Baltimore lawyer Benjamin Civiletti had led a life of public service and personal accomplishment.  Now a scholarship in his name delivers his legacy to a new generation of lawyers

Leary, Betty Lynne

English

Digital Commons @ UM Law

I " r[]J::; year::; UJenjamin Civiletti was bone tired. At thirty-eight years of age, he washeading up the litigation department at one of Baltimore's most presti-gious law firms. The hours were long and the work challenging, yetCiviletti yearned for a change of pace."I had been at Venable for thirteen years and I was starting to repeatmyself," Civiletti says. "I had always appreciated public service, and Ithought it was a good time to go in a different direction."That direction led Civiletti to the nation's capital, where PresidentJimmy Carter appointed him assistant attorney general of the UnitedStates. Civiletti earned this coveted Justice Department appointment asa result of experience trying cases with colleagues of Attorney GeneralGriffin B. Bell. It was 1977, and Civiletti embarked on a four-yearjourney of public service to the country that saw him rise to deputyattorney general and ultimately to the top job of attorney general of theUnited States in 1979. He argued before the Supreme Court for theright of the government to denaturalize Nazi war criminals, and wasthe first attorney general to appear before the International Court ofJustice at The Hague."I thought it would be fun," Civiletti recalls of his decision to leavehis practice and join the ranks of public servants. Looking back on histime in the Justice Department, he notes that the thrill of having accessto the White House was tempered by the enormous responsibility ofmaking decisions that affected the entire country."You have to be extremely careful, because your decisions could affectevery citizen," he explains. Each day, in spite of careful planning andattention to major issues, Civiletti remembers facing half a dozen crisesthat would usurp his time."Your judgment is honed in that type of environment," he says. "Butit is pretty heady dealing with cabinet officers and the president and tobe in the White House on a daily basis." Civiletti confronted majorevents such as the Mariel boatlift and the hostage crisis in Iran. It wasduring the Iranian crisis that Civiletti became the first attorney generalto appear before the World Court."It was a remarkable experience," he says, "and I thoroughly enjoyed it."Fall 2004 JD Magazine 25A s a self-describedl1..bleeding heart witha passion for publicservice, Reena Shah is anatural choice as thefirst Benjamin Civilettischolar. She describesthe award, announcedlast May, as especiallythrilling because it's anew scholarship andone associated with sucha dedicated public ser-vant as Benjamin Civiletti."He's a Maryland graduate and a formerattorney general of the United States," shesays with enthusiasm. "It's an amazingopportunity and I'm very excited. Thissolidified my decision to go to Maryland."Shah arrived at the steps of the law schoolafter a worldwide journey that has includedboth formal learning and practical experi-ence. She received a bachelor's degree fromGeorge Washington University in environ-mental studies, then began a three-year stintin the Peace Corps, working in Nepal topromote environmental awareness, educa-tion, and community development. Back inthe States, Shah continued her formal edu-cation at the Woodrow Wilson School atPrinceton University, earning a master'sdegree in public affairs. Her studies focusedon international development and interna-tional relations, which she put into practiceworking in Sen. Barbara Mikulski's officelast year. Additionally, Shah has been therecipient of many academic honors andaccolades, She served as a Congressional Fel-low, a Presidential Academic Scholar, as wellas a member of honor societies AlphaEpsilon Delta and Theta Alpha Kappa.26 JD Magazine Fall 2004The Civiletti scholar is a student withhigh academic achievement, financial need,and a commitment to leadership in publicservice. While the financial support of a fullscholarship is an obvious bonus, Shahadmits that she is most excited at theprospect of having a professional like Ben-jamin Civiletti serve as a mentor."I would certainly like to develop a rela-tionship with him," she says, "to give me abroader view of the law degree and thepower of that position." Civiletti, too, iseager to share his wealth of experiences withthe next generation oflawyers. "My impres-sion is that Reena is bright, articulate,charming, and eager to learn the law andapply it for the public good," he says.Shah's interest in serving and learningabout others began early in life. Born inIndia, Shah came to this country at agenine, and traveled extensively after that. Shehas been eager to experience other culturesand says that one of the lessons she learnedis that most cultures don't come close to thesense of fairness and justice Americans oftentake for granted."Our justice system may be flawed, butwe are so much better off than everyoneelse," she says. "In most countries, peoplewalk around with no sense of their rights orwhom to go to for help. I want to work onbehalf of people who don't have this."Although Shah has a strong interest ininternational law, women's rights, and envi-ronmentallaw, she plans to keep an openmind going into law school."I am open to a lot of opportunities," shesays. "But for the future and in the long-term, I will definitely work in the publicinterest. That's my passion." -ELL.Reena's childhood in India, experience in thePeace Corps in Nepal, and extensive travelinspired her to work for public justice.UPTHROUGHTHE RANKSBenjamin Civiletti was born and raised in theHudson River Valley, and journeyed to Balti-more at the age of seventeen to enter JohnsHopkins on a scholarship