Scope and Contents note After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Law ('57), Thornburgh began his law career as staff counsel at the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). In 1959, he joined Kirkpatrick, Pomeroy, Lockhart and Johnson (K & L) as the nineteenth lawyer of the firm and has remained associated with the firm intermittently ongoing, when not holding a public service position.
Thornburgh was elected to the Junior Bar Association of the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1960 and became chairman in 1963. Throughout his association with this organization, Thornburgh worked to modernize the Pennsylvania judicial system. The conference for this purpose, held in January of 1964, "marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to judicial reform and introduced [Thornburgh] to many leaders who shared this concern" (Evidence, p. 17).
In 1962, Thornburgh was elected Secretary of the Junior Bar Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association and served on the Public Service Committee and chaired the Public Defender Committee from 1966-1969.
Thornburgh's paper on the 1963 case of Gideon v. Wainwright, "Indigents in the Pennsylvania Criminal Courts: The Impact of Gideon v. Wainwright," "led naturally to a concern for meeting the legal needs of poor people in civil matters" (Evidence, p. 18). Thornburgh was a member of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association of Pittsburgh and served as one of its original board members, resigning in 1969 when appointed U.S. Attorney.
"Early Legal Career" files are organized in six sections: "Legal and Personal Calendars"; "Law Work"; "Pennsylvania Junior Bar Association"; "Allegheny Bar Association"; "Neighborhood Legal Services"; and "Legal Reports on Courts." The files consist generally of correspondence, memoranda, case materials, event information, articles, news releases and reports. Researchers should note that the time frame here in "Early Law Career" coincides with or overlaps the following sections on "Civic Activity," and "Politics" which have some related correspondence and files. Of particular interest, too, are the scrapbooks kept by Ginny Thornburgh that document Thornburgh's rising career during these early years with the resultant newspaper clippings and articles (Section 21). All speeches and news releases are available here online.
Subseries 1. Personal and Legal Calendars , 1959-1969 Scope and Contents note These early calendars kept by Thornburgh are complete and arranged chronologically by year.
1959 Containers box 8 , folder 1 1960 Containers box 8 , folder 2 1961 Containers box 8 , folder 3 1962 Containers box 8 , folder 4 1963 Containers box 8 , folder 5 1964 Containers box 8 , folder 6 1965 Containers box 8 , folder 7 1966 Containers box 8 , folder 8 1967 Containers box 9 , folder 1 1968 Containers box 9 , folder 2 1969 Containers box 9 , folder 3 Subseries 2. Practice of Law , 1959-1969 Scope and Contents note Although Thornburgh's first job following law school was with ALCOA (in 1958), he joined Kirkpatrick and Lockhart (K & L) in 1959 and has continued his association with them until the present day. This section deals only with his papers from 1959 until he became U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania in 1969. Please note that ongoing K & L files fall in their various later time periods, the next being concurrent with his year at Harvard's Institute of Politics (1987-1988).
Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) , 1958 Work Completed Journal , 1958 Containers box 9 , folder 4 Kirkpatrick, Pomeroy, Lockhart, and Johnson (K&L) , 1959-ongoing Professional Address Books , Undated Containers box 9 , folder 5 Memoranda of Law , 1959 Containers box 9 , folder 6 Memoranda of Law , 1960 Containers box 9 , folder 7 Memoranda of Law , 1961-1962 Containers box 9 , folder 8 Memoranda of Law , 1963-1965 Containers box 9 , folder 9 Correspondence , 1958-1964 Containers box 9 , folder 10 Correspondence , 1965-1969 Containers box 9 , folder 11 Thornburgh's Daily Letter Files , 1959-1968 Containers box 10 , folder 1-11 Thornburgh's Daily Letter Files , 1968-1969 Containers box 11 , folder 1-2 Memos and Notes from Meeting with George D. Lockhart , January, 1965 Containers box 11 , folder 3 Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Western District: Alloy Manufacturing Company Employees Trust, Appeal of William D. Minnotte, Record, Supplemental Record, and Brief for Pittsburgh National Bank, Appellee , 1963 Containers box 11 , folder 4 Nate Smith Case , 1968 Containers box 11 , folder 5 K&L Memorabilia , Undated Containers box 11 , folder 6 "Remedies," by Richard L. Thornburgh and Edward Al Craig, III and "Equity," by Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. and Richard L. Thornburgh (from the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, annotated) , 1959-1963 Containers box 11 , folder 7 "Taxability of Lump Sum Distributions from Qualified Employee Benefit Plans Made Indigent to a Corporate Reorganization," by Richard L. Thornburgh , 1965 Containers box 11 , folder 8 Subseries 3. Junior Bar Section of the Pennsylvani Bar Association , 1960-1964 Scope and Contents note While working at Kirkpatrick and Lockhart, Thornburgh was a member of the Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference (1960-1964) and was named Junior Bar Chairman in 1963. Files are organized into Conference Materials and Committee Work. Thornburgh also participated in organizing "A Citizen's Conference on Modernization of the Pennsylvania Judicial System" (Philadelphia, January 1964) and participated in the Volunteer Defenders Committee. His article regarding the treatment of indigents in courts is available here online.
