On Thursday afternoon, September 20th, family, friends, colleagues, partners and admirers of David Kirkland gathered at Christ Church Cathedral to honor David and celebrate his life.
The service, which David planned, perfectly embodied many of the traits that we held dear in him – a strong sense of tradition, meticulous attention to detail, a healthy sense of humor, and a deep and abiding faith. The Cathedral was filled to capacity not only with David’s many current and former colleagues from Baker Botts, but also with so many others whose lives he had touched.
Lions of the bar from coast to coast traveled to Houston to pay tribute to him, as did scores of grateful clients – some of whom he had worked with for years, and others whom he had not seen in a decade. They all knew what I know: David Kirkland was the consummate trusted advisor, counselor and friend.
David was the best lawyer I have ever known. He reveled in the complex but was able to devise simple and creative solutions when none were apparent to others. He had the ability to instantly pinpoint the crux of an issue, and his brilliance was rivaled only by his diplomacy when presenting his views.
David was generous with his time and talent – no matter how busy he was, he always welcomed the opportunity to help a colleague think through a thorny issue. Lawyers who were his adversaries in transactions quickly became admirers. Upon learning of David’s passing, one such admirer captured the essence of David when he wrote that David “was wise, invariably constructive even when in vehement disagreement, unfailingly courteous and so very talented.”
But law was far from David’s only interest. He was a polymath in the truest sense – equally interested in subjects as far-ranging as etymology, art, baseball, graphic design, and movies. He had a wicked sense of humor and a lightning-quick wit. Anyone thinking they could best him in repartee soon learned that they were vastly outmatched.
I had the privilege of learning from David from the time my law practice began. I was proud to call him a partner for 18 years, and lucky to work with him as co-chair of the Baker Botts corporate department for several years.
It was a pleasure to watch his mind work – he was strategic, yet pragmatic, and had strong views but kept an open mind. He was a strong but compassionate leader, treating others with respect and kindness even in the most difficult situations.
Our profession has lost a true paragon of professionalism, collegiality and intellect – a lawyer for the ages. And I and so many others have lost a dear friend. I will miss my friend very much, but I take comfort in knowing that his values and skills will live on through those who were lucky enough to have known him.
Kelly Rose was a partner at Baker Botts for 27 years and was named general counsel at ConocoPhillips last month.