Clinton R. Ashford

Clinton Ashford died in 2001 in Honolulu.

While serving on the ABA Board of Governors, Clint Ashford was appointed to be its governor to liaison with the Economics of Law Practice Section. The early council members of the Section were quite entrepreneurial and chafed at the bureaucracy of the ABA. It seemed as though each time an obstacle had been overcome, the ABA came up with another that was more difficult than the one before.  Clint quickly overcame any suspicion that he was sent to restore order and keep those upstarts in line. He knew his way around the ABA and not only opened many doors, but also fostered true cooperation and a mutual respect between the Section and the ABA.

Although Clint was from Hawaii, he was right in the middle of law practice and was elected as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and in the American College of Probate Counsel before being inducted as a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. Along the way, he also served as President of the Hawaii State Bar Association, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and as President of the Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club.

In an age of increasing specialization, very few lawyers will ever again satisfy the requirements to become fellows in so many prestigious Colleges. Clint Ashford truly was one of the last of the Renaissance Men.

—Jimmy Brill