Conference Material Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: Programs and Correspondence , 1960-1962 Containers box 11 , folder 9-11 Correspondence and Articles regarding Thornburgh being named Junior Bar Chairman , 1963 Containers box 11 , folder 12 Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: "Reporter" and Correspondence , January, 1963-March, 1964 Containers box 11 , folder 13-14 Report of the Junior Bar Conference to the President and Members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, PA Bar Association Quarterly , January, 1964 Containers box 11 , folder 15 "Citizen's Conference on Modernization of the Pennsylvania Judicial System," Philadelphia , January 9-11, 1964 Containers box 11 , folder 16 Pennsylvania Bar Association 68th Annual Meeting Material, Philadelphia, PA , January 22-25, 1964 Containers box 11 , folder 17 Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: Correspondence , 1965-1966 Containers box 11 , folder 18 "Courts and Administrative Offices Handbook," by Thornburgh and Samuels, editors , 1965 Containers box 11 , folder 19 Committee Work Program Committee Correspondence , March-September, 1963 Containers box 11 , folder 20 Volunteers Defenders Committee Correspondence , 1963 Containers box 12 , folder 1 Volunteer Defenders Committee Report , November 15, 1963 Containers box 12 , folder 2 "Indigents in the Pennsylvania Criminal Courts: The Impact of Gideon v. Wainwright," by Richard L. Thornburgh of the Allegheny County Bar, Immediate Past Chairman of the Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference , 1964 Containers box 12 , folder 3 Reviewed Copies of "Indigents in Pennsylvania Criminal Courts: The Impact of Gideon v. Wainwright," by Richard L. Thornburgh , 1964 Containers box 12 , folder 4 Research on Defense of Indigents , undated Containers box 12 , folder 5 Newspaper Clippings on Defense of Indigents , 1963-1965 Containers box 12 , folder 6 Outside Reports on Indigents in the American Courts (annotated) , 1964 Containers box 12 , folder 7 Subseries 4. Allegheny County Bar Association , 1960-1969 Scope and Contents note Thornburgh was a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association. He was Secretary of the Junior Bar Section and participated in the Public Defender Committee, and the Indigent and Public Service Committees. Materials here relate to events and appearances, information on the Allegheny Bar Association, Public Defender Committee, and the Public Service Committee. A speech and news release are available here online.
