Peter
Fisher
August 3, 1927 – August 5, 2005
Peter Fisher died on August 5, 2005 from complications due to lung cancer. He had observed his seventy–eighth birthday only two days earlier. With his death we have lost a great friend, a mentor, and an exceptional member of the legal profession.
Peter was a life–long Californian born and raised in the Bay Area. He often said that one of his earliest memories was standing on the sidewalk in San Francisco with his grandfather and waving a small American flag as the president’s motorcade drove by — President Herbert Hoover, that is. After graduating high school in Alameda, Peter enlisted as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Navy. With the end of World War II shortly thereafter his naval career came to a sudden end. He returned to the Bay Area and enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley where he graduated with a B.S. degree in civil engineering. Over 50 years later his prodigious memory was frequently on display as he recalled engineering formulas and theories he had learned all those years ago.
After completing his undergraduate education, Peter entered law school at Hastings College of Law. He excelled in his legal studies and, as a result, was made an Associate Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. At graduation he was honored with selection to The Order of The Coif. The Coif is an honorary scholastic society whose purpose is to encourage excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study and recognizing those who as law students attained a high grade of scholarship. He was admitted to the bar in 1951 and began what was to be a long and distinguished legal career.
In 1952, Peter’s previously shortened Naval career was resumed. He was recalled from the reserves in 1952 for the Korean War. This time, however, he was able to apply his newly earned legal qualifications serving as legal officer in the Civil Engineer Corps. His assignments included Instructor duty at the Naval Justice School, and a tour as Legal Officer at Port Hueneme in Southern California. In 1954 he ended his Naval career for good and returned to resume his legal career in San Francisco.
Peter quickly became a leading figure on the San Francisco legal scene. He applied his many other skills and educational experiences to that practice focusing on construction law, aviation law, and architectural and engineering malpractice. He was a founding partner of the firm of Fisher & Hurst and also handled medical malpractice and insurance defense cases. He even delved into the arena of asbestos litigation. Peter used to joke that he had tried one asbestos case against Al Brayton and decided after that experience he didn’t want to try any more. Mr. Brayton says it was not nearly as convincing a win as Peter let on and it was always a challenge to face Peter’s talents as a litigator.
After his firm disbanded, Peter associated with the firm of Goldstein Musto. In April of 2001, he joined Brayton Purcell as an “Of Counsel” attorney and immediately gave the firm the benefit of his vast experience. Peter became the firm’s expert “expert depo” guy. He defended our experts in their depos and took the depos of the defense experts. His preparation was meticulous, his eye for detail was unmatched, and he made sure that all his depo updates were done immediately. Without raising his voice he commanded the room, strictly enforced the plaintiff’s rights in every depo, and earned the respect of experts and opposing counsel as well. Those of us who had the opportunity to learn from him will continue to carry that knowledge for the benefit of our clients long after Peter’s passing. During his Brayton Purcell career his substantial legal skills were recognized and called upon by the California State Senate’s Select Committee on Energy which was formed to investigate the electrical crises arising from deregulation and the collapse of Enron. He served as a special counsel to the committee and was honored by Senator Dunn, the chair of the committee, for his contributions to the state.
Peter was a man who loved life and all its many and varied experiences. While building and establishing his legal practice he met the woman he always referred to as either “my present wife,” or “my first wife.” The lovely and vivacious Charleen was not just his “first” or “present” wife, she was his one and only, and the love of his life. Together they never missed a party and were regulars on the ballroom dancing circuit. Peter was a man who loved games of chance, including horse racing, playing cards, dominoes, and a weekly NFL football pool. (But he never could bring himself to bet against the 49ers.) He was a member of the Bohemian club and talked fondly of playing bridge there with his distinguished partner Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Commander in Chief of Allied Forces, Europe and the thirty fourth President of the United States. He and his straw boater hat will be missed at the firm’s annual picnic, the only place we ever saw him without his tie.
Peter is survived by his bride, Charleen, his three sons, Peter, John, and David, and his granddaughter Olympia. He was interred in the Golden Gate National Cemetery.