Theodore I. Koskoff (June 23, 1913 – March 13, 1989) was an American

trial lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as wel ...

. Described as "one of Connecticut's most widely known trial lawyers," Koskoff was the chairman of the

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

-based Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

and led several legal

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

s.Wolfgang Saxon,
Theodore I. Koskoff, 75, Lawyer
(obituary). ''New York Times'' March 14, 1989. Koskoff was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

on June 23, 1913, and was as the youngest of seven children born to Israel and Hattie Koskoff.Theodore I. Koskoff (1913-1987)
." Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, PC. He graduated from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

and received his law degree from

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

in 1936. He was a solo

practitioner Practitioner may refer to: *General practitioner *Nurse practitioner * Health practitioner *Insolvency practitioner * Justice and public safety practitioner * Legal practitioner *Medical practitioner *Mental health professional or practitioner * ...

from 1937 until 1972, when he became chairman of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, which also included his son and partner Michael P. Koskoff. Koskoff was lead

defense counsel In a civil proceeding or criminal prosecution under the common law or under statute, a defendant may raise a defense (or defence) in an effort to avert civil liability or criminal conviction. A defense is put forward by a party to defeat a s ...

in the

New Haven Black Panther trials The New Haven Black Panther trials were a series of criminal prosecutions in New Haven, Connecticut against members of the Black Panther Party from 1969 to 1971. All charges stemmed from the killing of 19-year-old Alex Rackley on May 21, 1969, ...

of the 1970s and represented

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

Lonnie McLucas, who was charged with

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

and

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

. Koskoff also represented Dare to be Great salesman Glen Turner and F. Lee Bailey. Koskoff was "well-known for his efforts to improve the image of his profession and to persuade his colleagues to give legal assistance to people unable to obtain it on their own." He served as president of the

Association of Trial Lawyers of America The American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) is a nonprofit advocacy and lobbying organization for plaintiff's lawyers in the United States. Focused on opposing tort reform, the organizati ...

(ATLA) from 1979 to 1980.AAJ Past Presidents
." American Association for Justice. He also served as president of its Connecticut affiliate, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. Koskoff also founded and was chairman of the

National Board of Trial Advocacy The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is a non-profit board certification organization in the United States which administers eight national board certification programs for attorneys in Civil Trial Law, Criminal Trial Law, Truck Accident L ...

, a

board certification Board certification is the process by which a physician, veterinarian, or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, oral, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are mor ...

organization, and founded the Roscoe Pound-American Trial Lawyers Foundation (now the Pound Civil Justice Institute). Koskoff was also instrumental in the establishment of the National Advocacy College educational programs at several

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

s across the country. Koskoff died in 1989 at the age of 75 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while being driven to a doctor's office in

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

. At the time of his death he lived in Westport.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koskoff, Theodore I. 1920 births 2007 deaths Wesleyan University alumni Connecticut lawyers Lawyers from Bridgeport, Connecticut 20th-century American lawyers