• Boys’ Club Basketball Coach, 2002 – 2006
• St. Patrick School Basketball Coach, 2004 – 2007

Peer Review and Awards:

“AV^® Preeminent^™ by Martindale-Hubbell
AVVO Client’s Choice Award – Personal Injury