OUR LAW FIRM HISTORY

Gilbert A. Cuneo died on April 12, 1978, while I was filling in for him as a speaker at the NCMA meeting dinner in Philadelphia. John Connor gave me the news when I returned to my room. Gil was the father of the government contract practice specialty. He had been Chairman of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and resigned to enter private practice.

Gil approached his friend Hank Keiser of Federal Publications about sharing office space or finding space on K Street. He also visited with Ashley Sellers about space. Ashley liked Gil, and he and John Conner soon formed Sellers, Conner & Cuneo, which I joined in 1972. Gil and I were fast friends, and I often subbed for him on the speaking circuit as his health declined. I still remember him shouting from his office, "Hey, Willie, get in here" to discuss a case or a speaking engagement. I was lucky enough to be the firm's leading rainmaker after Gil himself.

After Gil died, the firm merged with a California firm, and I decided to leave in 1982 to set up my own firm. I had physically taken over Gil's office at the request of my partners, and they had asked me to go to California to set up our office there. I declined. I had my hands full with business, especially the asbestos government contract defense and FTCA suit against the government for contribution and indemnity. I asked Joe Hollingsworth to leave with me. Joe was a young lawyer interested in federal court litigation, of which we had more than we could handle.

There are many stories worthy of telling during the next 27 years. We had many essential precedent-setting victories in litigation, growing from a few to as many as 60 lawyers. We judged ourselves by how quickly we responded, how thoroughly we kept our clients informed, and how successfully we achieved the client's objective. We often gathered as a group to celebrate a victory, have a happy hour, and attend our annual summer picnic and winter gala. The profession changed, as did the entire service industry. In fact, the values driving service eroded. We had to change.

The last 13 years have been the best, and they continue. We are free to increase service by practically eliminating overhead and travel time. We are available 24/7 with flexible-around-the-clock responsiveness. Artificial intelligence expands and enhances the breadth and depth of our capabilities. Service is what it used to be and much more. We are having more fun and have more time for creativity and critical thinking. 

We envision your case from beginning to end and share where we suggest you go, how long it will take you to get there, and precisely what it will cost in the worst case. We are at once warriors and diplomats. Most cases settle, but we are not shy about doing battle. We are veterans of many wars in the courtroom. We listen carefully to what you want and devise a strategy to achieve your result efficiently and economically.

On a related note, we lament the general decline of service. Business leadership puts profits ahead of clients, companies, communities, and the workforce. When did you last receive a prompt response from a live person who was genuinely interested in your problem and worked tirelessly to solve it efficiently and economically? We believe in returning the service ethos as our version of making America great again.