It is with heavy hearts that we convey the death of former Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering partner and federal judge James "Jim" Robertson, a leader in civil rights with a commitment to justice and public service, on September 6, 2019, at age 81.
Jim Robertson joined Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in 1965 as one of its first associates, working with both Lloyd Cutler and John Pickering over the course of three decades. His interest in civil rights was evident early in his career, and he served with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law from 1969–1972 as chief counsel of the committee’s litigation offices in Jackson, Mississippi and then as director in Washington, DC. Even though Jim was not part of the firm during those years, John Pickering did not like the idea of Jim taking the position without health and life insurance. So, the firm kept those policies in effect while Jim was in Mississippi—an act of support that touched him deeply.
Jim returned to the firm in 1972 and was made a partner the following year. The cases that Jim worked on during his many years at the firm were wide-ranging and often high-profile, including NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., in which the Supreme Court held in 1982 that the First Amendment right of association barred antitrust claims against the NAACP for organizing a boycott of white merchants in Mississippi, defending General Motors in litigation concerning alleged defects under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, tender offer and proxy litigation for Unocal and Empire Gas, and representation of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System in litigation stemming from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. While externally he was known for his exceptional trial skills, internally he was known as an inspiring and encouraging mentor who gave those under his wing many chances to spread their own in court and with clients.
Continuing to invest in the profession, Jim concurrently served as president of the District of Columbia Bar, co-chair of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and president of Southern Africa Legal Services and Legal Education Project, Inc. Given Jim's extraordinary work over the years, it should come as no surprise that he was recognized in 2013 by the DC Bar for a distinguished career in promoting equality and civil rights.
Jim was appointed to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 1994 as the first nominee by President Bill Clinton to the federal bench, and he served with distinction until 2010, presiding over a broad range of complex federal civil cases and earning a reputation as a skilled mediator with the calm, neutral demeanor so needed on sensitive matters (he was the key mediator who helped resolve the decade-old Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations case on the eve of trial). At his investiture, John Pickering began by saying that Jim was a truly outstanding trial lawyer of great ability and dedication who had always shown his commitment to justice and public service. But then John got to the heart of the matter. Jim Robertson, he said, was a person of integrity, courage, and compassion; a person with a sense of tolerance and fair play; one who always respected the opinions of others and was open to opposing points of view. John spoke, too, of Jim’s extraordinary qualities of heart and mind and his devotion to the rule of law.
As a judge, Jim Robertson earned a reputation for courage and integrity, intelligence and decisiveness, compassion and fair play, while exhibiting what those close to him saw in abundance—a curious spirit, refreshing candor, generous tolerance for those who differed or didn’t quite measure up, a kind but incisive sense of humor, a complete lack of pretense, and consistent modesty.
Jim will be remembered by the WilmerHale community as not only a gifted lawyer but an agent for change, all while retaining his generosity of spirit, genuine humility and fundamental decency—an inspiring example to us all.