Charles A. Bird, 1947-2021

Charles A. Bird, a leader among California appellate attorneys known for his writing and arguing skills in scores of successful cases, was remembered this week by friends and colleagues for the high standards he set for himself and others.

“Whenever Charlie had something to say, everyone listened. The concept of a partnership was really important to him and he was a team player,” said John W. Leslie, office managing partner at Dentons, where Bird spent his 38-year career through several iterations of the firm.

Bird died at home in San Diego on June 21 of leukemia at 74.

“Charlie was the heart and soul of Luce Forward — our San Diego-based legacy firm that in 2012 combined its practices with McKenna Long & Aldridge,” stated an In Memoriam post on the firm’s website. “At Luce, Charlie served in many senior roles, including as a member of the executive committee, general counsel, and as the chief architect of the strategic planning effort that eventually led to the merger with McKenna Long.”

Bird, based in San Diego, retired a few years ago but continued to consult, Leslie said in an interview Tuesday, adding that Bird’s influence in the firm could not be overstated.

“He never looked for attention within the law firm,” Leslie said. “But when we had young attorneys join the firm or attorneys come to the firm, he was always available to work with them and to talk with them about matters and issues that they had.”

Meanwhile, Bird served as lead counsel in more than 70 cases with published opinions and handled more than 200 appeals and writs as lead counsel in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S courts of appeal for the Federal, 6th, 9th, and 10th circuits, the California Supreme Court and California’s six appellate districts, Dentons posting said.

His influence as an attorney and a person extended beyond his firm.

Some of Bird’s major appeals covered federal securities, international arbitration, public finance, patent, insurance and a $24 million liability dispute between two partners.

“That his name is on over a dozen California Supreme Court opinions as counsel and that he authored a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief that two former California Supreme Court justices signed, make it relevant to note his passing on this blog,” wrote David Ettinger of Horvitz & Levy LLP on his At the Lectern blog Monday.

“But it’s really just an excuse to pay tribute to an exceptional person,” Ettinger said. “Charlie was a dedicated and highly skilled lawyer. He was compassionate, both personally and professionally. He was a mensch. Charlie lived a full, honorable, and consequential life. His friends, colleagues, and the law are all the better for it.”

Bird was born on July 1, 1947 in Stockton. He received his bachelor and law degrees from UC Davis. He became a licensed lawyer in 1973.

The president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Kevin Dubose of Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP in Texas, said Bird was an enthusiastic member of the academy and always asked insightful questions.

“The year he served as president of the AAAL was particularly noteworthy,” Dubose said. “That year marked the AAAL’s 25th Anniversary, and Charlie presided over a meeting in Washington, D.C. and a dinner at the Grand Hall of the Supreme Court Building, at which he got to introduce three U.S. Supreme Court justices who joined us.”

Two years after that event, Bird wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the academy before the U.S. Supreme Court. “The opinion by Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsberg not only reached the conclusion advocated by the AAAL, but mentioned the AAAL’s amicus brief in a footnote in the opinion,” Dubose said.

James C. Martin, partner at Reed Smith LLP and former president of California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, knew Bird for the last 30 years.

A brilliant lawyer, Bird knew how to hold a conversation and how to captivate people with his knowledge, regardless of the subject, Martin said.

“He, along with his wife Charlotte, were people you were gratified and grateful to number among your friends,” Martin said. “In any organization in which he participated, he became part of the institutional glue, using his intellect, energy and wit to draw people together and get them on the right track. Charlie, by example, set high standards for others because of who he was, what he did and how he did it. He will be missed dearly by everyone who knew him.“

He is survived by Charlotte, his wife of 52 years. No funeral arrangements have been announced.