William H. Ginsburg (March 25, 1943 – April 1, 2013) was an American trial lawyer, best known for representing former

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

intern

Monica Lewinsky Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist and writer. President Bill Clinton admitted to having an affair with Lewinsky while she worked at the White House as an intern in 1995 and 1996. The affair, and its repercus ...

in her controversy regarding sexual activities with President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 1998.

Early life and education

Ginsburg was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania. He was the son of a lawyer who had worked on

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

's senate staff. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with his family in the early 1950s. Ginsburg graduated from Hamilton High School and studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and drama at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964. He received his law degree from

USC Gould School of Law The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated with ...

in 1967 and passed the California

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

in 1968. He was a diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates and served as a member of the LA chapter executive committee. He was a national board member and president and trustee of the American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation.

Career

Ginsburg, whose

-based practice had previously concentrated on

medical malpractice Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...

, was a friend of the Lewinsky family. Ginsburg represented Lewinsky for four months, before being fired. He also was involved in the case of the death of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

star

Hank Gathers Eric Wilson "Hank" Gathers Jr. (February 11, 1967 – March 4, 1990) was an American college basketball player for the Loyola Marymount Lions in the West Coast Conference (WCC). As a junior in 1989, he became the second player in NCAA Division I ...

, as well as the legal dispute regarding the remains of entertainer

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

and the landmark ''Meneeley v. National Spa & Pool Institute'' case over diving injuries in a sub-standard swimming pool. He tried more than 300 cases in 21 states and participated in more than 350 mediations/arbitrations. While representing

, Ginsburg made appearances on all five of television's major

Sunday morning talk shows A Sunday morning talk show is a television program with a news/talk/ public affairs–hybrid format that is broadcast on Sunday mornings. This type of program originated in the United States, and has since been used in other countries. Overview Th ...

on a single day (February 1, 1998). Since he became the first person known to have accomplished such a feat, the practice was named after him, as the "

full Ginsburg The "full Ginsburg" is a term used in American politics to refer to a person who appears on all five United States, American major Sunday morning talk shows on the same day: ''This Week (ABC TV series), This Week'' on American Broadcasting Company ...

." Ginsburg was portrayed by

Fred Melamed Fred Melamed (born May 13, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for portraying Sy Ableman in the Coen Brothers' ''A Serious Man'' (2009). He is also known for his collaborations with Woody Allen appearing in seven of ...

in '' Impeachment: American Crime Story''.

Death

Ginsburg died of cancer on April 1, 2013, at his home in

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

, one week after his 70th birthday.

References

External links

''New York Times'' list of articles about William H. Ginsburg
1943 births 2013 deaths Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) alumni Lawyers from Philadelphia Lawyers from Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California USC Gould School of Law alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Clinton–Lewinsky scandal {{US-law-bio-stub