RICHARD A. HUVER handled an especially difficult case with him. “I’ve co-counseled cases with a number of people over the years. Sometimes it’s a painful experience. Sometimes it’s a joy. With him, it’s the latter,” Asher said. Growing up in Los Angeles, Huver always thought he’d become a lawyer. In his freshman year at the University of San Diego, Huver got a work-study job in the law school admissions office, which momentarily made him question his chosen career path. “I remember looking at those law students at the time, dragging themselves up and down hallways during finals week,” Huver said. “I said, ‘man, there’s no way I want to go to law school.’ They looked miserable.” At USD, Huver got his degree in business administration but found when he got out of college in 1982, the economy was tough and good jobs were hard to find. With few prospects in San Diego, Huver returned to Los Angeles and went to work in the law firm of his uncle, Ned Good. This experience and his uncle’s mentorship rekindled Huver’s drive and interest in the law. His drive has already been proven at the Bar Association. Elected to the Association’s board of directors in 2011, Huver served as cochairman (with Jeff Joseph) of the Building Committee in 2012, which led the push to relocate the association’s headquarters to the new Bar Center at 401. “We envisioned a place where members would come before hearings, during lunch breaks or at other times to meet with clients, or connect to the internet and get work done,” Huver said. “Our new Bar Center has met our vision, as evidenced by the growing number of members who utilize the Bar Center for exactly those purposes and more.” Huver was elected to serve as Treasurer for 2013. Huver also was co-chair with outgoing President Jon Williams of the association’s Court Funding Action Committee, which has fought against cuts in state funding of the courts and educated legislators on the importance of a fully funded judiciary. “It was a first for the Bar to actively engage in advocacy efforts – meeting and establishing relationships with our local elected officials to impress upon them the vital importance of a fully funded judicial branch and the dangers of underfunding the courts,” Huver said. As president, he said his top priorities
will be to sustain the drive to restore state funding for the courts, continue implementing a five-year stabilization plan aimed at ensuring that everyone in the legal community feels they have a place in the association, and emphasize the need for civility, integrity and professionalism within the legal community. “Civility and integrity are the bookends of professionalism. Unfortunately, civility sometimes goes by the wayside in the heat of battle,” Huver said. “I firmly believe you can zealously represent your client without acting unprofessional or personally attacking your opponent.” Kenneth Sigelman, a friend who has known Huver for 15 years and worked together as co-counsel, said Huver “never loses sight of the fact that the case is all
mastered the ability to be a strong advocate for his clients while earning the respect of those on the other side. Kevin Kennedy, San Diego County’s senior deputy counsel, said Huver is “the modicum of civility.” Kennedy and Huver were on opposite sides of a case that ultimately settled through mediation. “He was very easy to work with in terms of there not being any friction developing between counsel,” Kennedy said. The tenacity Huver displays in representing clients sometimes extends to his personal life. Huver was adopted and, as a teenager, started a quest that took him nearly 20 years to find his birth parents. “As much as I love my (adoptive) parents
Photo by Lauren Radack about the clients.” “As a lawyer, he’s got a great skill set that combines a very meticulous attention to detail and organizational skills, a very sharp legal mind and extensive knowledge of the law, and most importantly, great empathy for his clients,” Sigelman said. “As a friend, he has loyalty combined with a great sense of humor,” Sigelman said. “He’s a fun-loving person with great people skills.” Outgoing Bar Association President Jon Williams said Huver is “the consummate diplomat.” “He puts the people around him at ease,” Williams said. “It’s not forced. It’s just a natural part of his personality.” Friends and colleagues said Huver has
and as much as I knew they were my parents, I always knew I was different from them,” Huver said. “I looked very different, my personality was different, and I always felt independent. I really wanted to know who I was and where I came from.” Huver ultimately tracked down his birth father, a retired New York corporate general counsel, but found out his father had died two years before Huver learned his name. Against incredible odds, he ultimately found his birth mother who was living on the east coast and the two have kept in touch. “She instantly became a quasigrandmother to my three kids,” Huver said. Huver has raised three sons – Eric, 22 and twins Nick and Drew, 19. He has a younger November/December 2014 SAN DIEGO LAWYER 23