We are saddened to announce the passing of special counsel Ronald J. Tabak, a builder and leader of our pioneering pro bono program and tireless criminal justice and civil rights advocate. He died on July 22 at age 75.
Mr. Tabak joined Skadden in 1985 to launch and manage our formal pro bono program, creating a dynamic and efficient department. In addition to the program, he oversaw individual cases, ultimately supervising more than 1,000 attorneys annually. The program remains a model for the industry: Over the past 15 years alone, Skadden has provided nearly 3 million hours of pro bono service, matching our lawyers to the legal work that most needs their contributions.
A passionate opponent of capital punishment, Mr. Tabak fought against it in court — including achieving a Supreme Court victory in Francis v. Franklin — and developed expertise in intellectual disability as a categorical bar to execution. He was instrumental in securing Georgia inmate Johnny Lee Gates’ removal from death row after 26 years of litigation to establish Mr. Gates’ intellectual disability. (Fifteen years later, DNA evidence raised serious questions about his guilt, leading to his release.) Mr. Tabak also provided valuable guidance and mentoring to a number of other Skadden teams representing death-sentenced clients.
Mr. Tabak authored an annual chapter on capital punishment developments for the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section report “The State of Criminal Justice” and was a valued, longtime contributor to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Annual Capital Punishment Defense Training.
For over 30 years, Mr. Tabak chaired or co-chaired the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Death Penalty Committee. He served on numerous other boards and committees, including as special adviser to the ABA Death Penalty Due Process Review Project and on the boards of the New York City Bar Association’s Capital Punishment Committee, the Death Penalty Information Center, New York Lawyers Against the Death Penalty, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the New York Civil Liberties Union. In addition, he served on the Skadden Fellowship Program’s Advisory Committee since the program’s inception in 1988.
Mr. Tabak made an extraordinary difference in the lives of those he worked with and supported at Skadden as well as the countless people and families impacted by our collective efforts.
We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Tabak’s brother, Michael Tabak, and his extended family.