Firm History - Lakin Spears, LLP

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With the addition of new members in 1969, the name of the firm was formally changed to "LAKIN•SPEARS.” Among the additions in 1969 was the late George H. Norton, who joined the firm along with Thomas D. Reese, through the merger of Norton & Reese with Lakin, Spears, Gullixson & Finwall.

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A graduate of Brown University, Mr. Norton served as an officer in the Navy before attending Stanford Law School and beginning his law practice. After California became a no-fault state with the passage of the Family Law Act in 1970, Mr. Norton devoted his practice at LAKIN•SPEARS exclusively to family law, and in the ensuing years, he became one of the pre-eminent family lawyers in the state and a giant in the field. Mr. Norton focused on complex economic issues of the family, including the valuation and goodwill of professional practices, stock options, and theories of property, income, and support. In the 1980's, child support tables used in each county's family court varied widely from one court to another, and were generally thought to be too low for children's needs. Mr. Norton developed formulas and guidelines which are the basis of the current California child support laws. He worked closely with various California legislators and legislative counsel in the passage of the bill into law. Mr. Norton also was a pioneer in mediation, developing a family law mediation practice in non-adversarial dissolutions and premarital agreements in the early 1980's and continuing until his retirement.

Mr. Norton wrote, lectured, and taught extensively. He taught family law at Stanford Law School, where he had also served on the Board of Visitors. He founded Norton Family Law Systems, which developed the support calculation program SupporTax. Mr. Norton was a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a Past President of the Northern California Chapter. Mr. Norton served on the first Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of California. He authored numerous family law publications for the California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), Family Law News, California Family Law Monthly, Stanford Lawyer, and other journals. Mr. Norton’s recognitions included Best Lawyers in America – Domestic Relations, Who’s Who in American Law, and Most Respected Lawyers (Family Law) by The California Lawyer. Continuing the LAKIN•SPEARS tradition of service to the community, Mr. Norton served as president of the Palo Alto Area Bar Association. A preservationist who had his homes designed with energy efficiency and the environment in mind, Mr. Norton was also a member of the Sierra Club and the Committee on Green Foothills, a non-profit land conservation organization active on the Peninsula.

Judge Lakin, Mr. Spears and Mr. Norton’s legacy of service to the community and contribution to the law formed the foundation for LAKIN•SPEARS in the years to follow. Thomas D. Reese, a litigator by trade, contributed to the emerging field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). He was appointed to the State Bar’s Committee on ADR and served as president of the California Dispute Resolution Council. Thomas J. Cahill, a successful trial lawyer and the firm’s managing partner for over 25 years, devoted his spare time advocating for women, children and seniors. In the mid-1970’s, Mr. Cahill and former LAKIN•SPEARS partner Dick LeMaster led the early fight for the admission of women to the Junior Chamber of Commerce. At the request of the Senior Coordinating Council of Palo Alto, Mr. Cahill assisted in gathering the survey data needed to convince the Palo Alto City Council that a senior center was needed. When Palo Alto Community Child Care was struggling to get off the ground, Mr. Cahill joined the Board around 1975 and served for approximately 17 years. Frank A. Small, now of counsel to the firm, has been a member of LAKIN•SPEARS since 1965 and has been a driving force in transforming public transportation on the Peninsula since the 1970’s. A business and real estate lawyer by trade and a Portola Valley resident, Mr. Small spearheaded the effort to pass the San Mateo County measure that led to the formation of the San Mateo County Transit District. Mr. Small was a member of the citizens group that promoted and successfully managed the San Mateo County measure that brought BART down the Peninsula to the San Francisco International Airport.

Today, with Joan A. LeBlanc as managing partner, a new team of dedicated and talented attorneys specializing in Family Law, Business & Real Estate, Trusts & Estate, and Taxation is adding to the understanding of their respective fields, some of which were pioneered by the firm’s past members, and continuing to participate in and contribute to the community. As the firm enters the new millennium and approaches its centennial celebration, LAKIN•SPEARS stands tall on its tradition of excellence in legal service and commitment to the community.

George H. Norton and Thomas D. Reese

Thomas J. Cahill