July 18, 1995 - Part 2
July 18, 1995 - Part 2
(12:05:40) Mr. CHERTOFF. Am I correct that at one period of time you were the Mayor of Little Rock? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes. The Mayor of Little Rock is a nonpaying position in Little Rock, at least it was up until a year ago, and I served on the city board of Little Rock for 6 years, 1978 through 1984, and served as Mayor for 2 years. Mr. CHERTOFF. During tile 1980's, how large a law firm was the Rose Law Firm? 42 Mr. HUBBELL. The law firm grew from a firm of about 20 lawyers in the beginning of the 1980's to a firm of approximately 50 lawyers by the end of 1990. Mr. CHERTOFF. How many of those were partners? Mr. HUBBELL. Approximately 30 by the end of 1990. Mr. CHERTOFF. When did you first meet Vincent Foster? Mr. HUBBELL. I first met Vincent Foster when I interviewed with the firm in early 1973 and then officially met him when I joined the firm in May 1973. 1 may have met Vince-we crossed in law school, but he was 2 years ahead of me and I didn't socialize with Vince at that time. Mr. CHERTOFF. After you joined the firm, did you become good friends with Mr. Foster? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, I did. We practiced in the same area for a long period of time, we shared secretaries, and we worked on cases together until we both came up here. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you come to learn some of the details of his background? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, I consider Vince a very, very good friend, and I knew a lot of his educational background and we shared a lot. We shared a lot of good times. We grieved together. We worked together. It was a constant communication over a period of almost 20 years. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you come to learn that, in fact, Mr. Foster had graduated at the top of his class at law school and had passed out first on the bar exam? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, he did. He was also managing editor of the Arkansas Law Review. Mr. CHERTOFF. Did you also come to learn that way back when he was a little boy he was in kindergarten with the future President of the United States and the future Chief of Staff to the White I-louse? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, they all grew up in Hope, and Vince and Mack both graduated from Hope High School. Mr. CHERTOFF. During the period of time up until 1993, was Mr. Foster active in politics when he was at the firm? Mr. HUBBELL. Vince was always behind the scenes. He worked and helped the President. He never had an active role in anyone's campaign, other than many of us played active roles in various judicial campaigns. Mr. CHERTOFF. What area of legal practice did Mr. Foster specialize in? Mr. HUBBELL. Litigation, civil litigation. Mr. CHERTOFF. That involves going to court and arguing appeals and things of that sort? Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct. He did not do any criminal work, but he did civil litigation for at least 22 years. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now I'd like to ask you about a few other people who at some point became partners at the firm, Was there a point at which Hillary Rodham Clinton joined the law firm? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, Hillary Clinton joined the firm in 1977 when her husband was sworn in as Attorney General of Arkansas. Mr. CHERTOFF. When did she become a partner at the firm? 43 Mr. HUBBELL. Either 2 or 3 years later she became, what we call members of the firm because we were a corporation, but they're the same as partners in many other firms. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, what was her area of legal practice? Mr. HUBBELL. She was also in the litigation section and worked on cases with Vince and I and others. Mr. CHERTOFF. What about William Kennedy? Mr. HUBBELL. Bill Kennedy was with the firm. He actually came, I believe, before Hillary did, or about the same time. Then he left the firm to become-he had worked for Senator McClellan and he came up to be Senator Hodges' Chief of Staff. After Senator Hodges' term was up, he came back to the firm. lie was initially in the litigation section with Vince and Hillary and 1, but in the late 1970's he switched and started doing securities and banking work. Mr. CHERTOFF. Now, am I correct that by the late 1980's, you and Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Foster were working together in the litigation department or section of the firm? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, we were. Mr. CHERTOFF, Is it fair to say that you had occasion, the three of you, to work together on various cases? Mr. HUBBELL. Yes, we worked, the three of us, on cases together and obviously two of us on big cases together and we were very good friends. Mr. CHERTOFF. I assume, also, from a professional standpoint you had occasion to talk among yourselves even about the cases each of you was working on individually. Mr. HUBBELL. That's correct, both going to lunch together in various partner's offices, talking about the work that we were each doing.