(1924 - 2010)
Lenny Decof was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corp and served during WWII in the Pacific Theater Operations in Guam from 1943-1946, and also served stateside on Parris Island, SC, from 1950-1952. Lenny was a 1948 graduate of Yale University and a 1953 graduate of Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Providence, Rhode Island for over 50 years and was recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for his accomplishments as a trial lawyer. He established the first law firm in RI devoted to plaintiffs' causes in 1975.
In 1981, Lenny represented a seventeen-year-old high school football player who became a quadriplegic as a result of making a tackle. He brought action against the manufacturer of the football helmet and face mask based on strict liability, negligence, breach of implied warranty, and failure to warn. He received a $3.5 million verdict after eight weeks of trial. At that time it was the largest verdict ever obtained in federal court in Rhode Island. This was just one of the cases that qualified him for membership in the Inner Circle.
We hope to always remember Lenny's unassuming intelligence, whit, charm, and humor when he approached the microphone during one of his many presentations to the Inner Circle.
