History

Introduction

From its beginning, Capell & Howard has striven to provide new and comprehensive services to clients, as well as to develop lasting contributions to the state and local legal community. Among other accomplishments, the Firm has been involved extensively with developing self-insurance funds, establishing numerous pension and profit sharing plans and representing medical practitioners and businesses. In addition, certain of the firm's former partners have gone on to serve as judges at various state court levels, including the Supreme Court of Alabama. With all of its growth, however, Capell & Howard has never lost its emphasis on all aspects of commercial law and continues, as a full-service law Firm, to meet the varied needs of its clients.

Chronology

1947-59

Jack Capell and Mary Easterling

The law firm of Capell & Howard began on August 1, 1947 during the economic boom following World War II as a two member partnership between Jack L. Capell and Fontaine M. Howard. At the time, there were roughly 100 lawyers in Montgomery. These gentlemen's practice originally emphasized commercial and residential real estate development as well as estate, probate and trust work. Representation of clients in the area of real estate development led to the Firm's first natural expansion into the areas of construction law, construction litigation, and various other commercial transactions. In 1949, the Firm expanded its membership to three, with the addition of Edward E. Cobbs, and, in 1952, became known as "Capell, Howard & Cobbs." In 1956, Rufus M. King and Herman H. Hamilton joined the firm, and by the end of the decade, the firm boasted five lawyers. Mr. Hamilton, a Rhodes Scholar, served as the attorney for the then newly formed state Medicaid Agency, a position he held for over 30 years, as well as the president of the Montgomery County Bar Association in 1971. Mr. King, a graduate of Yale University, attended the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama Schools of Law. Mr. Hamilton and Mr. King became partners of the firm in 1957.

1960-69

Firm Christmas Party (1967)

In the 1960's, the Firm expanded in many ways. In 1963 after the addition Walter J. Knabe, the Firm became known as "Capell, Howard, Knabe & Cobbs," a name which the firm kept until 1999. During the decade, the Firm expanded its practice into other areas of commercial law. It developed a tax practice and moved into other fields of transactional law, including bond issues for industrial development boards and local governmental units. In addition, the Firm developed a general litigation department, thus becoming the full service law firm that it remains today. By November 1969, the Firm grew to include 15 attorneys. One notable addition during that decade was L. Lister Hill. Mr. Hill, the son of a United States senator, joined the Firm in 1967 after graduating from Princeton and Harvard Law School, and was the cornerstone of the Firm's developing tax and corporate department.

1970-79

John Andrews (third from left) in Kuwait in 1976 negotiating a construction contract for Bigbee Steel

During the 1970's, Capell & Howard developed a labor law practice, which initially emphasized the representation of employers in union elections but soon expanded into all aspects of employer representation. The Firm's background in real estate and construction also led several of its lawyers to develop an environmental law practice in order to meet the needs of client's in those areas, and others as well. In 1973, the Firm opened an office for a time in Washington, D.C., and by November 1979, the Firm had grown to include 24 attorneys.

1980-89

Because of its location in the state's capital and its experience in various and complex matters, Capell & Howard was invited in 1989 to join the State Capital Law Firm Group as a charter member. Since that time, the Firm has served as the Alabama member of the association, which consists of over 110 independent law Firms now including members in every state capital of the United States and in the capitals of over 55 other countries. By the end of the 1989, the Firm had grown to include 26 attorneys, and was the largest law firm in Montgomery.

1990-1999

Breaking ground for the building at 150 S. Perry Street

In 1999, the Firm made a significant contribution to Montgomery's architectural character when it completed its new office building as an addition to its historical home constructed 100 years earlier and now fully renovated. The new building facing South Perry Street, along with the old hospital building facing Adams Avenue in which Mr. Capell began his practice of law in 1942, now feature modern conference rooms and offices with state-of-the-art communications and computer technologies. In the same year, the Firm also changed its name from "Capell, Howard, Knabe & Cobbs" back to its original name of "Capell & Howard."

2000-Present

Tommy Lawson as Diggory in "She Stoops to Conquer" Alabama Shakespeare Festival (Fall 2000)

In 2000, a Firm legend, Mary Easterling, retired after serving as the secretary to long time attorney, Jack Capell. Mrs. Easterling began working for Mr. Capell on November 1, 1946, and remained at the same desk, working for the same attorney, for the entire duration of her 54 year career. Her dedication to the Firm gained her local, state, and national recognition. Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright declared May 21, 2000, "Mary Easterling Day" in honor of the local legend. Previously, on November 1, 1994, The Atlanta Constitution had published an excerpt from "Ripley's Believe It Or Not":

BELIEVE IT OR NOT - a secretary in Montgomery, Alabama has worked for the same lawyer, in the same law firm, in the same building for 49 CONSECUTIVE YEARS as of November 1, 1994. The law firm, often generous to a fault, has announced that if she makes it to 50, they will consider giving her a day off.

