August 20, 2019: New York State Bar Association Mourns Passing of Former President G. Robert Witmer, Jr.
8.20.2019
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) today is saddened by the loss of longtime Rochester attorney G. Robert Witmer, Jr., who served as its president from 1994-1995.
“Bob Witmer represented the best of the best in the legal profession. He was a devoted and selfless leader,” said NYSBA President Hank Greenberg. “All who had the privilege of knowing him were impressed by his brilliance and touched by his kindness. He was pure class. He earned a national reputation as one of the top environmental lawyers in the country, and he was equally committed to serving his colleagues and the profession with the state bar, including as president, a founder of NYSBA’s Environmental & Energy Law Section and director of the New York Bar Foundation, NYSBA’s non-profit charitable arm,” Greenberg added.
“On behalf of the Association, I extend our sincerest sympathies to his family and friends.”
Witmer spent his career at Nixon Peabody LLP and its predecessor firm Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle in Rochester, where he was a partner for 35 years. Under Witmer’s direction, the firm’s environmental law department did groundbreaking work that was even recognized on the front page of The New York Times. He earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1962 and his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester in 1959, where he also served as co-captain of the basketball team.
An active member of NYSBA since the 1970s, Witmer also served on the House of Delegates, as a vice-president, secretary and member-at-large of its Executive Committee. He was a member of NYSBA’s Environmental, Municipal and Real Property Law sections and chaired several other committees and task forces.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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Contact: Christian Nolan
518/487-5536
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