[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 29, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      ``EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW''

                                 ______


                        HON. ANDREW JACOBS, JR.

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 29, 1995
  Mr. JACOBS. Mr. Speaker, etched in stone directly across the street 
from this Chamber are the words, ``Equal Justice Under Law.'' This 
Indianapolis Star article indicates that as a nation and a society we 
are inching our way toward equal justice for women to practice law. 
Which is not to say that Linda Pence merely inches her way toward 
success. She served her country well at the Justice Department, and 
serves it equally well by devoting her blazing talent to find justice 
on the other side of the court room.
            [From the Indianapolis (IN) Star, Mar. 16, 1995]

        Merger Gives Woman a Name on the Door at Top-10 Law Firm

                             (By Peter Key)

       Twenty-one years ago, Linda Pence couldn't get a job offer 
     from an Indianapolis law firm.
       She's about to get her name on the door of a pretty big 
     one.
       On April 3, Pence will merge her law practice with Johnson 
     Smith Densborn Wright & Heath, which will change its name to 
     Johnson Smith Pence Densborn Wright & Heath.
       The merger, announced Wednesday, will make Pence the only 
     woman who is a named partner in one of the city's 10 largest 
     law firms, according to Pence and Johnson Smith.
       ``It is a big deal, and we're proud of it,'' said Richard 
     Johnson, who founded the firm in 1983.
       Women make up about 22 percent of Indiana's lawyers, 
     according to figures from the Office of the Clerk of the 
     Indiana Supreme Court. The state has 11,751 licensed 
     attorneys; of those, 2,537 are women.
       Pence's eight-person staff, which includes three other 
     attorneys, also will join Johnson Smith, with attorney David 
     Hensel becoming a partner.
       The merger will boost Johnson Smith's staff size to almost 
     100 employees, including 58 attorneys.
       John David Hoover, the firm's managing partner, said the 
     merger is consistent with Johnson Smith's plan of expanding 
     into new areas of practice by adding attorneys established in 
     those areas.
       ``We've really looked for people in the community who could 
     help us in areas we could not service our clientele in,'' he 
     said.
       Pence specializes in complex white-collar criminal and 
     civil litigation.
       After getting a law degree from Indiana University and 
     passing the Indiana bar exam in 1974, Pence couldn't land a 
     job with an Indianapolis law firm. So she moved to 
     Washington, D.C., and joined the U.S. Justice Department.
       ``I wouldn't be the lawyer I am today if I hadn't worked 
     there for nine years,'' she said.
       Pence left Justice in 1983 to become a defense attorney. 
     Three years later, she moved back to Indianapolis.
       ``I recognized at age 36 that my roots * * * were a lot 
     stronger than I ever thought,'' she said.
       Pence knew she wouldn't be able to get a partnership in one 
     of the city's big law firms. So, tired of hearing the old 
     canard that women can't run a law firm, she started her own 
     practice.
       About a year and a half ago, Pence realized she had to 
     expand or merge her firm to get additional resources and 
     support for her speciality, which requires expertise in many 
     areas of law.
       She decided to go with Johnson Smith, she said, because the 
     firm is ``growing, but growing in a controlled way by 
     bringing aboard attorneys who are really experts in their 
     field.''
       In addition to her clients, Pence will bring Johnson Smith 
     a certain degree of celebrity. She commented on the trial of 
     boxer Mike Tyson for WISH (Channel 8) and is commenting on 
     the O.J. Simpson trial for WRTV (Channel 6). (The switch in 
     stations might be attributable to the fact that she married 
     WRTV anchorman Clyde Lee between trials.)
       Pence also brings Johnson Smith a certain jole de vie. And 
     it will be appreciated.
       ``We have a remarkably good time practicing law around this 
     office * * * and Linda really fits into that program,'' 
     Hoover said. ``She has fun practicing law.''
     

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