Milton S. Gould
Encyclopedia
Milton S. Gould was a prominent New York City
trial attorney. He graduated from Cornell Law School
in 1933. Gould joined a staid "white shoe" law firm in New York City which he found unpleasant and quit to join a newly formed firm, Kaufman, Weitzman & Celler. The founders of that firm included Emanuel Celler
, who later became a U.S. Congressman from Brooklyn, and Samuel H. Kaufman
, who later served as a federal judge and presided over the first trial of Alger Hiss
. Gould got his start as a trial lawyer in a trial where he was assisting Kaufman and the Judge in the case told the lead trial lawyer to sit down and let Gould try the case until Kaufman knew what the case was about.
In 1964, Gould led his law firm into a merger with the firm of his former high school classmate William Shea
a politically powerful lawyer who brought the New York Mets and Shea Stadium to New York. The firm would become Shea & Gould
, a very successful law firm that grew to 350 lawyers.
Gould represented such clients as Aristotle Onassis
, New York City Mayor Abraham Beame
and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon
In 1971-1972 Gould returned to the Cornell Law School to serve as a professor of trial advocacy and trained a new cadre of trial lawyers.
In 1979 Gould published "The Witness Who Spoke With God and Other Tales From The Courthouse" (Viking, 1979), a book of a collection of his stories which had previously appeared in the New York Law Journal
.
In 1984 Gould tried one of his most famous cases representing former Israeli defense minister Ariel Sharon
in his libel case against Time Magazine for an article that included a paragraph that Sharon had urged the Phalangists to avenge Gemayel's death by the massacre that occurred on the following day. The case was tried in the same Courthouse as another libel trial was occurring in an action brought by General William Westmoreland
against CBS. Both cases were widely reported on by the media. The Sharon case resulted in victory for Gould in a jury verdict for Sharon who was vindicated. The Sharon and Westmoreland libel cases were the subject of Renata Adler's book "Reckless Disregard" (1986).
In 1985 Gould's book "A Cast of Hawks" (Copley, 1985) ISBN 0913938289 was published which dealt with the background of the United States Supreme Court case In re Neagle
that he termed "A Rowdy Tale of Scandal and Power Politics in Early San Francisco" from the gold rush of 1849, the debate in California about being a slave holding state in the 1850s and the wild west until the end of the century. David Neagle had been the marshal in Tombstone at the time the shoot-out at the OK Corral and was acting as a Federal Marshal protecting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field
when Neagle killed the sworn enemy of Field, former California Justice David S. Terry
after he accosted and threatened Justice Field. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the killing was in the scope of the Federal official's duties.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
trial attorney. He graduated from Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
in 1933. Gould joined a staid "white shoe" law firm in New York City which he found unpleasant and quit to join a newly formed firm, Kaufman, Weitzman & Celler. The founders of that firm included Emanuel Celler
Emanuel Celler
Emanuel Celler was an American politician from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives for almost 50 years, from March 1923 to January 1973. He was a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
, who later became a U.S. Congressman from Brooklyn, and Samuel H. Kaufman
Samuel H. Kaufman
Samuel Hamilton Kaufman was a federal judge in New York City.Kaufman graduated from the New York University School of Law and practiced privately as a lawyer in New York from 1918 to 1948...
, who later served as a federal judge and presided over the first trial of Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
. Gould got his start as a trial lawyer in a trial where he was assisting Kaufman and the Judge in the case told the lead trial lawyer to sit down and let Gould try the case until Kaufman knew what the case was about.
Biography
Although a New York City lawyer with Chutzpah, in court Gould would sometimes wear a tweed sports coat with patches and usually had a professorial manner relying on his cross-examination skills. Taking a lesson from Kaufman he would end the trial day by going home to dinner leaving his assisting attorneys to work up the examination for the next day.In 1964, Gould led his law firm into a merger with the firm of his former high school classmate William Shea
William Shea
William Alfred "Bill" Shea was an American lawyer and a name partner of the prominent law firm of Shea & Gould...
a politically powerful lawyer who brought the New York Mets and Shea Stadium to New York. The firm would become Shea & Gould
Shea & Gould
Shea & Gould was one of New York's best-known law firms. It was established as a result of a merger in 1964 between Manning, Hollinger & Shea and Gallup, Climenko & Gould. The firm acquired several smaller niche practices in antitrust and other areas during the 1970s. The firm dissolved in 1994...
, a very successful law firm that grew to 350 lawyers.
Gould represented such clients as Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
, New York City Mayor Abraham Beame
Abraham Beame
Abraham David "Abe" Beame was mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977. As such, he presided over the city during the fiscal crisis of the mid-1970s, during which the city was almost forced to declare bankruptcy....
and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
In 1971-1972 Gould returned to the Cornell Law School to serve as a professor of trial advocacy and trained a new cadre of trial lawyers.
In 1979 Gould published "The Witness Who Spoke With God and Other Tales From The Courthouse" (Viking, 1979), a book of a collection of his stories which had previously appeared in the New York Law Journal
New York Law Journal
The New York Law Journal, founded in 1888, is a legal periodical covering the legal profession in New York, United States. The newspaper covers legal news, decisions, court calendars, and legislation, and provides analysis and insight in columns written by leading professionals...
.
In 1984 Gould tried one of his most famous cases representing former Israeli defense minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
in his libel case against Time Magazine for an article that included a paragraph that Sharon had urged the Phalangists to avenge Gemayel's death by the massacre that occurred on the following day. The case was tried in the same Courthouse as another libel trial was occurring in an action brought by General William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
against CBS. Both cases were widely reported on by the media. The Sharon case resulted in victory for Gould in a jury verdict for Sharon who was vindicated. The Sharon and Westmoreland libel cases were the subject of Renata Adler's book "Reckless Disregard" (1986).
In 1985 Gould's book "A Cast of Hawks" (Copley, 1985) ISBN 0913938289 was published which dealt with the background of the United States Supreme Court case In re Neagle
In re Neagle
In re Neagle, 135 U.S. 1 , was a United States Supreme Court decision that determined the question of whether the Attorney General of the United States had authority to appoint U.S. Marshals as bodyguards to Supreme Court Justices.-Facts:U.S...
that he termed "A Rowdy Tale of Scandal and Power Politics in Early San Francisco" from the gold rush of 1849, the debate in California about being a slave holding state in the 1850s and the wild west until the end of the century. David Neagle had been the marshal in Tombstone at the time the shoot-out at the OK Corral and was acting as a Federal Marshal protecting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field
Stephen Field
Professor Stephen P Field, FRCGP is a British doctor and general practitioner, former Chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners and Chairman of the Department of Health's Inclusion Board. In 2011, the United Kingdom government appointed him to chair the NHS Future Forum formed to...
when Neagle killed the sworn enemy of Field, former California Justice David S. Terry
David S. Terry
David Smith Terry was a California politician, who killed United States Senator David C. Broderick in the Broderick – Terry duel in 1859. He was then killed in 1889 by a bodyguard of United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen J. Field.-Biography:Terry was born in Christian County, Kentucky...
after he accosted and threatened Justice Field. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the killing was in the scope of the Federal official's duties.