Roberts, Samuel J.

English

Penn Law: Legal Scholarship Repository

BERNARD G. SEGALSAMUEL J. ROBERTS tIt is a cherished personal and professional privilege to havebeen asked to join in honoring, in this very special way, my collegeand law school classmate and a distinguished and greatly admiredcolleague in the law. I express at once my earnest gratitude to theLaw School and its Law Review for this prized invitation. It isappropriate indeed that during Bernie Segal's fiftieth reunion yearthis issue of the Law Review is dedicated to him.In the fall of 1928, the University of Pennsylvania Law School'sClass of 1931 began its three-year journey across the unexplorededucational sea whose far shore marks the beginning of a career inthe law. Few of us who tried to navigate that sea will ever forgetits first turbulent currents: a new language, a new approach to theprocess of reasoning, and the relentless application of the Socraticmethod to unstructured ideas and positions, all with the goal ofteaching us to "think like a lawyer." Many of us sought refugefrom those early law school storms by banding together in studygroups. If we were lucky, the collective wisdom and cumulativecourage of the group proved sufficient to keep us all afloat. In mycase, I was more than lucky, for my study group included a manwho was to become one of the great lawyers of our country and anadvocate of national distinction, Bernie Segal.Even in law school we knew that Bernie was someone special.While most of us struggled to separate holding from dictum, Ber-nie's fine mind, coupled with a prodigious appetite for hard work,allowed him to rise to the top of our class while simultaneouslyteaching political science at the Wharton School and coaching boththe freshman and varsity Penn debating teams.There was more to Bernie than tireless energy and brilliantscholarship. Early in his career he recognized and appreciated theunique appeal of our profession so well described by Mr. JusticeHolmes:Every calling is great when greatly pursued. But whatother gives such scope to realize the spontaneous energyof one's soul? In what other does one plunge so deep inf Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. B.S. 1928, LL.B. 1931,University of Pennsylvania.(1052)BERNARD G. SEGALthe stream of life,-so share its passions, its battles, itsdespair, its triumphs, both as witness and actor? *But Bernie's enthusiasm for and dedication to the law were moti-vated by more than the personal satisfaction that he knew he wouldfind. Already there burned in him the sense that a career at thebar would have to include more than the representation of clientsfor fees. Even then Bernie realized the almost unlimited potentialfor lawyers and their institutions to improve the quality of lifein America, to champion the causes of those without wealth orpower, and to play a leading role in the struggle against inequalityand injustice.It has been half a century since those days in law school. Manymembers of the Class of 1931 have made contributions to the highercalling of our profession, serving their fellow citizens and theircountry with skill and devotion. But none has given more thanBernie Segal, who-as all of us knew he would-has become one ofthe most effective and highly regarded leaders of our profession.In 1976, the American Bar Association presented Bernie withits highest honor, the American Bar Association Gold Medal. Aproclamation accompanying the award said of him, "No organiza-tion in the legal profession has been unaffected by his activities."This conclusion is amply supported by the record. The chronicleof Bernie's service to the Bar and to his country reads like an odys-sey through every conceivable area of professional and publicservice.Bernie's tenure as one of the most outspoken and effectivepresidents in the history of the American Bar Association is but themost visible of his many contributions to the bar. He serves asChairman of the ABA Standing Committees on Federal JudicialSelection, Tenure, and Compensation. He has previously servedas President of the American Bar Foundation and the AmericanCollege of Trial Lawyers, as Vice-President of the American LawInstitute, and as the youngest Chancellor in the 178-year historyof the Philadelphia Bar Association, the oldest association of itskind in the English-speaking world. Bernie's service to the profes-sion has earned him, in addition to his many other honors, theWorld Lawyer Award of the World Peace Through Law Center.Bernie's record in public service is equally distinguished andremarkably diverse. After beginning his career as the youngestDeputy Attorney General in the history of Pennsylvania, BernieSpeech by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Suffolk Bar Association Dinner (February5, 1885), reprinted in 0. HOLmES, SPEECHEs 17 (1896).1981]1054 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW REVIEWwent on to serve on the Attorney General's Committee to Studythe