McManus, 87, is many things: a pilot and provocateur, an adventurer and anti-authoritarian. He’s also one of the most successful and colorful attorneys to ever practice law in Wisconsin.
Last Thursday, in honor of his pending departure, McManus invited a group of friends for lunch at Babes.
As a representative of the people of the State of Wisconsin, the primary role of the DA's Office is to prosecute all adult criminal and juvenile delinquent acts that occur within the 27 cities and villages of Dane County and its 34 townships. I am proud of the dedicated attorneys, victim-witness advocates, investigators, paralegals, and clerical staff who handle approximately 43,000 cases a year. These cases range from civil traffic offenses to homicides.
As part of the Child Abuse Initiative, the District Attorney's Office joined children's hospitals across the country and established a No Hit Zone to create and reinforce an environment of safety and comfort for all people who come into the District Attorney’s Office and its public spaces.
The home was on the Chena River near Fairbanks and had a sign outside facing the river that read: "Jack McManus: American by birth (Wis.), Alaskan by choice."
McManus' list of headline-grabbing cases includes several first-degree murder defenses. In 1976 he won an acquittal for Pearl Astin of Jefferson , accused of fatally shooting her husband with a shotgun as he slept. Despite testimony from Astin's daughter that she saw her mother fire the gun, the verdict, after less than 50 minutes of deliberation by the jury, was not guilty.
There's something about Jimmy Buffett's great song, "A Pirate Looks at 40," that makes me think of Jack McManus.
The construction worker, Sherman Griffin, brought the diary to McManus in Madison. After McManus, who has never been exactly shy around reporters, talked about it to the press, the FBI showed up at his office door. The diary became evidence in a grand jury investigation in Baltimore.
Reichoff hired McManus. The new verdict: not guilty .
McManus ran into the garage but was driven out by the intense heat. The house was a total loss, but it has since been rebuilt.
On August 1, 2010, Governor Doyle appointed Ozanne to be the Dane County District Attorney, due to DA Blanchard being elected as a Court of Appeals judge.
Ozanne received his Juris Doctorate from the UW Madison Law School in 1998.
Ozanne worked on the DOC’s budget, the DOC’s response to racial disparities, and Act 28 sentencing reforms. In July 2009, Governor Doyle appointed Ozanne to be the Deputy Secretary of the DOC, where he was in charge of daily operations.
We were close friends after Korean War. Jack was a bright and ambitious student. He started with nothing and lived in the basement of Sam Gervas, Hideaway Saloon on University Ave. While he was compelled to study I never chose law as my life’s direction.
It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can: