Sol M. Linowitz - Clip 1

Abstract

From the video archives of the Cornell Law School Heritage Project. The speaker is Sol Linowitz,\u2738 delivering the keynote address at the Law School\u27s centennial celebration. The talk explores dehumanizing changes in the practice of law, the need for greater public understanding of law, and steps law schools might take to respond. Sol M. Linowitz (1913 - 2005) was an international lawyer, diplomat, and businessman. He graduated from Hamilton College Phi Beta Kappa in 1935 and was salutatorian of his class. At Cornell he served as editor of the Cornell Law Quarterly, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and graduated first in his class in 1938. He co-founded Xerox and served as chairman of the board from 1960 to 1966.He also founded the International Executive Service Corps, a volunteer program that sends U.S. executives to provide managerial and technical expertise to developing countries. He wrote two books, The Betrayed Profession (1994), a critique of the legal profession, and The Making of a Public Man, A Memoir (1985). He entered the world stage when President Johnson appointed him U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) (1966 - 1969). Later, President Carter asked him to co-negotiate the Panama Canal Treaties in 1977 and named him special ambassador to the Middle East. President Clinton awarded him the nation\u27s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1988. Sol Linowitz\u27s service to Cornell spanned more than three decades. He served as Trustee for nearly 30 years, he was a Presidential Councillor and served on many committees, and was also a member of the university\u27s Campaign Advisory Council. At the Law School he served on the Advisory Council, the Law School Campaign Steering Committee, and was president of the Law Association. His distinguished career belied his humble background. The son of Russian immigrants, Sol Linowitz helped pay for his schooling by teaching violin. He also played with the Utica Symphony