Obituaries
‘Good’ and ‘gifted’ King & Spalding lawyer dies in mountaineering accident in New Zealand
A 44-year-old King & Spalding lawyer died Nov. 25 after falling along with his information whereas climbing Mount Cook dinner, New Zealand’s highest mountain. (Picture from Shutterstock)
A 44-year-old King & Spalding lawyer died Nov. 25 after falling along with his information whereas climbing Mount Cook dinner, New Zealand’s highest mountain.
Kellam Conover, of counsel on the legislation agency, had labored in its Washington, D.C., workplace earlier than his dying.
“Kellam made his mark right here as a gifted lawyer, revered colleague and fantastic buddy with a shiny future,” stated Mark Jensen, King & Spalding’s Washington, D.C., managing accomplice, in statements to Law.com and Law360. “He shall be sorely missed.”
In accordance with the King & Spalding website, Conover had written quite a few briefs in instances earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom and federal appeals courts. He had “particularly deep expertise” defending securities actions, though he represented shoppers in a number of varieties of issues, together with in instances involving constitutional legislation, chapter, patents and administrative process.
Kellam Conover, of counsel on the legislation agency, had labored in its Washington, D.C., workplace earlier than his dying. (Picture courtesy of King & Spaulding)
The mountain information who died, Thomas Vialletet, had been roped to Conover. They had been close to the summit after they fell, in response to info from the New Zealand Mountain Security Council cited by an article from Climbing.com.
Conover’s mom, Pam Conover, informed Stuff that her son was “as shut as you come to a contemporary Renaissance man.” He studied classics—literary works of historic Greece and Rome—at Princeton College earlier than graduating from Stanford Legislation Faculty. He might learn and write Greek and Latin and will communicate Italian, French and German. He was additionally a gifted pianist and violinist.
Conover previously labored at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. In a LinkedIn post, Gibson Dunn accomplice Harrison Korn paid tribute to Conover.
“Nothing feels large enough to seize who Kellam Conover was—as a lawyer, as a colleague and as a human being,” Korn wrote. “Kellam was good in the best way that just a few persons are. His thoughts moved effortlessly from advanced authorized evaluation to obscure threads of Greek historical past, and in some way he made each dialog really feel like an invite to be taught and to snicker. However as extraordinary as his mind was, it wasn’t the very first thing you seen about Kellam. It was his kindness.”
“My workplace was subsequent to Kellam’s for years, and I nonetheless take into consideration how a lot I realized simply standing in his doorway, speaking about something and the whole lot—his ideas on the newest Supreme Courtroom case, a historic anecdote he’d in some way join completely to the problem at hand, and even our mutual commiseration about making an attempt thus far in D.C. He had this uncommon present of providing generosity with out ever making it appear to be he was going out of his approach. He made folks really feel seen, supported and comfy. Dropping him is heartbreaking,” Korn wrote.
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