‘Medical detective’ Pitman has knack for solving cases

Listen to this article

Civil litigator Jeffrey A. Pitman had already been practicing for almost a decade when he successfully handled his first lawsuit against a nursing home.

As they say in show business, the rest was history.

Since 2000, shortly after what is now Pitman, Kyle, Sicula & Dentice SC formed, the Milwaukee attorney has largely focused his practice on the niche area of nursing home neglect and abuse.

Given the extensive amount of medical record review needed in case research, Pitman has said he often feels like a “medical detective,” trying to investigate how an elderly patient was injured at the hands of caregivers.

Beyond his practice, Pitman was recently elected treasurer of the Wisconsin Association for Justice, is a member of the Nursing Home Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice and is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

It’s no mystery that Pitman has carved out a successful career, and he took time to solve this week’s Asked & Answered questions.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What do you value most about being an attorney?

Jeffrey A. Pitman: Helping the “little guy.”

WLJ: What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Pitman: Keep it simple.

WLJ: What is your favorite website and why?

Pitman: Netflix for picking movies and TV shows for streaming.

WLJ: Which actor would play you in a movie?

Pitman: George Clooney.

WLJ: What is one thing attorneys should know that they won’t learn in law school?

Pitman: The business of law. What I mean by that is education about how law firms operate, marketing, financial reports, networking and referral relationships and rainmaking.

WLJ: What is the first concert you went to?

Pitman: Kiss at the Milwaukee Auditorium in 1976. I was 13 and made my mom take me and a friend. I still have the program.

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

Pitman: Jeff Beck, so I would be able to play the guitar that well and with such emotion.

WLJ: In three words or less, describe your legal career.

Pitman: Incredibly fortunate.

WLJ: If you could change one thing about Wisconsin’s legal system, what would it be?

Pitman: Our Supreme Court election system so we would have 100 percent publicly financed elections.

WLJ: Where and when are you most happy?

Pitman: Anywhere with my wife, Desiree.

Jack Zemlicka can be reached at [email protected].