Philip Lacovara

Philip A. Lacovara (born July 11, 1943) is an American lawyer and legal scholar. He is best known as counsel to special prosecutor Archibald Cox during the Watergate Scandal.

Early life and education Philip Allen Lacovara was born on July 11, 1943, in New York City. His father was a trusts and estates lawyer.

Lacovara earned a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Georgetown University in 1963. He earned a JD from Columbia University School of Law in 1966, graduating first in his class at the age of 23. At Columbia, Lacovara worked as research assistant to Herbert Wechsler, then-director of the American Law Institute.

Career Moving to Washington D.C. after law school, Lacovara served as a clerk with Washington D.C. Circuit Court Judge Harold Leventhal.

in 1969, Lacovara entered private practice, joining New York City law firm Hughes, Hubbard, & Reed as an associate. He took a leave of absence in 1971 to work as Special Counsel to New York City Police Commissioner Patrick Vincent Murphy under Mayor John Lindsay. That same evening Lacovara, who briefly worked with Bork in the solicitor general's office, called Bork, who alerted Lacovara of Cox' dismissal, but said he had no orders to dismantle the special prosecutor's office or fire other prosecutors.

As news broke that Sunday, the White House received an unprecedented deluge of telegrams protesting the President's actions. By Tuesday, Judge Sirica had forbidden the FBI from seizing materials from the special prosecutor's office, ordered the grand juries hearing the Watergate indictments to continue their work, and was in the process of preparing a contempt citation against the President. On Wednesday October 24, President Nixon reversed course, and agreed to provide the tapes to the court, as ordered. Leon Jaworski was named the new special prosecutor on November 2.

Jaworski subpoenaed sixty-four taped conversations, but Nixon again appealed, claiming the materials were protected by executive privilege, and that the office of Special Prosecutor lacked the right to sue the office of president. Jaworski appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

On July 8, 1974, Lacovara delivered 35 minutes of oral argument before the Supreme Court in United States v. Nixon.

1973-present In 1981 President Reagan appointed Lacovara as the Presidential appointee to the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission.

Personal life In 1962, while still an undergraduate student at Georgetown, Lacovara married his wife, Madeline. They had seven children.