'Lawyer's lawyer' will be missed

If all lawyers practiced law the way Lansing B. Lee Jr. did, attorneys would be held in highest esteem along with clergy and doctors.

"I didn't know of a single enemy he had," said longtime Augusta attorney William Trotter III, upon hearing of Mr. Lee's death Wednesday at age 85.

It's hard to believe anyone could be in an adversarial profession for 58 years, as Mr. Lee was, and not make any enemies. But it's easy to believe if you knew Mr. Lee.

A fifth-generation Augusta lawyer who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1947, Lansing Lee was always meticulous and thorough in his work, knowledgeable in the presentation of his cases, and respectful of all those he dealt with. He continued the practice of law until weeks before he died.

The Augusta Bar Association, in honoring Mr. Lee for his 50 years of service to the bar in 1997, characterized him as "a lawyer's lawyer," the finest compliment the legal profession can bestow on one of its own.

The ABA also took note that Mr. Lee's life came to a lot more than being a superb lawyer. The association's resolution went on to accurately describe the personable honoree as "a Renaissance man whose interests and civic service are as diverse as the night and the day."

Indeed, Mr. Lee was deeply involved in many aspects of Augusta's charitable and civic life. He was also a proud patriot, having been an Army Air Corps officer in World War II and a civilian anti-communist activist after the war.

Despite all of Mr. Lee's professional and civic achievements, his truest passions were his God - he was a lifelong member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church - his family and his wide circle of friends.

We join Mr. Lee's family and friends in mourning his passing, but we take solace in the fact that Augusta was fortunate that this fine gentleman of the South lived his long, rich and productive life in our community.