JACOB STEIN

1925 - 2019

STEIN Jacob A. Stein Died peacefully at his home in Washington, DC on the evening of April 3, 2019 from complications related to multiple myeloma having just celebrated his 94th birthday. A rare native Washingtonian, born in 1925 to Eva and Joseph B. Stein, Jake spent his early childhood with his siblings, Ralph, Paula and Orrin Stein on Belmont Street near Meridian Hill Park. As a young man he umpired baseball while working at several DC playgrounds, had a local television show as a memory expert, was a city tour guide and worked as an undercover department store detective with his close friend Harry Lacey. Later following in his father's footsteps and after finishing Law School at George Washington University, he began a career as an attorney in 1948. In 1965 he and his longtime friend Glenn Mitchell founded the firm Stein Mitchell with a handshake. Known as a lawyer's lawyer, and a DC "insider's insider,' who nevertheless never registered to vote, he represented many high profile white-collar clients. In the words of the Washington Post, he pulled off "...a quiet coup in the high intensity of the Watergate trial" in 1973 with his client being the only one of five defendants to walk away free. Watergate judge John Sirica, in his book 'To Set the Record Straight,' called Jake 'one of Washington's finest attorneys.' Jake also represented White House press secretary James S. Brady, who was shot in the head during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan by John W. Hinckley Jr. in 1981 suing the assassin, the gun manufacturers and distributors of the pistol he used, as well as Mr. Hinckley's psychiatrist. In 1984 he served as the 4th Special Prosecutor in US history investigating allegations of financial improprieties against Ronald Reagan's nominee for Attorney General, Edwin Meese 3rd. His investigative work resulted in Mr. Meese being cleared. Conducting a complicated investigation in less than six months The Washingtonian opined that this remains the exemplar of how a Special Counsel investigation should be conducted - a model that none of his successors has followed." As counsel for Monica Lewinski, Jake won transactional immunity for his client paving the way for her Grand Jury testimony and the subsequent impeachment of the President. That was not his last big case however. In his 80's he helped obtain a settlement from the Libyan government for American victims and their families of Libya's notorious 1986 terrorist bombing of the La Belle discotheque in Berlin, Germany. Jake authored the wildly popular monthly column, the Legal Spectator, in the D.C. Bar magazine, Washington Lawyer, for 24 years and collections of these articles were published in Legal Spectator, Legal Spectator & More, and Eulogy of Lawyers. Other publications include Closing Arguments; Stein on Personal Injury Damages; and Law of Law Firms. He was an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law School for over 20 years, he taught advanced courses in the Federal Rules of Evidence; Truth, Falsehood, and the Law; and the Law of Law Firms. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard Law School from 1974 -1991. Jake served as President (1968-1969) and Vice President (1967-1968) of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, and as President (1982-1983) of The District of Columbia Bar. A Renaissance man with a wide range of interests outside the practice of law, Jake was the unofficial mayor of the Connecticut Avenue legal corridor and was recognized on the street for his sartorial choices which included two-toned "spectator' shoes, double breasted pin striped suits and bespoke shirts from his favorite London tailor. During the Lewinsky trial his daughter was told that the secretaries in the downtown office high rises near his bus stop would gather at the window each day to see what he was wearing as he stepped off the bus in the morning. He loved juggling, the music of the 1920's and 1930's, Vaudeville, his extensive library of books, chocolate, Winston Churchill, and his dog Harry. He was an early practitioner of yoga -- often delighting onlookers with his head and handstands - as well as being a lifelong vegetarian. He was a talented portraitist painting the likenesses of many of his close friends and he was a skilled raconteur. He hosted a weekly paddle tennis game at his house for many years and ran several marathon races sporting long white flannel trousers while doing so. He took the city bus or walked downtown into his 90's. Jake spent his weekend mornings running on the C&O Canal while discussing the issues of the day, as well as more existential questions, with a close group of friends. Often slipping into the Mayflower Hotel post-exercise to "steal' a cup of coffee. He eschewed the use of a cell phone until the end. In 1960 Jake eloped to Las Vegas with the former Mary Margaret Simeon who later converted to Judaism to preserve the peace with her Mother-in-Law, Eva, and together they raised two children, Joseph and Julie Stein. They were married for almost 60 years. His wink and his smile are already missed by a wide circle of adoring and devoted friends and family whose lives he touched in so many ways. His 94th birthday wish was for the continued success and happiness of his friends. Besides his children, he is survived by his two nephews, Joe and Michael Kleine. There will be no funeral services. A celebration of Jake's life will be held on Wednesday June 19 at 5 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the United States Courthouse, 333 Constitution Avenue, NW, with a reception to follow. Stories for a "memory book' about Jake and his life may be sent to dmurray@steinmitchell.com In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the "Jacob A. Stein Fund for People and Wildlife" at the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network http://wildlifefriendly.org/jacobasteinfund/ and/or checks may be made out and mailed to the Jacob A. Stein Charitable Fund at Schwab Charitable, P.O. Box 628298, Orlando FL 32862.In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the "Jacob A. Stein Fund for People and Wildlife" at the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network http://wildlifefriendly.org/jacobasteinfund/ and/or checks may be made out and mailed to the Jacob A. Stein Charitable Fund at Schwab Charitable, P.O. Box 628298, Orlando FL 32862.