Was Jerold Solovy the GOAT Big Law Gentlemen?

Letter to Romans: We’re now told greedy Big Law has gone to the (top) dogs & “will never be the same.” But 30 yrs ago I wrote only a blind consigliere couldn’t foresee today’s reckoning. Wanna take a walk down memory lane with me to see what a real gentleman lawyer looked like?

I yawned when I read WSJ’s, “Six Lawyers Switched Firms & Big Law Will Never Be the Same.” Any number of articles I wrote as Chicago Bureau Chief for the National Law Journal around the turn of the century could have been similarly titled. The WSJ piece centered on how these partner defections from NY white shoes law firm Wachtell “reflect a broader trend of elite New York firms losing ground to bigger rivals … and … what law firms will look like in the future.” Particularly lamented by Wachtell’s remaining leaders was the idea one of their co-chairs had ditched them for a bigger $20M annual paycheck from Gibson Dunn without so much as a discussion. The move supposedly set off a “feeding frenzy” among the AmLaw Top 100. To me, it was Déjà vu. I’d go on to witness many such rainmaking thefts while managing media relations for 3 law firm giants over a 17-year span. I now look back to fondly remember the one Big Law Chairman who I can pay homage to as the GOAT gentlemen, Jerold Solovy.

Jerry was not only a great leader for Chicago’s Jenner & Block whose top floor office (and jellybean jar) was always open to all. Telling, too, were the many times I heard him wax about the importance of ALWAYS respecting one’s opponent in court. He practically redefined the term “pro bono” by constantly reminding his lawyers of their obligation to serve the poor; indeed, Jerry’s greatest wins often served folks who couldn’t afford him. Yet, Jerry was a feared trial lawyer who argued 5 times before the Supremes. Is there a law student who doesn’t know the 1968 landmark death penalty decision in Witherspoon v Illinois? Along with firm founder Albert Jenner, Prentice Marshall & future US Atty for Chicago Tom Sullivan, he helped overturn Witherspoon’s death sentence by arguing prosecutors had systematically excluded prospective jurors opposed to capital punishment. That Hail Mary victory was not only the “biggest milestone” in Jerry’s career but a criminal law game changer that triggered resentencing hearings for an estimated 350 death row inmates.

Davd Soul