Obituaries

DC Patent Lawyer Who Won First National Spelling Bee Dies at 97

Frank Neuhauser’s first big claim to fame was his ability to spell the word “gladiolus.” He was 11 years old and the year was 1925, the Washington Post reports in an obituary for the patent lawyer. His correct spelling of the word made him the first champion of the national…

Mar 22, 2011 11:48 AM CDT

Harvard Law Prof Known for ‘Stuntzian’ Views Dies at 52

William Stuntz was the man who put the Stuntz in “Stuntzian.” An influential Harvard Law School professor particularly known for his views on criminal justice, Stuntz died at his home in Massachusetts last week after three years of treatment for metastatic colon cancer, reports the New York Times. He was…

Mar 21, 2011 11:39 PM CDT

Warren Christopher, Lawyer and Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at Age 85

Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher has died at the age of 85. The cause of death was kidney and bladder cancer, according to an announcement by Christopher’s law firm, O’Melveny & Myers. He was a senior partner there. The Washington Post, the New York Times and the Associated Press…

Mar 21, 2011 11:18 AM CDT

Copyright Lawyer Kept Getting Killed Off by Wikia.com

A social psychologist-turned-lawyer learned of his death through an entry at the Wikia.com site on psychology. Zick Rubin died in 1997, according to the website. Rubin begged to differ. “To the very best of my knowledge, I wasn’t dead,” the publishing and copyright lawyer writes for the New York Times.…

Mar 14, 2011 2:31 PM CDT

Davis Polk’s First Summer Associate, a ‘Work-Until-Death’ Litigator, Dies at 100

For hard-working litigator S. Hazard Gillespie, Erie Railroad v. Tompkins was more than a Supreme Court decision in a casebook. Gillespie worked on the case in 1938, soon after going to work full-time for the firm then known as Davis, Polk, Wardwell, Gardiner & Reed. He was the firm’s first…

Mar 9, 2011 1:54 PM CST

Friends and Family Mourn Former Local Bar President and Divorce Client, Killed During Court Recess

A former county bar president was remembered at a Fresno, Calif., memorial service earlier this week after she and her divorce client were shot and killed at a restaurant during a court recess. The coroner’s office confirmed that lawyer Judith Leslie Soley and her client, Sandra Williamson, both 65, died…

Feb 24, 2011 2:12 PM CST

Skadden Name Partner Joseph Flom Dies at 87

Joseph Flom, a name partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, died this morning at the age of 87. Flom was Skadden’s first associate in 1948, and he went on to lead Skadden as it grew from four lawyers to a global law firm, according to a press release.…

Feb 23, 2011 2:10 PM CST

Guilty Plea in Elderly Ex-Lawyer’s Murder Includes Promise to Testify Against Another Defendant

At first, authorities thought former Illinois attorney Carl Kuhn might have died of natural causes. However, his home was in disarray and an autopsy showed that the 82-year-old suburban Chicago resident had been smothered. Today, Keith Allen, 22, pleaded guilty to the 2009 murder and agreed to testify against a…

Feb 18, 2011 8:25 PM CST

Widow of Lawyer Whose Body Was Found in Landfill Waits for Answers to Unsolved Crime

In 1995, a sister of Katherine Klyce was murdered in her home by a drug dealer. It took a decade to find the slayer and still that didn’t bring closure to the crime as far as Klyce was concerned. So she knows from experience that her husband’s death late last…

Feb 18, 2011 5:52 PM CST

Chicago Lawyer Died in Blizzard After Apparently Falling in to Lake Michigan

Among the people who died in last week’s blizzard was a Chicago lawyer who fell into Lake Michigan and drowned. Lawyer Peter Davis, 60, was a Harvard law graduate who lived about five blocks from the lake, the Chicago Tribune reports. His legal secretary, Karen Johnson, told the Tribune that…

Feb 7, 2011 1:09 PM CST

Sought in Murder Manhunt, Armed Georgia Lawyer Flees into Woods, Commits Suicide

Corrected: Named in an arrest warrant after allegedly shooting another man to death on Monday night, trial attorney Richard F. “Richie” Dodelin was at his home in Columbus, Ga., yesterday morning when police came to get him. But he ran out the back door into nearby woods carrying what looked…

Feb 2, 2011 6:47 PM CST

While Promoting ABA’s Work, Bob Evans Helped Protect Legal Services Corp.

The legal and lobbying communities are mourning the death of Robert Evans, a longtime director of the American Bar Association’s governmental affairs office. Evans was known for his championship of the Legal Services Corp., which provides representation to low-income individuals, as well as his dedication to the ABA and development…

Feb 1, 2011 10:37 PM CST

Louise Raggio Dies, Fought Laws Requiring Husband’s OK for Wife’s Legal Transactions

A trailblazing Dallas lawyer who helped change discriminatory Texas laws has died. Louise Raggio died Sunday at the age of 91, the Dallas Morning News reports. She was instrumental in repealing Texas laws requiring a woman to get her husband’s signature before filing legal documents, borrowing money or transferring land.…

Jan 25, 2011 3:40 PM CST

Prominent Lawyer Shot Outside Office in Seeming Robbery Gone Bad

The legal community in the Bahamas is shaken by the death of a prominent lawyer who was shot multiple times outside his law office Saturday. Dennis Gomez, whose age is variously given as 57 or 59, seemingly may have been the victim of a robbery gone bad, although authorities are…

Jan 24, 2011 9:07 PM CST

Lawyer Named Outstanding Oldest Worker Dies at 102; Nephew Insisted He Leave Office for Treatment

Texas lawyer Jack Borden was so devoted to work that his law partner, a nephew, had to persuade him to leave the job last Monday to seek treatment for fluid on his lungs. Borden died on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press and the Dallas Morning News. He was 102.…

Jan 24, 2011 12:51 PM CST