Susman Godfrey founder Stephen Susman has passed.
The famed trial lawyer was in a coma earlier this year after a cycling accident and later contracted the coronavirus. His wife announced yesterday that “the combination of COVID and his weakened lungs were finally too much for his body.”
Susman founded the legacy firm in the 70s and over time the shingle grew into a 150 attorney firm securing over a billion in verdicts a year. The megaboutique — because you can’t just use “boutique” after a firm opens multiple offices — attracted all-star talent over the years. Some of that talent went on to politics. And the driving force behind the outfit was the Susman. From a Lawdragon profile:
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He started out clerking for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black and teaching at University of Texas Law School before helming an antitrust case for purchasers of corrugated boxes. He won $550 million and understood that his success should come from his results rather than his effort. There’s a sturdy Chevy truck in that recipe: federal clerkship, Texas and bet on yourself, even if there are today Rauschenbergs hanging on the wall.
Others quickly signed on. Rather than joining the big Texas firms, Lee Godfrey, Parker Folse, Mark Wawro, and a rustle of other smart graduates of, primarily, the University of Texas School of Law, bought into the Susman vision in the early days. It was big and bold, like Susman, and leavened by the elegant Godfrey. The contingent fee work had swagger, but necessitated the firm taking some small, not necessarily good cases to keep the lights on and everyone occupied. The vision was awesome, but the business model was a work in progress.
The business model worked out, with a heavy dose of contingency fee work, which was a novel concept for a firm doing that kind of work.
It’s a sad loss for the profession and a reminder of the stakes as we struggle against this virus. Above the Law’s thoughts are with Steve’s family and his friends at the firm in this difficult time.
Trial Bar Titan Stephen Susman Passes Away After Cycling Accident, COVID-19 Battle [Texas Lawyer]
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Earlier: A Deep Dive Into The History Of One Of America’s Premier Law Firms