Racine attorney who defended drug, child abuse, sex crimes has license suspended indefinitely

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On Feb. 27, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered Racine Attorney David Patton’s law license suspended indefinitely, according to court documents obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal.

On Jan. 29, Patton filed a petition, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule (SCR) 22.34(11), for the indefinite suspension of his license to practice law in Wisconsin due to his medical incapacity, according to court documents.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a memorandum in support of the petition under seal, summarizing Patton’s medical incapacity allegations being investigated.

Patton said he is unable to defend himself against the medical incapacity allegations.

Patton’s website has been shutdown.

However, a cached copy of the Patton Law’s website obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal revealed Patton’s practice ranged from defending sex offenders and domestic violence offenders to defending those accused of drug crimes and child abuse.

Kenosha County Eye reported Patton abruptly closed the doors to his law firm in October, leaving criminal defendants, family court litigants, employers of the firm and others in limbo.

Former Racine Council President John Tate, “liked (Patton) so much, that they gave him a government loan to buy a large office building in Racine. … (Tate and the mayor) were present for the ribbon cutting, according to Kenosha County Eye.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tate, who later became the Wisconsin Parole Commission chair, was charged with felony public corruption. Those charges were dropped in April 2023.

According to the State Bar of Wisconsin, Patton’s license has been suspended.