Rea, September

Arthur G. Raynes founded Raynes McCarty with John McCarty in 1969, after a decade of learning under the legendary B. Nathaniel Richter. One of Mr. Raynes’ first challenges at the new firm was to represent Canadian families whose children had birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide. At a time when suing a major pharmaceutical company was almost unheard of (and suing in the United States for transgressions that ostensibly occurred in Canada was unprecedented), Raynes fought for more than a decade and achieved success for all the families involved. His work on behalf of the thalidomide children was featured in the book, Suffer the Children: The Story of Thalidomide, which was written by a special investigative team for London’s Sunday Times.

The thalidomide case established Mr. Raynes’ reputation as a tireless and gifted advocate. That standing was cemented in a number of high profile cases. He represented the family of Jessica Savitch, a national NBC news anchor who was killed in a car accident; the families of dozens of oilrig workers who perished in the crash of a Boeing Chinook helicopter off the coast of Scotland; and the families of well over a thousand Spanish hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from defective blood products. He also served as co-counsel in negotiating the largest wrongful death settlement from a private person in U.S. history for the family of Olympic wrestler David Schultz, who was murdered by John du Pont. He also represented the Philadelphia School District in its property damage abatement and removal claims against asbestos manufacturers for more than 800 schools.

Mr. Raynes’ success led to numerous honors, including the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award, and consistent appearances on lists such as Philadelphia magazine's “Top 100 Attorneys,” "Best Lawyers In America," and the “Top Lawyers in America” publication. He was a chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, and a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Pro Tem. He taught law as a member of the Temple Law School faculty. He was elected as a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a select organization limited to 500 trial lawyers around the world. In 2004, his precedent-setting work in the Jessica Savitch case was featured in the 50th Anniversary Book of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, under the Legends section. That same year, Mr. Raynes was appointed to the Merit Selection Panel for the appointment of a new United States Magistrate Judge.

Lauded as one of Philadelphia’s most active philanthropists, Mr. Raynes supported scholarships at each of the Philadelphia-area law schools, including a scholarship at Temple that bears his name. A state-of-the-art lecture hall at Temple Law School was named in his honor.

Mr. Raynes was a board member of the Philadelphia Heart Institute, the Philadelphia Geriatrics Center, Moss Rehabilitation Hospital, Ronald McDonald’s House, Children’s Hospital, the Lawyer’s Division of the Federation of Jewish Agencies, the YMCA, and the Jewish Publication Society. He also had served as a trustee of Temple University and as a member of the Board of Overseers at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Mr. Raynes was actively involved in his undergraduate alma mater, Duke University, where he served on the Board of the Library and where he and his wife Diane funded an endowment in creative writing. He and his wife were honored in 1993 with Children’s Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospital’s Eagles Fly for Leukemia Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following a six-month battle with cancer, Mr. Raynes died in July 2006, leaving multiple legacies: a revered legal career, a thriving law firm and a loving family.