7 - Voice For The Defense Online

y.
M
ost of us "older" lawyers knew Emmett Colvin. Emmett
was a chatter member of TCDLA, our seventh Presi
dent, a member of the TCDLA Hall Of Fame, a former
Dean of the National Criminal Defense College, and an expert fly
fisherman and ~hotoma~her. " He was mv "~llegitimate father" or, as
he would mtroduce me, I
was his "ille@unate mn!'
He was the best friend I
have ever had and he was
my best man when I
was marrled m the Court
of Criminal Appeals by
Judge Truman Roberts
m 1977.
When Emmett hired
me in January 1975, I was
a second semester law student
who had absolutely
no interest in criminal
law. 1 aspxed to less
lofty heights, but Emmett
quickly instilled in me
(and anyone who spent
*
anv amount of time w~th
hrk) the joy of fighting the good fight and protecting the indivldual
rights and liberties of the citizen accused. He was relentless
in hi pursuit for constructive change in the criminal just~ce system
and never failed to exhibit the highest ethical standards in his
practice. He had a profound impact upon more young lawyers than
I canname, mcluding such great attorneys as Ron Goranson, Keny
Fitz Gerald, Richard Anderson, Arch McColl and a host of others.
Emmett was a skilled trial lawyer who had forgotten more law
than most of us will ever learn. His "gut books" are legendary and
the sheer weight of them may have been one of the causes of his
debilitating back problems. He had the ability to sing in the courtroom
(m one case we tried together, he sang at fmal argument and
the jury returned 38 not guilty verdicts out of 38) and to have a
qulet fireside chat wxth a juty. He was equally profic~ent in the
appellate cburtroom and in hu wrttten briefs. He was, simply stated,
the best all round lawyer I have ever h d the occasion to
work with.
Some of the "younger" attorneys within TCDLA may recall his
letter to Un~ted States District Judge John McBride. That letter
was the epitome of Emmett Colvin. He had the intestinal fottitude
to do what was right, regardless of the consequences. He was a
statesman, not a pohtician.
At Emmett's memorial serviceon April 8,1999, FrankMaloney
told a number of "Emmett" stories. Through laughter, Frank was
able to educate the Virginians in attendance to the essence of
By David Botsford
Colvin. I told the audience what 1 have written abve. Emmett's
wife, Mary Lee, and his three children, Lance, Mark and Laurel,
also shared "Emmett" stories. The love and admrntron of hi wife
and children were unmistakably clear and quite movmg. To Mary
Lee, Emmett was the consummate attorney who put his love
for the law above
all else. To Lance,
Emmett was the father
who showed h~m as a
youngster he was special.
To Mark, (who
lived near Emmett
these last few years rn
Virgln~a), Emmett
was that special frrend
(and father) who
always accepted and
supported him. To
Laurel, Emmett was
a "snake charmer"
who could charm
the snakes on rhe
GuadalupeRNerwhere
he taueht - her to flv
fish, as well as the "snakes" in the cournoom.
Dry eyes were not possible during the "Emmet