D-1 AFTERWORD Having read through the two hundred or so pages chronicling my life and legal adventures a couple of times now, and having tried to give five or six decades of life some perspective, I have decided to add the following postscript. Nothing that I have done in my legal career would have been possible without the guidance, commitment and contributions of two people. First, of course, there is my wife Irene. She gave me free rein to do whatever I thought was necessary to develop my practice and our firm, enduring a nine-month trial that I had in Florida, my long trials in New York, and other assorted travels. I suspect that over the course of my career, I was away from home between one and two years certainly. She willingly endured that, running our household, raising our children, and otherwise taking care of all of us without complaint. She was an invaluable sounding board, knowing when to offer her thoughts and when to keep them to herself. She has been my biggest cheerleader, my best friend, and my most significant partner. The second person to whom I owe whatever the foregoing pages reveal in the way of accomplishment is my friend, assistant, sometimes colleague, and often boss Judy Elam. I was fortunate to encounter a few people very early in my career who were instrumental in the success of the firm and indeed my own success. Roger Spaeder and Bill Taylor are certainly two. Most significant, perhaps, is Judy. Judy and I joined forces in late 1975. She had been in Washington, D.C. for perhaps a year, coming here from her hometown in Missouri. As a legal secretary, she was about as green as I was as a lawyer in private practice. We taught the ropes to one another and leaned very heavily on each other. Over the years, we have had great victories and a few misadventures. No person in the life of the firm has been more devoted to me or my success or the success of the firm than Judy. Her memory of people, events, pleadings and other relevant circumstances going back decades is better than mine by far and indeed better than any computer. Her judgment is impeccable. Her discretion is equally impeccable. For the most part, she operates at least at a paralegal level. I suspect she could actually pass the bar. I would not be where I am, and the firm would not be where it is, without this extraordinary person. Judy, as you are typing this, I hope you understand that.
