Local legal eagles testing retirement

Changing gears from running a fast-paced legal practice to becoming semi-retired is the latest item on Gale and Gerry Messerman’s docket. “It has taken us five years to wind down our practice,” says Gerry Messerman, speaking by phone from his new home in Kiawah Island, S.C. “We have only been here one month, so Gale and I are experimenting with retiring or what we call rewiring. Even though law has been the greatest profession in the world for us, there are so many other things we want to do while we are both ambulatory.” The Messermans say they are learning to play golf, fish, and both look forward to reading and writing just for pleasure. Although the highly respected attorneys handled thousands of criminal and civil cases over their successful careers, the headline grabbers were those that earned acquittals for high-profile local personalities. These included Judge James Kilcoyne’s trial for insurance fraud in 1991 and former Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes’s being charged in the ’80s with shoplifting dog food. “How bad would that have been if he had been convicted, considering the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse carries his name?” asks Gerry Messerman. The Messermans represented Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Jose Mesa in an emotionally-charged rape trial in 1997. In the early ’80s they handled the fight between the Horvitz brothers over their father’s $600 million estate and provided legal counsel to leading Cleveland institutions including University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and area sports teams. Also among their client list is long-time friend, the Hollywood screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. But it is their commitment to Legal Aid that provided the couple with their richest personal rewards and enabled them to unselfishly give back to the community. “My legal career began as a Legal Services Fellow in Atlanta from 1969-71, and I have never gotten over my commitment and dedication to that agency,” says Gale. For the past two years she has chaired the Annual Campaign for Legal Aid. Under her leadership, she secured over $1 million in pledges from Cleveland law firms and attorneys. During this past year, Gale helped Legal Aid host Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at Legal Aid’s 100th Anniversary Gala at Cleveland’s Public Hall. “Gale and Gerry Messerman are among Legal Aid’s most ardent supporters,” says Melanie Shakarian, director of development at Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. “Their generosity with their time, talent and treasure has helped thousands of low-income Clevelanders. Gale was instrumental in the creation of Legal Aid’s development department and the diversification of Legal Aid’s operating revenue. Cleveland will miss this great couple.” South Carolina-born Gale began her professional career as a surgical intensive care nurse. She earned her law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the former associate professor of law and former dean for student affairs at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. A native Clevelander, Gerry is a 1954 graduate of John Adams High School; he earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve University. “Cleveland is still a great place to live and raise a family,” he says. “The lakefront, sports teams, affordable housing, cultural community and educational and medical institutions are outstanding.” But he worries about the future. “The greatest hope for this town is a regional form of government,” he says. “Schools have to improve, and the racial and ethnic divisiveness must be addressed. Somehow Cleveland never melted and blended its diverse, culturally rich community together in order to survive and thrive.” The legal community has changed dramatically since he entered the bar 47 years ago, notes Gerry, 70. “The biggest change is the number of women attorneys,” he says. “When Gale attended law school, she was only one of two women in her class, and there were no women in my class. Also, many lawyers leave law school in debt, so they start out needing to make money to repay these enormous loans, rather than do any type of social service work. But that changes over time, and attorneys are well represented on the nonprofit boards in town.” “Law has given us the opportunity to be involved in important human issues affecting our world,” says Gerry. “We help people solve problems and maintain civility.” Also exciting the Messermans about their chosen profession are the infinite opportunities to explore diverse issues relating to medicine, nuclear energy, patent infringement or big business. “It has been a fascinating learning experience,” says Gerry. “Each day is an adventure.” The Messermans have represented both the rich and the poor and see the system working imperfectly for both, but for different reasons. “Do the rich have better legal representation than the poor? Yes,” says Gerry. “But if a prominent rabbi is charged with shoplifting, the consequences and the attention paid to that case are greater than if the crime had been committed by an itinerant laborer. Very often a person’s accomplishments increase the price of criminal prosecution. For prominent people the stakes are enormous n Martha Stewart is a classic example.” Working together as a husband and wife legal team since 1980 has been a remarkable journey for both. “Gale is a goddess,” notes her husband of 32 years. “She is tolerant and patient, and I am not. Without those personality traits, no one could work with me.” “Gerry is the best there is,” responds Gale. “Whether at times of great successes or disheartening failures, I’ve watched and learned from him. He is my inspiration.” Even though they say they are poised to stay in South Carolina for an indefinite period of time, the Messermans are leaving their options open. “We are still engaged in the practice of law and have ongoing matters to bring to conclusion,” says Gerry. “Messerman & Messerman will continue to exist in one form or another. Our address might change, but the players are still here.”

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