Roy Tolles, Old-School Founder of Leading Law Firm, Dies at 85

Obituaries

Roy Tolles, Old-School Founder of Leading Law Firm, Dies at 85

Posted Feb 4, 2008, 02:40 pm CDT
By Martha Neil

Edwin Leroy Tolles, a renowned California attorney who founded a leading Los Angeles law firm, has died. He was 85.

A gentleman of the old school who founded and ran the law firm now known as Munger, Tolles & Olson while simultaneously devoting himself to family life, Roy Tolles is remembered as a colleague whose judgment and sense of fairness inspired trust and longtime relationships, writes the Recorder (sub. req.) in an article reprinted in New York Lawyer.

The firm, which now numbers more than 200 lawyers and is reportedly one of the most selective and high-paying in the country, was founded in 1962 with seven attorneys, recalls Richard Esbenshade, a firm lawyer hired from law school by Tolles 52 years ago. He credits its growth and success to Tolles' respect for clients and colleagues, which "was in his DNA," and his careful hiring.

Fellow lawyers trusted Tolles implicitly—as was evident in their willingness to allow him to determine all attorneys' compensation in the early days of the firm, Esbenshade tells the Recorder. "We looked to him to make that kind of decision. We trusted his judgment and fairness, and no one worried what he'd do."

Married for 63 years to Martha Tolles, an author of children's books, Tolles was a devoted family man who always had time for his wife and six children, recalls his son, Stephen Tolles, who is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His advice to his children was to follow their dreams and do their best.

A U.S. Marine Corps pilot during World War II, he subsequently graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and settled in California. In addition to his law practice, Tolles was also a successful investor and a partner in a well-known investment firm, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Tolles, who retired in 1992, died of heart failure and had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

A memorial service is scheduled at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. It will be held at the Friends' Hall in the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, Calif.

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