Michigan Life Fellow George E. Brand, Jr.
June 25, 2008, Fellows in the news
DETROIT, Mich. – Attorney George E. Brand, Jr., a former managing partner and the first Chairman of Butzel Long when it became a professional corporation in 1982, passed away on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at the age of 89. He was a resident of Grosse Pointe Park. George retired from the active practice of law at the end of 1988.
George was an accomplished litigator and considered one of the leading trial lawyers of his day. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and Dartmouth College, George was a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation and the Michigan State Bar Foundation. He also was a decorated veteran of World War II, receiving a Letter of Commendation, South Pacific Theater in 1943.
In addition to his military and professional accomplishments, George served as a close colleague and mentor to many Butzel Long lawyers, including all three of the Firm’s subsequent Chairmen: William Saxton, Richard Rassel and current Chairman Philip Kessler.
Prior to joining Butzel Long, George practiced with his father until his death in 1962. William Saxton was instrumental in convincing George to join the Firm, an accomplishment that Mr. Saxton considers one of the most valuable he made to Butzel Long in his 55 years of practice. “George was regarded by all of his peers as ‘a lawyer's lawyer,’" said Saxton. “He was greatly respected by the judiciary and fellow lawyers for his integrity, diligence, and thorough knowledge of the issues and the law involved in any matter he handled. In addressing legal issues George had the uncanny ability to present his argument in such a way as to make it seem merely an explanation.”
Richard Rassel describes George as “a lawyer’s lawyer, a partner in every sense of what a partner should be and the best mentor many of us ever had. Two generations of Butzel lawyers learned to do it right or not at all in George’s office. But George was much more than those considerable accomplishments. He was a decorated World War II Navy veteran (the forward air strike director over Guadalcanal), a devoted husband and father of three, a lover of life, a reckless downhill skier (with a badly shattered leg to prove it), the driver of sports cars (often driven top down on snowy winter days) and many more endearing and slightly offbeat character traits. George was my mentor and my friend, and I shall miss him dearly.”
Current Butzel Long Chairman Phil Kessler was equally effusive in his comments about George. “From the day after I passed the bar exam in December, 1972 and for four intense years thereafter, I worked closely with George on one of the largest and most complex commercial lawsuits that was litigated in the eastern district of Michigan during that decade. George had an immense impact on my development as a trial lawyer. In addition, George demonstrated over and over again that learning complex subjects well (whether legal analyses or the facts of a case) is very hard work and requires an enormous amount of time and effort. Finally, he taught me that ethics, professionalism, exceptional client service and candid, creative, useful advice to clients are the indispensable hallmarks of great lawyers. With George having passed away, the Firm has lost one of its great members. His positive impact will endure through his students and his students’ students in the unbroken chain of the generations of gifted lawyers who have graced our portals and, with a measure of good fortune will continue to do so far into the future.”
During Butzel Long’s 150th Anniversary in 2004, the Firm’s Board of Directors passed a Resolution of Appreciation in honor of George E. Brand, Jr. for having been an integral part of the history of Butzel Long and its achievements.
About Butzel Long: Butzel Long was established in 1854 and is headquartered in Detroit. Butzel Long is one of America's leading law firms, with 240 attorneys and offices in Detroit, Bloomfield Hills, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Holland, Michigan, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boca Raton and Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Alliance offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Mexico City and Monterrey. The firm represents clients from diverse industries on a regional, national and multi-national level and is the sole Michigan member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 independent law firms. Visit the Butzel Long website at www.butzel.com.
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