I'm positive I'm right. . . . That doesn't mean I'm right.
That quote captures Laury at his best. He fought for his clients as hard as possible, convinced that he—and they—were right and would win.
But at the same time Laury did not mind being corrected. Far from it, he welcomed it, because it gave him the latitude to throw out ideas that might or might not hold up. And if he was persuaded that one of his strategies would not work he was willing to drop it, without any false pride.
And this freewheeling style also allowed him to pursue angles that no one else had come up with. His commitment and persistence, despite the doubts of others, produced victories that no one else would have achieved.
Law is not about law it is about facts and law—attack attack.
Laury defied being pigeonholed. He started out as a Taft Republican in 1940's Ohio, although that did not last for long. He came west to work for the NLRB in Los Angeles, where Ken Schwartz recruited him to join Arnold, Smith & Schwartz, as our firm was known at the time. He always fought for the rights of workers—Teachers, Retail Clerks, Steelworkers, Auto Workers, Ironworkers and many others—and was just as steadfast in representing our union clients in their internal matters.
That often infuriated his adversaries—some of them once put out a flyer depicting Laury as a convicted criminal behind bars—but Laury welcomed their anger at him for doing his job as best as he knew how. Our clients appreciated this as well, since they could let him catch all the hell while they benefited from his advocacy. Laury wouldn't have it any other way.
If anyone doesn't have any questions, I don't have any answers.
Laury also trained several generations of labor lawyers, including the current senior partners of SSDS to whom Laury, Bob and Rick entrusted the firm, in what it took to represent unions. And Laury usually had answers—even if you didn't have questions. While he sometimes was at odds with some of his partners, he treated them, and the firm's associates, office staff, and law clerks, with respect, consideration, and love while taking their opinions and advice seriously.
He cut just as distinctive a figure in person in his seersucker and corduroy suits, which he made look good, and his beret. He was immensely (and deservedly) proud of his family and was a lifelong student of history, which may explain his fondness for castoff and uncomfortable furniture.
Please join the Steinsapir Family at 2 pm this Sunday, July 7, 2024 at Kehillat Israel Synagogue, 16019 W. Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, to celebrate his life.
If you want to send cards please send them to our office at 6300 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2000, Los Angeles, California 90035, and we will forward them to the family. You can also email memories or notes to margo@ssdslaw.com and we will forward them as well.
Laury was and is irreplaceable—we shall not look upon his like again. The best memorial we can offer is to carry on his work as he would have.
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