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The Greatest Lawyer Who Ever Lived – Texas Monthly

texasmonthly.com · 6,893 words · saved by 1 readers

Or so says Joe Jamail. But at the age of 89, the state’s most famous attorney—and one of the wealthiest—is still dropping f-bombs and crushing his opposing counsel. Can someone get this man another Scotch? John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. Joe Jamail should not have as much going on as he does. The Houston attorney, renowned as one of the state’s most aggressive litigators, generous philanthropists, ready Scotch drinkers, and artful deployers of the word “motherfucker”—and quite possibly the greatest trial lawyer in American history—was born in 1925. Leaving aside who was president at the time, I’ll note only that Ty Cobb hit .378 that year. At the risk of sounding ageist, it was a long damn time ago. Yet there Jamail was, in a Beaumont courtroom in December 2013, sitting first chair at the plaintiff’s table in another wrongful death trial. In a blue suit and pink tie, he was leaning forward on folded arms, with a white legal pad, black felt-tip pen, and knobb

Legal disclaimer: "Salty language" doesn't begin to describe the words Jamail uses in this piece. If you read on, which we recommend, and find yourself offended, you will have no appeal. J oe Jamail should not have as much going on as he does. The Houston attorney, renowned as one of the state's most aggressive litigators, generous philanthropists, ready Scotch drinkers, and artful deployers of the word "motherfucker"-and quite possibly the greatest trial lawyer in American history-was born in 1925. Leaving aside who was president at the time, I'll note only that Ty Cobb hit .378 that year. At

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