William W. Ross; Unconventional Lawyer Valued ‘the Magic in Life
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William Warfield Ross, 79, an idealistic, intellectual lawyer who had an independent and unconventional streak, died of pneumonia July 4 at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He was a founding partner of Wald Harkrader and Ross, which in the late 1970s and early 1980s was one of the most in-demand law firms in Washington. The firm was the only one known to have dropped a tobacco company as a client. It was a firm that, like Mr. Ross, forged its own way, hiring and mentoring women and minorities when it was hard for them to find jobs. It had a reputation for unusual openness and democracy, giving associates and junior partners a voice in its operation. It did antitrust and environmental work and filed lawsuits on behalf of U.S. businesses against Iran after the hostage crisis ended in 1981. Mr. Ross, a 6-foot sailor who graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis, was a specialist in energy, antitrust and administrative law, although his expertise crossed many lines, said his former partner Robert Wald. More : washingtonpost.com |