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pr i d e New Name for Faculty Lounge Honors Rags-to-Riches Story of Marvin Comisky Marvin Comisky L’41 would have inspired Horatio Alger. Born poor, the child of immigrants, his mother died in 1918 when he was seven. He was a brilliant student, earning an undergraduate degree from Temple University and graduating number two in his class from the Law School.
His accomplishments made him a legend of the law and include,
among many, becoming a founding partner of Blank Rome LLP and it first managing partner. He served as chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and was general counsel to the 1968 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.
Significantly, after his election as chancellor of the Philadelphia
Bar Association, he led the charge to have area law firms halt religious and other discriminatory hiring practices. He also had members begin providing pro bono legal services to the needy. This practice evolved into Marvin Comisky L’41 (seated) and Ed Rome review a brief for a case they argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the early 1980s. The court ruled in favor of Blank Rome’s client, which led to the creation of a new law limiting the liability of landlords regarding tenant security.
Community Legal Services.
“He was a lawyer’s lawyer that other lawyers came to for advice.”
The generations of lawyers he inspired include his three children.
His sons Ian and Matthew are also partners at Blank Rome and his daughter, Hope, is a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP.
Speaking for all three, Ian said, “He set an example that I wanted to follow.”
His children followed in his academic footsteps, as well. All three are Law School graduates, Ian in 1974, Hope in 1977 and Matthew in 1984. Following their father’s death in 2010, the three wanted to do something to honor his memory. Their mom, Goldye; Blank Rome; the Solomon & Sylvia Bronstein Foundation and their own gifts will allow the University to name the faculty lounge in Silverman Hall on behalf of the memory of Marvin Comisky, Esquire, Chairman Emeritus of Blank Rome LLP.
“He was an inspiration to the firm and they were pleased to contribute to the gift,” Ian said. “He was a lawyer’s lawyer
that other lawyers came to for advice.” Two teachers at the Law School may just enjoy taking a break in the lounge more than most. Ian lectures on money laundering and Hope on ethics. When they relax in the lounge, it will provide one more opportunity for them to reflect on their father who also happened to be a legend of the law.
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