In 2002, the Firm opened an impressive office in Opelika in order to better serve the needs of East Central Alabama.

Founders

Jack L. Capell (1909-2000)

Born in Montgomery, Jack Capell graduated first in his class in the School of Business Administration at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in 1931. After graduation, he worked for the J.M. Harrison Realty Company for 11 years as a bookkeeper in the building at 57 Adams Avenue that is now occupied by the Firm. While working in that position, Mr. Capell attended the Jones Law Institute, from which he graduated in 1934, to fill idle time during the Great Depression. In 1942, he opened his law office in the same Adams Avenue building where he had previously worked and where he would spend his entire career. Mr. Capell primarily represented real estate developers, contractors, and financial institutions. His expertise gained him national recognition, and he became a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, serving as its president in 1978. He also served as the president of the Montgomery County Bar Association in 1955.

Fontaine M. Howard (1908-1985)

Fontaine Howard graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 1929, after which he taught math and history at Cloverdale Junior High School. In the summer of 1929, Mr. Howard entered law school at the University of Alabama. During the depth of the Great Depression, he moved back to Montgomery to resume teaching at Cloverdale and attended the Jones Law School at night. After graduating in 1935, Mr. Howard was admitted to the Alabama Bar, but soon after, was beckoned by the call to service during World War II, serving in Naval Intelligence from 1942 until 1946. Following the War, Mr. Howard pursued graduate work in income, estate, and gift taxation at Harvard University. A long time friend of Mr. Capell, the two gentleman formed a partnership to practice law in 1947. During his career, Mr. Howard pioneered the practice of wills and estates in Montgomery. He also served as the president of the Montgomery County Bar Association in 1959, chairman of the Alabama Federal Tax Clinic Committee in 1958, president of the Montgomery Estate Planning Council in 1960, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Birmingham-Southern College.

Walter J. Knabe (1898-1979)

Known as the "Dean of the Montgomery Bar" and "Professor" by many city attorneys, Walter Knabe joined the firm on October 1, 1963. He received his A.B. degree from Yale University in 1921, and then attended Harvard Law School. After returning to Montgomery to practice law, Mr. Knabe assisted Judge Walter B. Jones in the operation of the Jones Law School, which was founded in 1928, and served for many years as its Dean. He served as the president of the Montgomery County Bar Association in 1945, was appointed to the position of Assistant City Attorney by then Mayor Cyrus B. Brown in 1941, and was promoted to Chief City Attorney in 1951, a position that he held until his death in 1979. After joining Capell & Howard, Mr. Knabe practiced as a generalist (prior to the days of specialization), and was known by many for his brilliant legal mind.

Edward E. Cobbs (1909-1982)

Edward Cobbs The son of a Rector of St. John's Episcopal Parish and great-grandson of the first Episcopal Bishop of Alabama, Mr. Cobbs attended college at The University of the South and Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), from which he obtained a degree in 1930. He received his early legal training at the Jones Law School, and was admitted to the Alabama Bar in 1934. He served for a time as a patent attorney for the Westinghouse Electric Company in Washington, D.C., where he continued his legal education at National University (now The George Washington University), where he received his LL.B. degree. Soon after returning to Montgomery, Mr. Cobbs became an associate at Capell & Howard in 1949, and a partner in 1952. During his career, Mr. Cobbs focused almost exclusively on real estate closings, and was considered one of the most skilled practitioners in Alabama in the field of real estate law.

The Building

The original building at 57 Adams Avenue

The original building at 57 Adams Avenue was constructed in 1901 as a transient boarding house for young bachelors. During the 1920's, the building entered a period of ignominy when the bachelors were replaced by women who continued the tradition of the "world's oldest profession," followed by a time during which the building fell vacant and sank into a state of disrepair. In 1928, Eugene Heilpern, Sr. and Lew A. Sanderson purchased and renovated the building, transforming it into an office facility. The tenants during the ensuing years were many and varied, including the Alabama Education Association, the Montgomery Real Estate Board, the Jones Law School, and a number of professional people. For a number of years, the third floor was occupied by the Medical Clinic Hospital, operated by Drs. Eli and Sol Selikoff. In 1942, Jack Capell opened his first law office, a one room operation, on the ground floor of the building. By 1962, the law firm of Capell, Howard, Knabe & Cobbs occupied the entire building. Eventually, the firm expanded to occupy an adjacent building as well, and now also includes a substantial new addition constructed in 1999.