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December 16, 2008

In Memorium

~ written by Fran Jacobs

On December 7, 2008, our family said good by to Myron Shwartz. It was our own “Pearl Harbor.” We were heartened, however, by the outpouring of sympathy and support expressed by those who came to pay their respect and express their affection at his memorial service.

He would have loved hearing the kind words, the humorous anecdotes and the praise of professional colleagues, judges and court personnel. He was born to practice law and he conducted his professional life with the same passion, generosity, intelligence, courtesy, morality and, above all, magnificent sense of humor that characterized his personal and family life.

When I began practicing law, as my mentor and role model, he taught me that thorough preparation and knowledge of the law was expected, that ethical conduct was mandatory, that acrimony had no role in negotiating, that humor and respect always had a role in negotiating, and that a criminal lawyer should always “nem the gelt”! (Translated from Yiddish—“get the retainer up front.”)

Myron leaves a legacy of wonderful stories and memories, but my own personal favorite was his response when I would ask how his criminal trials “came out”. If he lost the case, he would answer, “Justice was served.”  A fitting epitaph for this remarkable man is that he served justice.