Hon. John E. Dewane receives Berrien County Lifetime Achievement Award

Kotz Sangster is proud to announce that recently retired Hon. John E. Dewane has been awarded the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Berrien County Bar Association. Dewane leads Kotz Sangster’s office in St. Joseph.

The award recognizes an outstanding lawyer or judge who has earned the respect of his or her peers and demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and excellence over the course of a long legal career in the community.

Born and raised in the Upper Peninsula, Dewane graduated from Menominee High School. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.S., 1966 and J.D., 1969) and also served in the United States Army. In 1970, he and his family moved to Southwest Michigan, where he joined the law firm that, over time, became Butzbaugh & Dewane. In private practice, litigation has been his primary focus, but with a substantial segment of his practice representing municipalities. He has been rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell for decades. In 2008, he accepted an appointment to the 2nd Judicial Circuit and served as presiding judge in the Civil Division until his retirement in 2014.

Dewane has served as president of the Berrien County Bar Association and represented Berrien County on the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly. He also served on the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board Hearing Panel.