Remembering Chesterfield Smith 'America's Lawyer'.

Born 100 years ago on July 28, Chesterfield Smith was a great American and a great lawyer. Part Atticus Finch, with a touch of Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, he was an original.

He would become not only the president of The Florida Bar, but would also lead the charge to construct the building that houses The Florida Bar today. He did not just become president of the ABA, he transformed it into a force for good. In his time, he was revered and feted by civil libertarians, minority groups, and pro bono lawyers.

He was an early supporter of taking the interest from lawyers' trust accounts to pay for lawyers who would work for the poor, something today we call the IOTA program. It seemed that he worked every day to help those who needed a hand. To those who "did not want for much," like many lawyers he knew, he simply encouraged them to "Be Somebody!" and "Do good!"

For the writer of this column, the relationship with Chesterfield Smith, started over dinner at a small French cafe in Coral Gables. By the end of that dinner, promises would be made; to those not present, promises would be broken. Specifically, an accepted associate position with another law firm would be reneged on. On the sidewalk outside the restaurant, I told my young wife, "I'm going to go with him." Her response: "There was something about the way he painted his vision of what a lawyer should be. You'd be a fool not to."

In his book, The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter to Chesterfield Smith. In contrast to his accomplishments and influence on those who came within his orbit, he never held elected office and seemingly did not seek fame or fortune, but found both.

In his day, "Mr. Smith" was mostly thought of as the guiding light and creator of a remarkable firm: Holland & Knight. The internal debate in the firm over whose name would follow "Holland, Knight, Smith..." ended the moment Smith announced, "I think 'Holland & Knight' is a fine name."

By most accounts, Smith, a World War II veteran, was motivated by the greater good. His aspirations were based on nothing less than the Declaration of Independence as limited by the U.S. Constitution. Though not an overtly religious man, he understood that these two documents were sacred, as articulated by earlier founding fathers, Jefferson and Madison. To Smith's way of thinking, all people are, in fact, equal, and nothing should ever stand in the way of this immutable truth.

His beliefs were brought into the halls of...