Division 21: Experience touted by Jeff Dewey, Robert Holubec, Quentin Pittman

All three candidates in the Division 21 race point to experience when asked what makes them the pick for judge.

Jeff Dewey has practiced law for 32 years. He is a partner at a firm that has in recent years focused mostly on bankruptcy, probate and family law cases, although he said he also has experience with criminal and juvenile cases and jury trials.

Being on the bench is a part of his long-term career plan, he said. Dewey, 58, lost a bid for Phil Journey’s seat in 2008.

“I’ve been around the law long enough that I could adapt to any department,” he said in a recent interview, but he would like to be a family law judge.

“I have the patience and the personality and the attributes that I think would make a good judge.”

Forty-five of Dewey’s peers ranked him in the Wichita Bar Association-Wichita Eagle judicial survey. He received 61 percent positive responses overall, with more than 40 percent of attorneys strongly agreeing that he is ethical, is professional and treats people fairly.

Robert Holubec, 60, came to law after careers in ranching and the heating and air conditioning industry. He went to law school at age 40 and opened a private practice in Wichita in 2000.

Holubec said his legal experience spans civil, criminal, traffic, probate and immigration law and other areas including cases where disabilities are at issue. He believes his background would help him understand diverse perspectives if he’s elected. This is his first judicial run.

“I believe I can speak to people with various backgrounds, from no income to people who are very well to do,” he said in a recent interview. He said he would be an ideal judge because he is open and would look at the “entire picture” of a case to ensure nothing is missed.

The 22 attorneys who rated Holubec gave him his best ratings for fair treatment and ethics, with 27 percent strongly agreeing in each category. He received 33 percent positive responses overall.

The third candidate vying for the Division 21 seat is attorney Quentin Pittman. Before moving to Wichita in the early 2000s, he practiced law in Johnson County. He has experience as a Sedgwick County public defender and is now a partner in a law firm.

Pittman, 45, said he routinely practices in all major areas of law that judges deal with and estimates he has represented between 4,000 and 5,000 Sedgwick County residents. This is his first run for judge.

“I carry a heavy case load,” Pittman said, adding that he thinks that’s an important part of his qualifications because that’s what judges do, too.

“I think that it’s important to have someone thorough” who’s willing to work past 5 p.m., he said.

Pittman was rated by 43 lawyers on the judicial survey and received 74 percent positive responses overall. More than half strongly agreed that he is ethical, fair to people, prepared, professional and applies the law appropriately.

The Division 21 seat was vacated by Doug Roth, who retired in June.

This story was originally published July 24, 2016 at 6:54 AM with the headline "Division 21: Experience touted by Jeff Dewey, Robert Holubec, Quentin Pittman."