TLC: The Second Quintile Of Top Contributors

September 26, 2009

The last installment of top contributors to the Trial Lawyers College yielded two complaints about naming names. Once contributor demanded that her name be removed. No one from the college itself has raised an issue about publication of the list.

I am unaware of any legal principle that is breached by publishing the names, but I will this week refrain from naming individuals not already disclosed. I will provide mere initials for individuals. I will give the name of a charitable foundation that has contributed.

Nothing prevents the contributors from stepping forward to acknowledge their contribution in a comment. For that matter, nothing prevents readers from commenting on who these generous benefactors may be. The list is current as of June 2, 2009.

11. Gerry Spence. Lifetime contributions of $65,175.38. He last contributed $1,200 on February 26, 2009. His year-to-date total is $1,200.

12. L.J. Lifetime contributions of $63,675. Last contribution was $10,000 on November 16, 2005.

13. G.F. Lifetime contributions of $61,400. Last contribution was $50,000 on February 16, 2009. Year-to-date total is $50,000.

14. J.Z. Lifetime contributions of $60,750. Last contribution was $1,200 on February 26, 2009. Year-topdate total is $1,300.

15. M.C. Lifetime contributions of $57,750. Last contribution was $3,750 0n February 28, 2009. Year-to-date total is $8,925.

16. L.D. Lifetime contributions of $54,500. Last contribution was $1,000 on February 27, 2004.

17. R.H. Lifetime contributions of $51,400. Last contribution was $250 on September 30, 2005.

18. L.W. Lifetime contributions of $50,250. Last contributon was $250 on September 30, 2005.

19. J.S. Lifetime contributions of $43,125. Last contribution was $5,000 on March 11, 2008.

20. Columbia Charitable Foundation. Lifetime contributions of $39,000. Last contribution was $10,000 on November 27, 1996.

Next: 21-30. Preview: range is $38,575 to $29,400.

Comments: (14)

Oldest first

What does TLC and the republican party have in com...

What does TLC and the republican party have in common:
1) Lie instead of telling the truth
2) Rewrites history
3) No transparency
4) You are either with us or against us
5) Information is provided only on a need to know basis
6) No words of criticism against the leader or the organization are tolerated
7) Fail to answer questions posed to you
8) Members are expected to tow the party
9) Blame others other than take responsibility

Posted on September 27, 2009 at 8:08 am by Anonymous
You didn't list Rafe Foreman as a choice on your n...

You didn't list Rafe Foreman as a choice on your new poll. I think he is the most vulnerable. The scuttlebut is that some top board members want him gone as they are threatened by Rafe.

Posted on September 27, 2009 at 9:01 am by Anonymous
Oops. Oh, well. Can't amend the list once voting b...

Oops. Oh, well. Can't amend the list once voting begins. Threatened by what?

Posted on September 27, 2009 at 9:05 am by Norm Pattis
How can it be that Mr. Spence's contribution is so...

How can it be that Mr. Spence's contribution is so small? He volunteers no more time than other staff members, and perhaps even less than some. I have been to several regionals and there were quite a few at which he wasn't in attendance. His name is all over this college and says it is his legacy. Yet his monetary contributions amount to less than $5,000 per year. Such a small amount from a man with two multi million dollar homes! Must be something wrong here.....
And by the way, the regionals I have attended and at which Mr. Spence was not in attendance were superior in all respects to those at which he appeared. The cult of personality that attends him makes it difficult to learn because the staff are competing for his attention and the students sucking up to him is obscene. If I attend any future TLC events it will only be those at which he will not be attending.

Posted on September 27, 2009 at 11:42 am by Anonymous
The board is stacked with people with no spines, ...

The board is stacked with people with no spines, no backbones, no morals or ethics. They gladly join Spence is milking poor lawyers of hard earned money solely so Spence can build the church of Spence where he can strut and fret and listen to the sound of his own voice. No one else is going to build a monument to him and he is desperately afraid he will die and that no one will care or remember him. He is a sad, pathetic and lonely man. The board are a sorry lot who are happy to do his bidding.

Posted on September 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm by Anonymous
It is really too bad we don't have Rafe Foreman, a...

It is really too bad we don't have Rafe Foreman, as a choice on your most recent poll. He is also on the TLC board. I would definitely vote for Rafe as being one of the most, if not the most, vulnerable. There is no love lost between him and some of the other board members.
But how could I forget that Rafe is the auctioneer and fundraiser for TLC? TLC will keep Rafe on the board as long as possible simply to use him to raise money for TLC and for the Gerry Spence Library. Who else can serve as auctioneer and chief fundraiser? Money will always trump personal feelings.

Posted on September 28, 2009 at 3:28 am by Anonymous
Just learned that the F Warriors Board, who are su...

Just learned that the F Warriors Board, who are supposed to be representatives of ALL the alumni, have instituted new rules preventing its board members from sharing information they are discussing with the alumni, the very people they represent. Where is the transperancy? I thought the F Warriors Board was in favor of advocating for transperancy on the part of TLC? Yet now they have instituted their own rules for secrecy? I guess the hypocrisy has spread to the alumni association and now we can't even trust our own alumni representatives. They must have received orders from on high. Isn't the F Warriors Board an independent non profit organization? Have they published their minutes? If they represent all the alumni, they should start representing us rather than being another group of Spence cronies.

