There Were Giants (And Phillies) In Those Days

The Legal Times has a nice Zoe Tillman story about the memorial to Roger Adelman, a longtime friend and one of the greatest lawyers I’ve been privileged to know.

The D.C. legal community on Oct. 13 filled the ceremonial courtroom at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse downtown to remember a lawyer who many described as larger than life—and not just because he was often the tallest man in the room.

[Judge Paul] Friedman said Adelman was “one of the very best trial lawyers to try cases here,” noting that it was rare for the court to hold a special proceeding in honor of a lawyer. Adelman tried nearly 300 cases during his time as a prosecutor, Friedman said, and developed a “legendary” friendship with the late U.S. District Judge William Bryant. Adelman later co-founded the William B. Bryant American Inn of Court.

Adelman prosecuted John Hinckley Jr. for the shooting of President Ronald Reagan in 1981; a jury found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. Kenneth Robinson of The Robinson Law Firm in Rockville, Maryland, who served with Adelman in the U.S. attorney’s office, said Adelman wasn’t happy with the verdict, “but he was gracious in defeat.”

“He loved the work he did,” Robinson said. “And he worked at it.”

As Adelman grew increasingly sick over the past year, he continued to advise other lawyers when he could, said Stephen Grafman, a close friend who worked with Adelman in the U.S. attorney’s office and later in private practice. Adelman was known for mentoring young lawyers and the students he taught for many years at Georgetown University Law Center, said Grafman, a lawyer at Sharp & Associates in Washington.

Paraphrasing Frank Sinatra, Grafman—speaking at a lectern in the courtroom decorated with the logo of Adelman’s beloved Philadelphia Phillies—said that Adelman “did it his way, and what a wonderful way it was for all of us.”

Before his health declined, Roger liked to take me to Nationals games – especially when the Phillies were in town – and usually along with his dear friend (and mine) Paul Knight.

Roger insisted that I attend a Phillies playoff game with him. We planned to drive up in his Cadillac for the scheduled game but at the last minute Roger decided to take the train. I begged off, particularly since cold weather was predicted.

You know the rest of the story.

The game was played on October 6, 2010. I missed the second no-hitter in postseason history.

Roger thought it was hilarious. (Mike Frisch)