Events and Appearances "Law Day--Rule of Right, Not Might," St. George High School, Pittsburgh, PA , May 1, 1963 Containers box 12 , folder 8 "Legal Line," WJAS Radio, Pittsburgh, PA , April 8, 1962 Containers box 12 , folder 9 "Your 60 Second Counsel," KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh, PA , April 26, 1962 Containers box 12 , folder 10 Peabody High School Career Conference on Law, Pittsburgh, PA , May 18, 1966 Containers box 12 , folder 11 "Faith and Freedom," WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA , June 2, 1966 Containers box 12 , folder 12 Allegheny County Bar Association: History and Correspondence "History of Allegheny Bar Association," by Joseph A. Katarincic from the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine , December, 1960 Containers box 12 , folder 13 "Junior Bar Section, Allegheny County Bar Association," by Jack W. Plowman, Chairman , 1961 Containers box 12 , folder 14 Correspondence regarding Thornburgh's Election as Secretary of Junior Bar Section of Allegheny County Bar Association , February, 1962 Containers box 12 , folder 15 Public Defender Committee, 1964-1965 Public Defender Committee Correspondence , 1964-1965 Containers box 12 , folder 16 Public Defender Committee Minutes , July, 1964-June, 1965 Containers box 12 , folder 17 Public Defender Committee Notes, Drafts, and Acts , 1964-1965 Containers box 12 , folder 18 Thornburgh's Memorandum Regarding Counsel for Indigent Criminal Defendants--Activities of the Allegheny County Bar Association , February 8, 1965 Containers box 12 , folder 19 Indigents Committee Meeting Minutes , May-June, 1966 Containers box 12 , folder 20 Information regarding the "Criminal Justice Act of 1965" , 1965 Containers box 12 , folder 21 Public Service Committee, 1964-1969 Handbook and Functions (annotated) , Undated Containers box 12 , folder 22 Thornburgh, Chairman of the Allegheny County Bar Association's Public Service Committee, criticized First Assistant District Attorney Dunn for his denunciation of tax-supported legal aid agencies , October 16, 1968 Containers box 12 , folder 23 Correspondence , 1965-1969 Containers box 12 , folder 24 Precinct Observer Program , June-August, 1969 Containers box 12 , folder 25 Minutes , 1966-1968 Containers box 12 , folder 26 "Administration of Justice during Civil Disorders in Pittsburgh," A report by Public Service Committee , May, 1968 Containers box 12 , folder 27 Department of Health, Education and Welfare Legal Services Program , 1968-1969 Containers box 12 , folder 28 "Minority Loan Entrepreneur Program" , 1968-1969 Containers box 12 , folder 29 Thornburgh's Notes and Reports from Public Service Committee , 1968 Containers box 12 , folder 30 Notes and Correspondence regarding "Proposal for Expansion of the Public Defender's Office" , 1967 Containers box 12 , folder 31 Correspondence and Memorandum regarding Bail Bond Situation in Pittsburgh , 1965-1966 Containers box 12 , folder 32 Reports and Issues regarding Public Service Committee , 1964-1966 Containers box 12 , folder 33 Subseries 5. Neighborhood Legal Services Association , 1965-1969 Scope and Contents note Thornburgh was a member of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association of Pittsburgh and served as one of its original board members. This organization "was designed simply to level the playing field in everyday disputes between those with competent legal advice, generally the powerful, and those without, generally the powerless" (Evidence, p. 18).
Research on Neighborhood Legal Programs , 1965-1966 Containers box 12 , folder 34 By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation , 1965-1967 Containers box 12 , folder 35 Board of Directors , 1966-1968 Containers box 12 , folder 36 Budgetary Matters and Statistics , 1967-1968 Containers box 13 , folder 1 Reports of the Director of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association , 1967-1969 Containers box 13 , folder 2 Neighborhood Legal Services Association Correspondence , December, 1966-August, 1968 Containers box 13 , folder 3 Neighborhood Legal Services Association Correspondence , September, 1968-November, 1969 Containers box 13 , folder 4 Summary of Results of Questionnaire Forwarded to Attorneys of Neighborhood Legal Services Association , Fall, 1967 Containers box 13 , folder 5 Reports and Resolutions , 1967-1968 Containers box 13 , folder 6 Newspaper Clippings and Articles regarding Reports and Resolutions , 1966-1969 Containers box 13 , folder 7 Subseries 6. Reports on Judicial Reform in Pennsylvania , 1961-1974 Scope and Contents note Material here consists of reports on the legal system and courts in Pennsylvania, with annotations by Thornburgh.
"Dispatch and Display: A Field Study of Judicial Administration in Pennsylvania," by A. Leo Levin and Edward Al Wooley (annotated) , 1961 Containers box 13 , folder 8 "Minor Courts in Pennsylvania: A Study of the Justices of the Peace and Aldermen," Conducted by the Committee on Minor Judiciary of the PA Bar Association and the Institute of Public Administration, Pennsylvania State University , 1962 Containers box 13 , folder 9 "Toward Judicial Reform in Pennsylvania: A Study in Court Reorganization," by Sidney Schulman , 1962 Containers box 13 , folder 10 Improving Pennsylvania's Criminal Justice System Through Upgraded Standards and Goals," by the PA Joint Council on the Criminal Justice System , 1974 Containers box 13 , folder 11 "The Criminal Justice Standards and Goals of the National Advisory Commission Digested from a National Strategy to Reduce Crime," by the Pennsylvania Committee for Criminal Justice Standards and Goals , undated Containers box 13 , folder 12