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In-House at The American Lawyer
June 2004
It was an extraordinary evening. Admittedly, it went on a bit long. But for nearly 700 lawyers and friends, our twenty-fifth anniversary dinner last month was an occasion to be reminded again that there is more to this lawyering business than branch offices and strategic plans. Along with our A-List law firms and the winners of our litigation departments of the year, we presented prizes to a dozen lifetime achievers.
Some highlights:
On behalf of O'Melveny & Myers's William Coleman, Jr., Michael Powell, the Federal Communications Commission chair, recalling being invited to join Coleman in the U.S. Supreme Court chambers of Thurgood Marshall. Afterward Powell asked Coleman why, though he and Marshall had been friends for decades, Coleman addressed him as Mr. Justice Marshall. I've been waiting all my life to see a black man in this job, Coleman said, and he was always going to honor that fact.
On behalf of Cravath, Swaine & Moore's Frederick A.O. Schwarz, Jr., Jack Rosenthal of The New York Times Foundation playing off Lionel Richie. Fritz, he said, was once, twice, three times a lawyer, moving between distinguished public service and a distinguished private firm.
John Pickering, at age 94, accepting an award on behalf of Lloyd Cutler and himself, and declaring that he and Cutler had based their partnership on a handshake. And adding that he had no higher honor than being Cutler's partner.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom's Joseph Flom noting that the evening seemed to be devoted only to Super Seniors. As a caution, he quoted Carl Sandburg's story about an interview with an elderly man who was asked whether he had lived in this city all his life. And the old man responding, "So far."
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood's Thomas Cole, on behalf of his partners Howard Trienens and Newton Minow, recalling that when they invited their fellow Supreme Court clerk William Rehnquist to speak at Northwestern, Rehnquist agreed on one condition: He wouldn't play poker with Trienens. He didn't want to lose any more money.
Keith Wetmore, the first openly gay man to head an Am Law 100 firm, speaking for his partner Robert Raven, who had made Morrison & Foerster a place that women, gay men, and lesbians could call home.
Yale law dean Anthony Kronman, who has done as much as anyone to highlight the plight of the lost lawyer, speaking on behalf of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy's Alexander Forger, who was never at a loss for finding important public service. And Forger saluting Pickering as John, the magnificent.
Janet Stumbo, Kentucky's first female supreme court justice, speaking on behalf of John Rosenberg, describing a career that went from the Justice Department's civil rights division to creating a legal services office in eastern Kentucky. Rosenberg recalled how, fleeing the Nazis, his family arrived in New York on a national holiday. It was years before he realized that the flags on display were not for them.
Patricia Wald, feted by Judge Delissa Ridgway of the U.S. Court of International Trade for her firsts: first female clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to first female chief judge of the D.C. Circuit.
For Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld's Robert Strauss, Citigroup's Robert Rubin talking about the Strauss style: "He'd start by calling me the dumbest businessman he'd ever met and by the end I'd be doing whatever he asked." Then Strauss got up to talk, with a story from his time as ambassador to Moscow. He told of a drunk Russian at a dinner where a speaker had gone on too long. In despair, he broke a vodka bottle over the head of a companion. Blood streaming down his face, the injured man was revived. " 'I can still hear him talking,' " he said. " 'Hit me again!' "
I can still hear the laughter.
Aric Press
Editor in Chief
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