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Series II. Early Legal Career, 1950s-1970s
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Scope and Content Notes: 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.
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Subseries 1. Personal and Legal Calendars, 1959-1969
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Scope and Content Notes: These early calendars kept by Thornburgh are complete and arranged chronologically by year.
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Box 8
Box 9
Subseries 2. Practice of Law, 1959-1969
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Scope and Content Notes: 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).
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Section: Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), 1958
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4 |
Work Completed Journal 1958
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Section: Kirkpatrick, Pomeroy, Lockhart, and Johnson (K&L), 1959-ongoing
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5 |
Professional Address Books Undated
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6 |
Memoranda of Law 1959
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7 |
Memoranda of Law 1960
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8 |
Memoranda of Law 1961-1962
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9 |
Memoranda of Law 1963-1965
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10 |
Correspondence 1958-1964
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11 |
Correspondence 1965-1969
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Box 10
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1-11 |
Thornburgh's Daily Letter Files 1959-1968
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Box 11
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1-2 |
Thornburgh's Daily Letter Files 1968-1969
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3 |
Memos and Notes from Meeting with George D. Lockhart January, 1965
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4 |
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
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5 |
Nate Smith Case 1968
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6 |
K&L Memorabilia Undated
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7 |
"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
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8 |
"Taxability of Lump Sum Distributions from Qualified Employee Benefit Plans Made Indigent to a Corporate Reorganization," by Richard L. Thornburgh 1965
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Subseries 3. Junior Bar Section of the Pennsylvani Bar Association, 1960-1964
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Scope and Content Notes: 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.
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Section: Conference Material
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9-11 |
Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: Programs and Correspondence 1960-1962
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12 |
Correspondence and Articles regarding Thornburgh being named Junior Bar Chairman 1963
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13-14 |
Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: "Reporter" and Correspondence January, 1963-March, 1964
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15 |
Report of the Junior Bar Conference to the President and Members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, PA Bar Association Quarterly January, 1964
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16 |
"Citizen's Conference on Modernization of the Pennsylvania Judicial System," Philadelphia January 9-11, 1964
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17 |
Pennsylvania Bar Association 68th Annual Meeting Material, Philadelphia, PA January 22-25, 1964
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18 |
Pennsylvania Junior Bar Conference: Correspondence 1965-1966
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19 |
"Courts and Administrative Offices Handbook," by Thornburgh and Samuels, editors 1965
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Section: Committee Work
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20 |
Program Committee Correspondence March-September, 1963
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Box 12
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1 |
Volunteers Defenders Committee Correspondence 1963
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2 |
Volunteer Defenders Committee Report November 15, 1963
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3 |
"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
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4 |
Reviewed Copies of "Indigents in Pennsylvania Criminal Courts: The Impact of Gideon v. Wainwright," by Richard L. Thornburgh 1964
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5 |
Research on Defense of Indigents undated
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6 |
Newspaper Clippings on Defense of Indigents 1963-1965
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7 |
Outside Reports on Indigents in the American Courts (annotated) 1964
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Subseries 4. Allegheny County Bar Association, 1960-1969
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Scope and Content Notes: 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.
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Section: Events and Appearances
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8 |
"Law Day--Rule of Right, Not Might," St. George High School, Pittsburgh, PA May 1, 1963
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9 |
"Legal Line," WJAS Radio, Pittsburgh, PA April 8, 1962
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10 |
"Your 60 Second Counsel," KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh, PA April 26, 1962
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11 |
Peabody High School Career Conference on Law, Pittsburgh, PA May 18, 1966
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12 |
"Faith and Freedom," WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA June 2, 1966
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Section: Allegheny County Bar Association: History and Correspondence
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13 |
"History of Allegheny Bar Association," by Joseph A. Katarincic from the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine December, 1960
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14 |
"Junior Bar Section, Allegheny County Bar Association," by Jack W. Plowman, Chairman 1961
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15 |
Correspondence regarding Thornburgh's Election as Secretary of Junior Bar Section of Allegheny County Bar Association February, 1962
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Section: Public Defender Committee, 1964-1965
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16 |
Public Defender Committee Correspondence 1964-1965
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17 |
Public Defender Committee Minutes July, 1964-June, 1965
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18 |
Public Defender Committee Notes, Drafts, and Acts 1964-1965
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19 |
Thornburgh's Memorandum Regarding Counsel for Indigent Criminal Defendants--Activities of the Allegheny County Bar Association February 8, 1965
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20 |
Indigents Committee Meeting Minutes May-June, 1966
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21 |
Information regarding the "Criminal Justice Act of 1965" 1965
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Section: Public Service Committee, 1964-1969
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22 |
Handbook and Functions (annotated) Undated
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23 |
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
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24 |
Correspondence 1965-1969
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25 |
Precinct Observer Program June-August, 1969
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26 |
Minutes 1966-1968
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27 |
"Administration of Justice during Civil Disorders in Pittsburgh," A report by Public Service Committee May, 1968
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28 |
Department of Health, Education and Welfare Legal Services Program 1968-1969
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29 |
"Minority Loan Entrepreneur Program" 1968-1969
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30 |
Thornburgh's Notes and Reports from Public Service Committee 1968
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31 |
Notes and Correspondence regarding "Proposal for Expansion of the Public Defender's Office" 1967
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32 |
Correspondence and Memorandum regarding Bail Bond Situation in Pittsburgh 1965-1966
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33 |
Reports and Issues regarding Public Service Committee 1964-1966
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Subseries 5. Neighborhood Legal Services Association, 1965-1969
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Scope and Content Notes: 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).
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34 |
Research on Neighborhood Legal Programs 1965-1966
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35 |
By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation 1965-1967
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36 |
Board of Directors 1966-1968
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Box 13
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1 |
Budgetary Matters and Statistics 1967-1968
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2 |
Reports of the Director of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association 1967-1969
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3 |
Neighborhood Legal Services Association Correspondence December, 1966-August, 1968
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Neighborhood Legal Services Association Correspondence September, 1968-November, 1969
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5 |
Summary of Results of Questionnaire Forwarded to Attorneys of Neighborhood Legal Services Association Fall, 1967
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6 |
Reports and Resolutions 1967-1968
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7 |
Newspaper Clippings and Articles regarding Reports and Resolutions 1966-1969
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Subseries 6. Reports on Judicial Reform in Pennsylvania, 1961-1974
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Scope and Content Notes: Material here consists of reports on the legal system and courts in Pennsylvania, with annotations by Thornburgh.
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8 |
"Dispatch and Display: A Field Study of Judicial Administration in Pennsylvania," by A. Leo Levin and Edward Al Wooley (annotated) 1961
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9 |
"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
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10 |
"Toward Judicial Reform in Pennsylvania: A Study in Court Reorganization," by Sidney Schulman 1962
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11 |
Improving Pennsylvania's Criminal Justice System Through Upgraded Standards and Goals," by the PA Joint Council on the Criminal Justice System 1974
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12 |
"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
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