[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 52 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E600-E601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THREE GIANTS OF THE LAW

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 2000

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, criticism of both public and 
private institutions

[[Page E601]]

is a vital part of democracy, but there are times when we as a society 
err on the side of excessive negativism, with the danger that the 
important contributions institutions make to the quality of our life 
can be overlooked.
  An example of this is the current mood of ridiculing the legal 
profession. In the welter of legitimate criticisms that are made in the 
media and elsewhere about mistakes that lawyers make, the 
extraordinarily important role that lawyers play in fighting for some 
element of fairness in our society is sometimes lost.
  In the Boston Globe on Monday, April 17, Professor Charles Ogletree, 
Jr. of Harvard Law School published an eloquent and thoughtful essay 
about the role of three of his former Harvard Law School colleagues 
who, tragically, all passed away last month.
  Professor Ogletree's moving tribute to Gary Bellow, Abram Chayes and 
James Vorenberg serves two important purposes. First, it highlights the 
valuable work all three of these very dedicated, highly talented public 
spirited men did to make our society a fairer one. And in doing that, 
Professor Ogletree also highlights how the law at its best--and each of 
these three men represented that ideal--enhances the quality of our 
life as a civilized people.
  It is entirely appropriate that Professor Ogletree wrote this 
article, because he embodies the tradition and moral leadership through 
the practice and teaching of law that these three extraordinary men 
exemplified. Because it is important that we as public policy makers 
strive constantly to vindicate the values that Gary Bellow, Abe Chayes 
and Jim Vorenberg worked so hard for during their lifetimes, because 
Charles Ogletree so well conveys this point, I submit his article to be 
printed in the Record.

                 [From the Boston Globe, Apr. 17, 2000]

                             Giants of Law

                     (By Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.)

       Three giants in the legal education reform movement died 
     this past week. Gary Bellow, Abram Chayes, and James 
     Vorenberg have left indelible marks on the profession and 
     have been instrumental in initiating reform that will 
     continue to have an impact well into the 21st century.
       While they are known for being scholars and gifted teachers 
     at Harvard Law School, their contributions are much broader, 
     and they have touched the lives of generations.
       Although they spent more than 30 years as exceptional 
     teachers, they spent an equal amount of time as public 
     interest advocates. Bellow is known for his remarkable string 
     of acquittals as a public defender in Washington. He 
     represented Cesar Chavez and the migrant farm workers in 
     California as they fought to reduce the use of life-
     threatening pesticides and to press for a livable wage. 
     Bellow's success drew the wrath of then-Governor Ronald 
     Reagan. His work ultimately led to severe restrictions on the 
     type of cases that legal service attorneys could accept in 
     representing poor people.
       Vorenberg's ground-breaking work as a Watergate prosecutor 
     was an important affirmation of the principle that no person 
     is above the law and today is a marker for public prosecutors 
     functioning as public servants.
       Chayes over the past two years represented the nation of 
     Namibia before the International Court of Justice. He also 
     represented Kosovo refugees in an action claiming that 
     government-led forces engaged in genocide, war crimes, and 
     human-rights violations.
       Their work in the courtrooms of the nation and the world, 
     however, does not adequately illustrate their lasting 
     contributions to our legal system. Bellow pioneered the 
     clinical legal education movement in the early 1970s. His 
     idea was that, with new constitutional changes requiring that 
     indigents accused of criminal violations receive free 
     attorneys, well-trained and energetic law students could 
     serve in this effort. As a result of his vision, thousands of 
     law students have provided quality legal representation to 
     poor people in civil and criminal cases throughout 
     Massachusetts and the nation.
       Bellow's casebook, ``Lawyering Process,'' is the seminal 
     clinical legal education textbook used today. It took the 
     unprecedented approach of using social science literature and 
     empirical research to explain the complexities of the legal 
     process, and it is unparalleled in its breadth and depth.
       Chayes was a pioneer in the field of international law, 
     human rights advocacy, and peaceful conflict resolution. He 
     began teaching and writing in these areas shortly after World 
     War II and served as an adviser and consultant to several 
     American presidents, including John Kennedy during the Cuban 
     missile crisis. He helped policy makers realize that our 
     salvation as a nation is inextricably tied to our willingness 
     to see world progress as a global challenge, with cooperation 
     and conciliation as an integral element. Chayes trained many 
     foreign lawyers, including some who have returned to their 
     countries and implemented democratic reforms that facilitated 
     unfettered elections, economic productivity, and the 
     protection of minority rights, without compromising 
     principles of national sovereignty. His effort over the past 
     50 years stands as a testament that one person, fully 
     committed to democracy and peace, can make a difference.
       Vorenberg's impact influenced not only legal education but 
     also law reform in communities nationally. His commitment to 
     justice and equality started early as he witnessed his father 
     and grandfather hiring black employees at Gilchrist's, the 
     Boston department store, during a time when few accepted the 
     principle of hiring minorities. He also quietly influenced 
     improved relationships between law enforcement officials and 
     minority communities.
       While Vorenberg's role in developing the Kerner Commission 
     Report is well known, his role in creating the Center for 
     Criminal Justice at Harvard Law School to help eliminate 
     distrust between police and minority community members is 
     less publicized. He convened meetings of some of the nation's 
     police chiefs in the early 1970s and had them examine ways to 
     address crime control, while respecting the individual 
     liberties of an increasingly diverse population.
       While it was not called community policing then, 
     Vorenberg's efforts were designed to make police chiefs 
     implement programs that helped them to better understand the 
     communities they served, and to work with clergy, community 
     leaders, and youth, to prevent crime. Former police chiefs 
     like Lee P. Brown, of Houston and New York, Joe McNamara of 
     Santa Clara, Calif., and Thomas Gilmore, the first African-
     American sheriff in Lowndes County, Ala., credit their visits 
     to Harvard and consultations with Vorenberg and others for 
     the success in vastly improving police and community 
     relations following the turbulence of the 1980s.
       The lasting impact of Vorenberg's work with police chiefs 
     can be seen in the success of cities like Boston and San 
     Diego, and it offers a blueprint for innovation in turbulent 
     cities like New York and Los Angeles.
       The accomplishments of these three giants cannot be 
     adequately recounted without acknowledging the significant 
     contributions of their spouses and partners, talented women 
     in their own right. Jeanne Charn was with Bellow every step 
     of the way in creating the Hale and Dorr Legal Services 
     Center over the last two decades, and she now serves as 
     director of the center, providing legal assistance to a 
     bilingual and the multicultural population of poor people in 
     Massachusetts.
       Antonia Chayes joined her husband in resolving 
     international disputes and advising foreign leaders through 
     the Conflict Management Group, an internationally recognized 
     dispute resolution institute that continues to help world 
     leaders and nongovernmental organizations.
       Betty Vorenberg traveled the world with her husband 
     promoting individual liberty and civil rights, particularly 
     for women and children, while also playing an active role in 
     the juvenile justice reform movement in Massachusetts.
       The love of the law and passion for teaching the next 
     generation of social engineers was evident even in their 
     final moments. Vorenberg was fatally stricken after teaching 
     one of his classes, and Bellow suffered heart failure en 
     route to class. These educators were the epitome of humility 
     and selflessness. There will not be three like them to pass 
     this way again.

     

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