Obituaries

Lawyer Dies at 101, Had Practiced Law Till He Was 97

A lawyer who was the oldest living graduate of the University of Baltimore law school has died at the age of 101. Jack Mayer Willen practiced law until the age of 97, when his last client died, the Baltimore Sun reports. He had a general practice with a focus on…

May 6, 2010 1:57 PM CDT

Bar Prez Who Met With Lee Harvey Oswald After JFK Assassination Dies at 94

A civil lawyer in Texas who became a part of history when he sought to protect the rights of accused John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before Oswald, too, was killed has died at age 94. As calls began coming in from defense attorneys and law school deans…

Apr 28, 2010 11:33 PM CDT

Neighbor with Record, 3 Others Arrested in Slaying of Lawyer Who Was White Supremacist

A 22-year-old neighbor has been arrested in the slaying of a 67-year-old attorney known for his white supremacist views. Vincent McGee was charged yesterday with murder, and three other individuals were charged today with being accesssories after the fact in the slaying of Richard Barrett, reports the Associated Press. Authorities…

Apr 23, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Well-Known Lawyer, White Supremacist Was Murdered, Officials Say

A Mississippi lawyer known for his white supremacist views has been found, apparently murdered, in his Pearl home. The body of Richard Barrett, 67, was found today, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department tells the Clarion-Ledger. However, Sheriff Ronnie Pennington would not give details of his injuries prior to an autopsy.…

Apr 22, 2010 9:51 PM CDT

Benjamin Hooks, Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 85

Benjamin Hooks, a minister, a lawyer and renowned civil rights leader who revitalized the NAACP while serving as its executive director from 1977 to 1992, died today at his home in Memphis, Tenn., after a long illness. He was 85 years old. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II,…

Apr 15, 2010 8:15 PM CDT

Ohio Governor Suggests a Tribute for Chief Justice Who Died Friday

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is recommending that the Ohio Supreme Court building be renamed in honor of Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, who died unexpectedly Friday afternoon. Moyer would have turned 71 this month, the Columbus Dispatch reports. He died a day after being admitted to the hospital for a gastrointestinal…

Apr 6, 2010 3:17 PM CDT

Police Say Ala. Tax Lawyer, a Snack Food Heir, Staged Suicide to Look Like Murder

Authorities say they have solved the mystery surrounding the death of an Alabama tax lawyer and snack food heir whose body was pulled from a pond at a Birmingham, Ala., golf course March 15. Major Bashinsky, son of the late CEO of Golden Flake Snack Foods, staged his own suicide…

Mar 26, 2010 12:07 PM CDT

Body of Judicial Primary Winner Is Found After Fishing Boat Accident

Less than three weeks ago, Tom Zachry won the Republican primary for a seat on the Texas bench, in a Tarrant County race in which there was no Democratic nominee. But just as the Fort Worth lawyer seemed virtually certain of achieving a lifelong dream of being a judge, he…

Mar 24, 2010 5:25 PM CDT

‘West Coast Ralph Nader’ Dies at 91, Kept Justice Frankfurter Note on Desk

After growing up during the Great Depression, William Bennett dropped out of law school to serve as a bomber pilot in World War II, flying 35 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and returning with the Distinguished Flying Cross and four Bronze Star medals. By the time he graduated from University of…

Mar 5, 2010 8:17 PM CST

Jenner & Block Associate Dies in Wisconsin Snowmobile Accident

A Jenner & Block litigation associate died on Saturday when the snowmobile he was driving crashed into a tree. Lawyer Grant Folland, 29, worked in Jenner & Block’s Chicago office, according to Above the Law and his law firm biography (JPG). The Associated Press, however, says Folland lived in New…

Feb 22, 2010 1:03 PM CST

Noted Wilson Sonsini Patent Lawyer Dies in Plane Crash

A Silicon Valley patent lawyer who focused on cutting edge biotechnology died Friday evening when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed and burst into flames. The lawyer, Albert Halluin, was an experienced pilot who commuted by plane to his job in Palo Alto, Calif., the San Jose Mercury News…

Feb 22, 2010 12:44 PM CST

Attorney John O’Quinn’s Museum-Quality Cars to Be Auctioned to Pay Some $50M in Debts

The 1911 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost used in the filming of the Titanic is being held back. But a 1966 replica of the Batmobile made famous by the Batman television series and a 1938 armor-plated Cadillac used as a parade limousine by three presidents are among the museum-quality vehicles that…

Feb 19, 2010 7:26 PM CST

Mark Rosenthal, Lawyer for Dodgers & Braves, Has Died

Los Angeles-based sports lawyer Mark Rosenthal, who represented the Los Angeles Dodgers, Angels, the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves in arbitration, died Feb. 3 of cancer. He was 61. Rosenthal chaired the National Sports Law Group at his firm of 24 years, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler and Marmaro, the Associated Press…

Feb 11, 2010 1:11 PM CST

Hong Kong Lawyer Known for Lavish Lifestyle and Golden Toilet Has Died

Chau Kai-bong, a lawyer and flamboyant Hong Kong socialite known for owning a golden toilet and who was often seen traveling with his wife Brenda in their pink Rolls Royce has died of cancer. He was 75. Chau, who earned his law degree at Cambridge before starting his law practice…

Feb 10, 2010 3:35 PM CST

Beth Shulman, Advocate for Low-Wage Workers, Has Died

Lawyer, author and union leader Beth Shulman, who long fought for improving the conditions of low-wage workers, died Feb. 5 of complications from brain cancer at Georgetown University Medical Center. She was 60. In 2003, Shulman, a former vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, authored The…

Feb 9, 2010 2:19 PM CST