Obituaries

‘Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee dies at age 89

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has died at the age of 89. Harper Lee’s publisher, HarperCollins, confirmed her death, the New York Times reports. Al.com, the Washington Post (sub. req.), the Chicago Tribune and the Guardian also have obituaries. Lee received a Pulitzer Prize in 1961…

Feb 19, 2016 10:09 AM CST

Profs object to law school press release mourning death of Scalia

Two Georgetown University law professors objected when the school issued a press release on Saturday saying the school “mourns the loss” of Justice Antonin Scalia, a 1957 graduate of the university who went on to Harvard Law School. The Washington Post and Above the Law (in posts here and here)…

Feb 19, 2016 8:26 AM CST

Justice Scalia has died at the age of 79

Justice Antonin Scalia, an influential advocate for an originalist view of the Constitution, died on Saturday at the age of 79. The New York Times describes Scalia as “leader of a conservative intellectual renaissance” due to his “transformative legal theories, vivid writing and outsize personality.” He was nearing his 30th…

Feb 13, 2016 4:29 PM CST

Trailblazing former New York judge Judith Kaye dies at 77

Judith Kaye, the first woman to lead the New York State Court of Appeals, has died. The cause of death for Kaye, 77, was not reported, according to the Times Union. Kaye led the state court for 15 years, according to the article, and stepped down due to mandatory retirement…

Jan 7, 2016 1:40 PM CST

‘Lion of the trial bar’ Joe Jamail dies at 90

Houston personal injury lawyer Joe Jamail, famous for his $10.5 billion judgment against Texaco in 1985, has died at the age of 90. Jamail represented Pennzoil in the case against Texaco, which alleged Texaco interfered with Pennzoil’s deal to buy part of Getty Oil, the New York Times reports. The…

Dec 28, 2015 7:09 AM CST

Lawyer found dead as his murder trial loomed had accidental overdose, coroner says

A 60-year-old attorney found dead at his California home in early October, less than two months before his scheduled murder trial in the fatal shooting of his wife, died accidentally. The Kern County coroner’s office ruled Monday that Mark Joseph Madrigali’s death was the result of drug intoxication and found…

Dec 7, 2015 4:35 PM CST

Revered Florida trial attorney dies at his law office at age 85

One of Florida’s best-known and most successful trial attorneys died suddenly at his Fort Lauderdale law office Wednesday, doing the work he loved. Sheldon “Shelly” Schlesinger was 85 years old. Considered the dean of Broward County trial lawyers, he was particularly known for his work to curtail tobacco advertising, as…

Dec 3, 2015 4:25 PM CST

Thousands mourn human rights lawyer killed during a press conference in Turkey

Thousands of people attended a funeral on Sunday for a Kurdish human rights lawyer fatally shot during a press conference in Turkey. Lawyer Tahir Elci had led the Diyarbakir Bar Association, and officials with the group said he was the target of the Saturday attack, the Associated Press reports. Others…

Nov 30, 2015 8:51 AM CST

BigLaw associate who co-wrote ‘Notorious RBG’ rap song dies at age 25

A Duane Morris associate who co-wrote a viral “Notorious RBG” rap song honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at the age of 25. Kelly Cosby died on Sunday from an aggressive form of melanoma, the New York Law Journal (sub. req.) reports. She was diagnosed with the cancer soon…

Nov 20, 2015 7:28 AM CST

BigLaw associate is among those killed in Paris attacks

A 26-year-old associate at Hogan Lovells in Paris is among the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. Valentin Ribet died in the attacks at the rock concert at the Bataclan concert hall, report Above the Law, the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) and the Guardian. Eighty-nine people…

Nov 16, 2015 7:00 AM CST

BigLaw lawyer who fell to his death is remembered for his kindness and humor

A former Justice Department lawyer who fell to his death on Tuesday is being remembered for his kindness to others, sense of humor, and commitment to public service. Timothy Coleman, a 51-year-old partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, died after falling from the top of the law firm’s building in Washington,…

Nov 13, 2015 12:03 PM CST

Former EEOC leader dies at 53

Former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission chair Jacqueline Berrien has died at the age of 53. Berrien led the EEOC from 2010 to 2014. The cause of death was cancer, the New York Times reports. A press release is here. The Times notes several achievements while Berrien led the EEOC. The…

Nov 12, 2015 11:09 AM CST

Fred Thompson, lawyer, former lawmaker and actor on ‘Law & Order,’ is dead at 73

Fred Thompson, who grew up in small-town Tennessee and went on to make his mark as a lawyer, a lawmaker and a film and television actor, died Sunday of a recurrence of lymphoma, his family said. He was 73 years old. Thompson was known for his commanding presence and folksy…

Nov 2, 2015 8:00 AM CST

7th Circuit Judge Richard Cudahy dies at 89

Judge Richard Dickson Cudahy of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals died of natural causes at his Winnetka, Illinois, home on Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He was 89. Cudahy was elevated to the appeals court in 1979 by former President Jimmy Carter and served 36 years—15…

Sep 24, 2015 1:51 PM CDT

Former Cuomo lawyer dies after being caught in NYC shooting crossfire

A 43-year-old lawyer for a New York state economic development agency who formerly worked for the governor and Jones Day has died from a gunshot wound to the head. An apparent unintended victim in what may have been a gang shootout in Brooklyn last week, Carey Gabay died Wednesday, after…

Sep 17, 2015 6:40 AM CDT