Antitrust Laws, the Attorney General's National Conference onCourt Congestion, the National Commission on Revision of theFederal Court Appellate System, and, most recently, by appoint-ment of the Chief Justice, on the United States Commission onExecutive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries. But of all of his gov-ernment service, the appointment of which he is probably mostproud was his selection by President Kennedy in 1963 to be oneof the first Co-Chairmen of the Lawyers' Committee for CivilRights Under Law, where he played a major role in the admissionof the first black students to the University of Alabama.With all that Bernie Segal has given to the legal professionand to government service, one might wonder if there could pos-sibly be any time left for the practice of law itself. As Berniedemonstrated in law school, however, time can be made to yieldin its demands by a man of boundless dedication and energy.Bernie has approached his own practice with the same enthusiasmand drive that he has brought to all his other endeavors. As apracticing lawyer, Bernie perfected the characteristics for whichhe was already known and respected as a law student. In the court-room or the conference room, Bernie's presentations have alwayscombined meticulous preparation with tenacious advocacy. Storiesof his preparation "sieges" are legendary. For days before an im-portant argument he will literally live in his office, surrounded bythe transcripts, cases, and statutes that will be his ammunition. Notuntil all are thoroughly mastered-down to the last footnote-willhe venture forth.A former law clerk of mine tells of the time he and Berniespent the night putting the finishing touches on an importantspeech that Bernie would deliver to the ABA Conference of Ad-ministrative Law Judges. Although my former clerk had alreadypolished this address through several drafts, it remained for Bernieto dissect it once again, rearranging, adding, shifting a phrasehere, a paragraph there, until it sparkled. Into the night theyworked. By 1:00 a.m. his young colleague had little left to con-tribute. He was tired, ready to go home. Across the desk satBernie, still fresh, his only concession to the lateness of the hourbeing an unbuttoned vest. As he patiently dictated yet another,slightly better version of the thought at hand, he looked up at hisjunior partner, realized immediately that he would be of littlefurther use that night, and suggested that the young man retire.As my former clerk gathered his notes and drafts, Bernie smiled[Vol 129:1023BERNARD G. SEGALand said "That's the trouble with you young people today ... justno stamina."Thanks in large measure to Bernie's stamina, the small lawfirm that he and William A. Schnader started in Room 1719 ofPhiladelphia's Packard Building in 1935 ranks today as one of themajor firms in the country. Under Bernie's stewardship, the firmhas almost tripled in size in the last dozen years, growing to nearly150 attorneys. Of Bernie it may be truly said, "This is a lawyer.When comes such another?"Even with his profound dedication to the law, Bernie hasfound-or perhaps made-the time to serve his community and hisfaith. Among the countless educational, religious, and communityorganizations to which he has contributed his talents are the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania, where he serves as a Life Trustee and amember of the Law School's Board of Overseers, the Allied JewishAppeal, which he directed, and the Federation of Jewish Agencies,on whose Board of Directors he serves as a lifetime member.No discussion of the remarkable career of Bernie Segal wouldbe complete without mention of his wife Jerry, his partner andhelpmate for almost fifty years. Bernie's devotion to her, to theirchildren, and to their grandchildren and the love that he has re-ceived from them have surely played a major part in his outstand-ing and richly deserved successes.My former colleague, the late Justice Michael Musmanno, oncewrote of Bernie: "There is only one Bernard G. Segal, although torecount all that he does battling for justice, purity of the law,humanity and all minorities we could assume there are at least sixof him." Leader of the Bar, servant of his country and his com-munity, devoted husband and father, dedicated practitioner of theprofession of advocacy, Bernie Segal has indeed achieved the workof several lifetimes.On this fiftieth anniversary of the graduation of the class towhich he has brought such distinction, it is a joy to join withBernie's classmates and colleagues in expressing gratitude for hisunceasing efforts to strengthen the legal profession and to improvethe quality of life of his fellow man. We have all been enrichedand ennobled by his distinguished contributions.19811 1055

Bernard G. Segal

https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4745&amp;context=penn_law_review

Bernard G. Segal

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