T
hey are recognized on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia. They are invited to events across the country. Their father is a legend. Yet, the three surviving children of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King have been embroiled in public and heated legal battles for the past several years. As the conflicts intensified, a superior court judge in Georgia searched for someone to take control of the King empire and to bring peace to a family whose legacy is a cornerstone of American history. Terry M. Giles (JD ’74) was one of three names brought forward. When Giles was notified, he didn’t think he would be seriously considered for the position. But in December 2009, Judge Ural D. Glanville appointed Giles custodian of King, Inc., the corporation that holds the copyrights to Dr. King’s intellectual property, and the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the non-profit institution established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King. The judge gave Giles the power to rewrite bylaws and policies; to negotiate contracts, including one for a proposed DreamWorks movie about the life of Dr. King; and to fire management, if needed.
The Fireman The appointment came as a surprise to Giles, who guesses that his career led the judge to choose him for this task. In addition to running highly successful and varied law firms and owning more than 30 businesses, Giles has navigated hundreds of litigation matters, one of his most notable as a member of the Los Angeles team who, in 2007, won $660 million in reparations for victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse with co-counsels and Pepperdine law alumni Ray Boucher
(JD ’84) and Kathy Freberg (JD ’90). In addition to his success in the courtroom, he built a career as a problem-solver for high-profile clients with legal troubles. Over the past three decades, Giles’s clients have included William H. Millard, the founder of IMS Associates and the IMSAI 8080 computer; Werner Erhard, first known for his EST Training seminars in the 1970s; the Schuller family and the Crystal Cathedral; actor and comedian Richard Pryor; and many others. “My wife calls me the fireman,” says Giles. “The thing that I do best is that I can come up
Giles was presented with Pepperdine School of Law's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1992.
with ideas that will create a win-win scenario, and I think outside of the box to approach problems that people are having with each other. That’s proven to be very helpful.”
Among the Kings Another factor in his selection could have been his contact with the King children in the 1980s. Richard Pryor, whom Giles was working for at the time, gave a moving tribute at a special celebration in honor of Dr. King’s birthday in Washington, D.C., in 1984. 21
Afterward, Coretta Scott King contacted Giles and invited them both to join the entire King family on Easter Sunday in Atlanta. “Coretta had all sorts of questions about the center and I told her what I thought would work and what wouldn’t,” says Giles of his legal advice during that Easter dinner. “She passed on in 2006, but I think one of the kids remembered me from back then and I think that’s how my name got to the top of the list.” Giles began the work of reorganizing the center by listening and understanding the issues at hand. “I think the siblings were tired of fighting. They’ve had a pretty tough life, and growing up a King has to be a tough experience and a lot of pressure.” “The truth is they were a delight to work with,” he says of working with the Kings, a process that will continue at least into the next year. In September, Giles reported to the judge that he feels confident that peace amongst the siblings will hold and that they are ready to again take the reins—as a reunited family—with minimal outside management. Giles’ wants to see King, Inc. and the King Center placed in a strategic position for success in the decades ahead. Then the King Center can again focus on what Coretta intended it be—a tribute to nonviolent action for justice, equality, and peace. “Dr. King’s work went above politics; it went above religion; it went above civil rights related to black and white," says Giles. "The truth is that his work was about human rights and human dignity, regardless of where we come from, who we are, or what our spiritual beliefs are.” “So many people think of him either as a Christian symbol, or an American civil rights symbol, and he was all of these things, but he was so much more. That’s what makes him, I think, so extraordinary.”
The Road Less Traveled Giles is no stranger to family hardships. Growing up, his family moved frequently because of financial difficulties. By the time he was in 10th grade, he had been enrolled L AW. P E P P E R D I N E . E D U