Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Page 3
Veteran Antitrust Attorney Carlton A. Varner Dies at 61
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Carlton A. Varner, a partner with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP and former chairman of the firm, passed away on Friday.
The cause of death was ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the firm said. Varner was 61.
Services are pending.
Varner joined the firm in 1972, and specialized in antitrust counseling and litigation.
Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm, praised Varner’s “keen intellect,” and “enormous integrity” in a release. Halgren called Varner a “caring person, who took an authentic interest in the people around him,” adding that his death would leave “an enormous void” at the firm.
“In recognition of his character, practicality and good judgment, Carlton was called upon by his partners to serve the firm in a number of managerial capacities,” Halgen said. “He showed his devotion to the firm by accepting, and excelling in, those assignments.”
Among those assignments, Varner served seven years as chairman of the firm and several years as a member of the firm’s executive committee.
He was also chair of the State Bar of California’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition section, chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Antitrust section, and vice president of the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Gary Halling, Sheppard Mullin’s antitrust practice group leader, said Varner was a “strong litigator with an excellent knowledge of the courts and judges,” and “practical and scholarly attorney” who was well-liked by clients.
Varner graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota’s law school in 1972 and earned his B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1969.
He is survived by his wife and children.
Copyright 2008, Metropolitan News Company