Stephen N. Shulman
Encyclopedia
Stephen Neal Shulman was a United States
lawyer
most notable for representing Egil Krogh
during the Watergate scandal
. He was also General Counsel of the Air Force
in 1965 and Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
from 1966 to 1967.
. His father was Harry Shulman
, a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire
who was a professor
at Yale Law School
(he would serve as the law school's dean 1954-55). Stephen Shulman was educated at Harvard College
, receiving a B.A. in 1954. After college, he worked for Bendix Aviation
in labor relations
. He then attended Yale Law School
, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal
. He received his LL.B. in 1958.
After law school, Shulman spent 1958-59 as the law clerk
of John Marshall Harlan II
, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
. After completing his clerkship, he became an associate attorney
at Covington & Burling
in Washington, D.C.
In May 1960, he became Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
.
In February 1961, Shulman became the executive assistant of United States Secretary of Labor
Arthur Goldberg
. During this time, he served for a time as Vice Chairman of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. The next year, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel and Industrial Relations. In 1964, civil rights
was added to his responsibilities. In 1965, President of the United States
Lyndon Johnson named Shulman General Counsel of the Air Force
. In 1966, President Johnson named Shulman the second Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
, an office he held from September 14, 1966 until July 1, 1967.
Upon leaving government service in 1967, Shulman founded his own law firm
, Kane, Shulman and Schlei. On January 1, 1971, this firm was merged into the firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. During the Watergate scandal
, Shulman represented Egil Krogh
, head of the White House Plumbers
. Krogh later told Bob Woodward
that Shulman was "instrumental in helping me determine that what I had done was not only illegal but morally wrong." Shulman convinced the United States Department of Justice
to enter into a plea bargain
with Krogh in 1973. After the Krogh case, Shulman's career focused on tax and employment litigation. Shulman also became managing partner of Cadwalader's Washington, D.C. office, holding this position until he retired in the late 1990s.
Shulman died of cancer
at Georgetown University Hospital
on January 22, 2011. He was 77 years old, and survived by his wife, Sandra Still Shulman; three sons, Harry Shulman, Dean Shulman, and John Shulman; and five grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
most notable for representing Egil Krogh
Egil Krogh
Egil “Bud” Krogh, Jr. is an American lawyer who became famous as an official of the Richard Nixon administration, and who was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal.-Education:...
during the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. He was also General Counsel of the Air Force
General Counsel of the Air Force
The General Counsel of the Air Force is the general counsel of the United States Department of the Air Force.By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States upon the advice and consent of the United States Senate...
in 1965 and Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
from 1966 to 1967.
Biography
Stephen Neal Shulman was born April 6, 1933, in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. His father was Harry Shulman
Harry Shulman
Harry A. Shulman was a professor at Yale Law School from 1930–1954, the Dean of Yale Law School from 1954–1955, and a prominent labor arbitrator.- Early life :...
, a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
who was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
(he would serve as the law school's dean 1954-55). Stephen Shulman was educated at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, receiving a B.A. in 1954. After college, he worked for Bendix Aviation
Bendix Aviation
The Bendix Aviation Corporation, a manufacturer of aircraft parts, was started by inventor Vincent Bendix in 1929 as a continuation of his auto parts company. It was renamed to Bendix Corporation in 1960, and in 1983 was acquired by the Allied Corporation and combined with King Radio company to...
in labor relations
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
. He then attended Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
. He received his LL.B. in 1958.
After law school, Shulman spent 1958-59 as the law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
of John Marshall Harlan II
John Marshall Harlan II
John Marshall Harlan was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1955 to 1971. His namesake was his grandfather John Marshall Harlan, another associate justice who served from 1877 to 1911.Harlan was a student at Upper Canada College and Appleby College and...
, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
. After completing his clerkship, he became an associate attorney
Associate attorney
An associate attorney is a lower-level employee of a traditional law firm who does not hold an ownership interest as a partner.-Attorneys:An associate may be a junior or senior associate, but normally does not yet hold an ownership interest in the firm even if they have been associated with the...
at Covington & Burling
Covington & Burling
Covington & Burling LLP is an international law firm with offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, and Washington, DC. The firm advises multinational corporations on significant transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In May 1960, he became Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.Because unlike typical municipalities, Washington, D.C...
.
In February 1961, Shulman became the executive assistant of United States Secretary of Labor
United States Secretary of Labor
The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
Arthur Goldberg
Arthur Goldberg
Arthur Joseph Goldberg was an American statesman and jurist who served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Supreme Court Justice and Ambassador to the United Nations.-Early life:...
. During this time, he served for a time as Vice Chairman of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. The next year, he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel and Industrial Relations. In 1964, civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
was added to his responsibilities. In 1965, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Lyndon Johnson named Shulman General Counsel of the Air Force
General Counsel of the Air Force
The General Counsel of the Air Force is the general counsel of the United States Department of the Air Force.By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States upon the advice and consent of the United States Senate...
. In 1966, President Johnson named Shulman the second Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
, an office he held from September 14, 1966 until July 1, 1967.
Upon leaving government service in 1967, Shulman founded his own law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
, Kane, Shulman and Schlei. On January 1, 1971, this firm was merged into the firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. During the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
, Shulman represented Egil Krogh
Egil Krogh
Egil “Bud” Krogh, Jr. is an American lawyer who became famous as an official of the Richard Nixon administration, and who was imprisoned for his part in the Watergate scandal.-Education:...
, head of the White House Plumbers
White House Plumbers
The White House Plumbers, sometimes simply called the Plumbers, were a covert White House Special Investigations Unit established July 24, 1971 during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Its task was to stop the leaking of classified information to the news media...
. Krogh later told Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
that Shulman was "instrumental in helping me determine that what I had done was not only illegal but morally wrong." Shulman convinced the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
to enter into a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
with Krogh in 1973. After the Krogh case, Shulman's career focused on tax and employment litigation. Shulman also became managing partner of Cadwalader's Washington, D.C. office, holding this position until he retired in the late 1990s.
Shulman died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital is one of the national capital area's oldest academic teaching hospitals and is affiliated with Georgetown University School of Medicine. GUH is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research facility located in Northwest Washington, DC...
on January 22, 2011. He was 77 years old, and survived by his wife, Sandra Still Shulman; three sons, Harry Shulman, Dean Shulman, and John Shulman; and five grandchildren.