by Brett G. Sweitzer

Lawyering in the public interest has long been a chief ethic of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Even before the Law School mandated 70 hours of public service as a condition for graduation – a requirement unique to Penn Law which earned the Program the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2000 – students were encouraged to accept the public and civic responsibilities that come with a license to practice law. Thus, Law School alumni have served as judges, bar association chancellors, and civic and political leaders in communities throughout the country. Alumni have also engaged in noteworthy public interest lawyering, either full-time or as part of their broader practice.

David Richman L’69

David Richman L’69, exemplifies this proud tradition of public service. Most recently, Richman concluded a landmark representation of Philadelphia prison inmates attempting to secure basic improvements in the conditions of their confinement.

After several years with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Richman joined the Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP in 1974, and has been a partner in Pepper’s litigation department since 1978. Besides chairing the firm’s litigation department and its environmental practice group for part of that time, Richman has for many years chaired the Board of Trustees of the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, whose co-executive director, Janet Stotland, was his Penn Law classmate and is an Honorary Fellow of the Law School. Richman is also a Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. He also serves as First Vice President of the Law Alumni Society’s Board of Managers.

For 18 years, beginning in 1982, Richman served as lead counsel in Harris v. City of Philadelphia, a federal court class action suit that did much to ameliorate prison conditions in Philadelphia’s seriously overcrowded jails. The Harris litigation ended its long and stormy passage in August 2000 with many accomplishments to its credit. But by Richman’s estimate the job of humanizing our jails remains unfinished.