Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 1, 1990 TAG: 9004010252
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by SIDNEY BARRITT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
There is a small pun in the title of this work.
"Style" is practiced and, in this case, it is law. In an older sense, "style" refers to a pillar upon which names, in this case the names of senior partners of a firm, are inscribed.
And so, the author sets out to describe the style of law practiced at the Richmond firm of Hunton & Williams by characterizing eight senior partners whose names have been on the firm's style: Beverly B. Munford, Eppa Hunton Jr., E. Randolph Williams, Henry W. Anderson, Thomas B. Gay, T. Justin Moore, Lewis F. Powell and George D. Gibson.
While all these names seem vaguely connected with a glorious part of Virginia's past, the name of Lewis Powell leaps out as part of the dynamic present. The recently retired Supreme Court Justice, in addition to being the subject of one chapter, has written a short graceful introduction to the work. Oh, that those days were still here when all lawyers were gentlemen, when advertising was unthinkable, before the relentless quest for power and money obliterated the traditional notion that public service was a worthy goal in itself.
For this reviewer, not a lawyer and not a native Virginian, Powell's story stands out and begs to be completed at length.
Do not search for criticism here. The firm of Hunton & Williams commissioned this book about itself and the author's spouse is a partner in the firm. Look instead for the warm, self-satisfied glow that springs from reflection upon lives of solid accomplishment but which may overlook conflicts left unresolved or social progress delayed.
Eppa Hunton vigorously opposed the admission of women to the University of Virginia in 1916. Mary Munford, widow of his late partner, fought as skillfully for admission but lost that battle. It took more than 50 years for the situation to be rectified. The firm has apparently resigned itself to the current state of affairs since there are women graduates of the university in the firm now.
In more recent times, T. Justin Moore argued the Prince Edward County defense against the NAACP suit challenging the constitutionality of a segregated (separate but equal) school system. It is said that the firm took that case reluctantly. Moore's opponent in 1953 when the case reached the Supreme Court was Thurgood Marshall, eventually Lewis Powell's colleague on that bench.
On balance, this book is what it sets out to be: a reflection on the first two generations of a notable law firm. The author's own style, warm and admirable, suits the purpose well.
by CNB