Background
Decof, Leonard was born on May 1, 1924 in Providence. Son of Morty and Rose (Metz) Decof.
Decof, Leonard was born on May 1, 1924 in Providence. Son of Morty and Rose (Metz) Decof.
Yale University (Bachelor of Arts, 1948). Harvard University (Bachelor of Laws, 1953).
A "prominent trial lawyer," his "legal career in Rhode Island lasted more than a half-century."
Decof served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps. He served during World World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations in Guam from 1943 to 1946 and at Parris Island, South Carolina from 1950 to 1952. Decof received his bachelor"s degree from Yale University in 1948 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1953.
Decof established the law firm of Decof & Decof in 1975.
Decof practiced tort law, including medical malpractice, product liability, and personal injury, as well as antitrust and commercial litigation. Decof was known for his skill as a trial lawyer
Decof"s cases reached the Supreme Court several times, and Decof successful argued three cases before the Court. Decof also successfully represented Victor DeCosta in an unfair competition and copyright infringement against Columbia Broadcasting System. DeCosta had created a character that Columbia Broadcasting System later used in one of its television Western Have Gun – Will Travel.
In 1975, Decof represented Lawrence Ketvirtis in a $1.5 million lawsuit against the basketball player Marvin Barnes.
Ketvirtis alleged that Barnes attacked him with a tire iron, causing permanent physical injury, while the two men were teammates at Providence College. In 1991, at the request of Governor Bruce Sundlun, Decof represented the State of Rhode Island in litigation following "the collapse of the insurance system that backed state cr unions." Decof recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for the state, for which he received a public commendation from Governor Lincoln Almond in February 2001.
An avid golfer, Decof served as counsel in several golf-related legal matters. He was counsel for Karsten Manufacturing (Ping) in a lawsuit against the United States Golf Association over its ban of its U-grooved golf clubs from the Professional Golf Association Tour (the suit was settled out-of-court in 1993), and served as special counsel to the Callaway Golf Company.
He also represented Nike Golf and several professional golfers, including Adam Scott, Greg Norman, Sam Snead, Billy Casper, and Gardner Dickinson.
He lectured before several bar associations and at several law schools and wrote a number of published legal pieces. Decof died on December 31, 2010, at the age of 86. He had residences in Providence, Rhode Island and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Decof was Jewish.
Captain United States Marine Corps, 1943-1946. PTO, 50-52. Fellow International Academy Trial Lawyers (board directors 1975-1981, dean 1980-1981, president 1984-1985), Inner Circuit Advocates, American College Trial Lawyers, International Society Barristers. Member American Bar Association (action commission to improve tort system, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities council 1988), Association of Trial Lawyers of America (national chairman aviation committee 1976-1978, state delegate 1984-1985, board governors 1984-1985), American Law Institute, Rhode Island Bar Association (Award of Merit), Harvard Club, University Club of Rhode Island.
Married Adele Birenbaum, September 3, 1950. Children: Andrea Decof Malitsky, Mark Bradford.