Remarks At The Funeral Of Alan Latman on July 23, 1984

Simply put, Alan Latman was the best lawyer I ever saw.

He was the consummate litigator, negotiator, counsel and scholar.

He had a prodigious memory, but he wrote concisely and with insight, which was exactly the way he thought.

He earned the respect of judges, opponents, clients and his peers because he wrapped his formidable skills and intellect with unfailing courtesy, humanity and the uncanny ability to always say the right thing at the right time.

He loved to work with young lawyers and inspired them with his interest, help and example.

It was literally a thrill and privilege to work with him.

While practicing law Alan enriched his vision with part-time teaching at NYU Law School. Eventually, it reached a point where he could not continue as both a practitioner and a teacher because too much was demanded of each. He chose, after much soul searching, to become a full-time professor.

He devoted himself to his students and they, in turn, were devoted to him. He wrote a continuing stream of books and articles dealing with copyright law and plunged into the administrative work of the law school, serving as a member of the faculty appointments and student admissions committees. In passing, I will only note that Alan also served as the Executive Director of the Copyright Society of the USA.

Alan was invited by the government of Thailand to Bangkok to help it develop its national Copyright Laws and was invited to China to explain U.S. Copyright Law and industry practices to Chinese legal and publishing experts. He was working with groups in Israel and various Arab countries, trying to work out arrangements for the transfer of technology between them.

He was, however, still available to tutor us in the law and to attend partnership meetings where his contributions were now spiced with the additional knowledge he obtained from his professorial life.

His achievements at NYU can perhaps best be summed up by his appointment as the first Derenberg Professor of Law—the ultimate recognition by his colleagues of their admiration and esteem.

Alan died at the peak of his career, but we were fortunate to have him with us for so many years. He will live with us for many more years as we recall, with love, an extraordinary person who enriched the world in every way by his journey among us.

Alan, you were the best.