to study psychology.He cites the dual appeal of helping people andthe challenge of a contest as reasons for goingto law school."I wanted to be a trial lawyer from a disposi-tion toward disputes," he says. He graduatedfrom the School of Law in 1961, and clerkedfor Maryland U.S. District Judge W. CalvinChesnut for a year before serving as an assis-tant U.S. attorney in Maryland. Civilettijoined the firm of Venable, Baetjer, andHoward in 1964, made partner in 1969, and iscurrently the firm's chairman. Through theyears, his practice has focused on commerciallitigation, banking, white-collar crime, govern-ment regulation, and corporate governance.He serves as both a trial and appellate advocateand, as such, has successfully prosecuted anddefended a variety of common law, statutory,and constitutional claims."I enjoy civil jury trials and corporate inves-tigations the most," he says. "They're challeng-ing, and they represent a combination of closeevidentiary work and creative intellectualwork." He has more recently developed a prac-tice in alternative dispute resolution, andworks as a mediator, facilitator, and arbitratorto achieve faster and more cost-efficient justice."Arbitration involves an aspect of judging,though I never had a desire to be a judge,"Civiletri admits. "That's a bit too confining forme, but to do three or four arbitration cases ayear is interesting."Building a successful practice takes years ofdedication, yet Benjamin Civiletti alwaysfound time and energy to serve the public. Inaddition to his years at the Justice Department,Civiletti also served as chair or member on anumber of task forces under several Marylandgovernors, including Funding of Public Educa-tion, Drug Abuse, and Funding of the Arts. Heserved as a member of the National ResearchCouncil Committee to Study National Cryp-tography Policy, and as chair of the MarylandGovernor's Commission on Welfare Policy.Further, Civiletri was chair of the litigationsection of the ABA in 1987-88. With hisextensive knowledge and experience in the law,coupled with a keen enthusiasm and commit-ment to serve, Civiletti moves in and out ofgovernment positions with ease."He is a very fine lawyer who has contributedsignificantly to the public good," says James L.Shea, managing partner at Venable. "He notonly left private practice to become attorneygeneral, but he's been on countless task forcesand committees in the pro bono service arena."Shea has been instrumental in working with theSchool of Law to recognize and honor Civiletti'scomriburions. He is spearheading the fundrais-ing campaign for the Benjamin Civilerti Schol-arship. Students demonstrating leadershippotential and a strong desire to enter publicservice will receive scholarship support."Fundraising has never been so gratifying,"Shea says. "It's very rewarding to see so many ofhis friends and colleagues who are very eager tostep up and honor him." A program on Octo-ber 12will celebrate the establishment of thescholarship program and honor both Civiletriand Reena Shah, the first Civiletti scholar.(See sidebar.)"I hope it's a support for those young peoplewho not only have outstanding ability, but whohave a devotion to the value of servicing thepublic," Civiletti says. "The idealism they willbring to the administration of justice from thegovernmental side is extremely valuable to thewell-being of our systems of justice."Through this scholarship program, Ben-jamin Civiletti leaves a lasting legacy ro theSchool of Law."Ben Civilerti represents everything this lawschool stands for," says Dean Karen Rothen-berg. "He remains committed to public serv-ice, maintains the highest level ofprofessionalism, serves as a mentor to the nextgeneration, and is investing in the future of thelaw school. I can't think of a better way tohonor him."The overwhelming response to the scholar-ship humbles Civiletti, who says he is terriblyappreciative of all those who have contriburedand especially of the generosity reflected intheir giving."There's an expression 'You're known byyour enemies,' and if you pick the right ene-mies, your status is assured," he says. "But thisproves the other side. You're known by yourfriends. I'm very pleased and very grateful." JDBetty Lynne Leary is a freelance writer andpublications designer living in Maine.Civiletti, being sworn in by Chief Justice Burger with hiswife at his side, followed his friend Griffin Bell (left) asattorney general under President Jimmy Carter.The first Civiletti Scholar, Reena Shah, isespecially gratified for the opportunityto have such an accomplished mentor,one who's at ease with internationalmovers and shakers, present and future.Support through scholarshipsThe Civiletti Scholarship is the latest addition to the growing list ofnamed, full scholarships aimed at bringing the best and brightest tothe School of Law. The school's named full scholarships include twoscholarships for Andrew D. Levy (,Sl), one a general scholarshipestablished in 1979, another set up four years later to support studentswith disabilities; the Christine A. Edwards (,S3) Scholarship, estab-lished in 1999 to support ourstanding female students; the ComcastScholars Program, established in 2003, ro provide support for out-standing law students; the Paul Belcman ('71) Scholarship, establishedin 2004 to support ours tanding students with an interest in trial work;and the Catherine S. Edwards (,SO) Memorial Scholarship, establishedin 2004 to support outstanding students. Additionally, there are morethan forty other partial scholarships awarded each year. For moreinformation on the Maryland Scholarship program, please contact theAssistant Dean for Development & Alumni Relations, Chris Molloy,at (410) 706-0526 .-B.L.L.Fall 2004 JD Magazine 27

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