Smith Remembered as the Visionary Lawyer
Who Founded Holland & Knight LLP and Changed the
Legal Landscape of Florida and the Nation
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – September
21, 2006 – The Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom
at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law was dedicated
today by a distinguished group of friends and colleagues of the legendary
Chesterfield Smith: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, UF law school president Bernie Machen, Levin College of
Law Dean Robert Jerry, Holland & Knight Managing Partner Howell
W. Melton, Jr. and Holland & Knight partner and chair of the firm's
Directors Committee Martha W. Barnett.
“Chesterfield Smith was one of our
greatest graduates, and went on not only to found one of the world’s
top law firms, but to make a profound impact on our nation and the
standards to which we hold our leaders,” said Levin College
of Law Dean Robert Jerry. “Chesterfield also placed tremendous
emphasis on ‘giving back’ to the profession, and it is
fitting that the 400 donors who have made it possible to dedicate
our ceremonial classroom in his honor are doing exactly that for the
many students who will benefit from this facility.”
Founder and chairman emeritus of the national
law firm Holland & Knight, Chesterfield Smith (1917-2003) was
one of the country’s most prominent lawyers, and his name remains
one of the most revered in national legal circles. He was the chief
architect of Florida’s Constitution, a champion of pro bono
work and diversity in the legal profession and the outspoken president
of the American Bar Association, who in 1973 was one of the first
national figures to call for President Nixon’s resignation.
In what was instantly dubbed the Saturday
Night Massacre, President Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor
investigating the Watergate scandal, prompting the nation’s
attorney general and top assistant to resign. Almost immediately,
without a protracted debate or consensus among his peers, Smith spoke
out, telling the nation and the president, “No man is above
the law.” Smith went on to lead the ABA’s effort to call
for an independent counsel to investigate Nixon. His early voice of
leadership altered history by becoming a catalyst in the president’s
ultimate resignation.
The classroom that now bears his name is
the result of a collective effort by Smith's colleagues, friends and
admirers to honor his legacy. Funded through the Holland & Knight
Charitable Foundation, Inc., it is the largest classroom at the law
school and also serves as a main location for conferences and workshops.
Smith graduated from the law school in 1948.
"As Managing Partner of Holland &
Knight, it is my privilege to dedicate this classroom on behalf of
the lawyers, staff and friends of our firm to the legacy of our founder,
Chesterfield Smith," said Howell W. Melton, Jr. "Chesterfield
was a charismatic and visionary leader who dared to dream big dreams.
A man of humble beginnings, he believed that he and the law firm he
created could make a difference on a grand scale. The walls of this
classroom are evidence that Mr. Smith's big dreams came true."
In 2002, Ginsburg praised Smith’s
life-long contributions to the legal profession and his leadership
in creating a law firm dedicated to public service. “He has
devoted his extraordinary talent and enormous energy to the improvement
of the legal profession - to making the profession more honorable,
more responsive to the people law and lawyers serve,” said Ginsburg.
“He is, in sum, among the brightest, boldest, bravest, all-around
most effective lawyers ever bred in Florida and the USA.”
"Chesterfield was passionate about
the law and the role of lawyers in insuring the constitutional promises
of freedom and access to justice," said Holland & Knight
partner and Smith protégé Martha W. Barnett. "He
invested in people, especially young lawyers. He was a great mentor
and did his best to turn us into leaders like him. It is fitting that
his legacy be perpetuated at the University of Florida, where law
students, lawyers and citizens will be reminded daily of his lifetime
of contributions to the legal profession and the nation."
For media who wish to cover the dedication
remotely, a satellite feed of the dedication ceremony will be available
at the coordinates SBS 6 Transponder 13, slot A, at 1:45 p.m. Thursday,
Sept. 21. (The downlink frequency is 12002.0 Horizontal. The symbol
rate is 3.9787; the FEC is 3/4.) The event also will be streamed live
over the Internet, and available through a link on the UF Law homepage,
www.law.ufl.edu. Still photographs
and a release will be available upon request from the UF Levin College
of Law Communications Office (352-273-0650) after the event.
About Holland & Knight LLP:
Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 1,150 lawyers
in 17 U.S. offices. Other offices around the world are located in
Mexico City, Tokyo and Beijing, with representative offices in Caracas,
Helsinki and Tel Aviv. Holland & Knight is among the world's 15
largest firms, providing representation in litigation, business, real
estate and governmental law. Our interdisciplinary practice groups
and industry-based teams ensure clients have access to attorneys with
the best expertise, regardless of location. www.hklaw.com