Posted on September 28, 2009 at 4:10 am by Anonymous
I have tried 3 times to submit a comment on Mr. Sp...

I have tried 3 times to submit a comment on Mr. Spence's blog disagreeing with his views on slavery but he refuses to post my comments. I have also been reading your blog Mr. Pattis. You are clearly right about Mr. Spence, he likes the sound of his own voice and doesn't want anyone to disagree with him. That means he is both a hypocrit and lacks integrity. Thank you for welcoming all comments.

Posted on September 29, 2009 at 4:23 am by Anonymous
I want to vote for Rafe Foreman! I think Kent Spen...

I want to vote for Rafe Foreman! I think Kent Spence is trying to oust him.

Posted on September 29, 2009 at 4:27 am by Anonymous
I have attended some regionals. At fundraisers, i...

I have attended some regionals. At fundraisers, it has been announced that all profits from Spence's books go to TLC. It has also been announced that because the ranch operates at a loss, Spence writes a check at the end of the year every year to cover the difference. His total doesn't seem to reflect that.

Posted on September 29, 2009 at 1:40 pm by Anonymous
His total doesn't reflect that he writes a check a...

His total doesn't reflect that he writes a check at the end of every year because he does NOT. You are being duped! TLC pays ALL expenses of the ranch even though they only use it May - Sept. yet the Spence Foundation owns and controls the ranch.

Posted on September 30, 2009 at 3:04 am by Anonymous
What is the F Warriors Board and who is on it? How...

What is the F Warriors Board and who is on it? How does one get on it? What do they do?

Posted on September 30, 2009 at 6:22 am by Anonymous
One Annon above says he has tried to post to the S...

One Annon above says he has tried to post to the Spence BLOG, 3 TIMES, AND NEVER HAD HIS VIEWS PUT UP ON THE SPENCE BLOG BOARD, AS HE POSTED ON SLAVEREY( after Spence came back from Turkey, and observed the wonders of the Blue Mosque--with a bit of jet lag.)
Spence on the 15th of Oct, noted his College. on his Blog Board.
Mr Ricky Reno was posting in June that he loved Spence, now he is carping about some who rated on him to Spence on the big blow up, dust up, where some called Ricky Reno on the carpet.
Face it Spence is not rasing cattle on his ranch, he has raised a bunch of whiney loud mouth show offs, and some of them are foul.
Or would you rather say fowl.
A real rancher in Wyoming sued Joe Alioto, the famous anti-trust attoreny in Ca for mlepractice, and got a big jury verdict.
He raised real cattle, and when he died he donated his 26,000 acre Wyo ranch to Colordo State University. Look it up the Courtney Davis Foundation. His ranch is used to educate young people who really want to be ranchers, and in animal science.
But, who is blocking posts on WWW sites, more, Spence, or Pattis ? While they trip around.
Face it in the West the big ag-Businesses are driving many ranchers out of business, via anti-trust games. What does Spence do, well his Firm, has its Conagra suit, any of you wonders know what is going on there ?
A Firm(attorney) in Colordo declared bankruptcy, after becoming co-counsel with Spence on a case.
Do any of your super- wonders know about that ?
Some of you remind me of that saying all hat and no cattle. Look, Spence is a big buddy of some of Cheney's pals(Mr Jackson Hole's big bopper), most of you are clueless about Wyo ways.
Spence ran on the GOP ticket when the Wyo voters said no.
Norm floats out for a few weeks to the sticks in Wyo, and seems to think he is the expert on Spence, like he is some Watergate Special Hot Shot, his high gunning for justice from the keyboard of Microsoft connections, with a modem.
Spence would be better to disolve TLC, and just give his ranch to his kids, or the University of Wyo, and say you dues can stick it up where the sun don't shine, and Norm, is clueless about so much in America on legal matters. He gets a WWW site, and all in a presto becomes Mr expert on all in the universe.
What a traversty. The fools are out before Halloween.

Posted on October 15, 2009 at 9:15 am by Anonymous
Norm:
A barn is not a temple.
A trial lawyer is no...

Norm:
A barn is not a temple.
A trial lawyer is not a high Deacon priest, Rabbi, Cardnal/ bishop.
Cannon law is not the Brady rule.
So, this thing about cults; it appears that sprung from you after it was posted first by that Scott Greenfield ESQ...NYC, E coast.
He posted in 2007 on that linked to Spence.
Thereafter, you ran with that, and this whole cult vintage has sprung up as a way to tar any who get CLE from a WYO trial College.
you think some might have religion, even if that is not OK with you and Gerry, who( G S) has made a profession of attacking some Churches in America.
Amazing.
Is this all a rehash of Hilter's Pope.
I got a question for you and Gerry, Norm, what religion were all those with the name Murphy, O'Brien, O'Dougal from Conn, New York who left their guts on Omaha Beach, trying to kill Hilter's war machine ?
Maybe you all could sermonize on that, up at the sessissions, non-profit...etc....

Posted on October 17, 2009 at 10:52 am by Anonymous

Add a Comment
Display with comment:	Won't show with comment: Required:

Captcha: What color is the ocean?
*Comment must be approved and then will show on page.

TLC: The Second Quintile Of Top Contributors

Comments: (14)

Add a Comment