Members of the UCLA School of Law community are remembering the life of Arthur Greenberg, who died on April 27 at age 98 and left a lasting impact on the school and the city of Los Angeles. A member of UCLA Law’s first graduating class, in 1952, he went on to co-found the law firm that is now known as Greenberg Glusker, in 1959.

Greenberg’s importance to UCLA Law cannot be understated. He was a steady and wise presence in and around the law school for its full history. This included decades of service on the law school’s board of advisors, of which he was a charter member, and a tremendous legacy of giving, which lives on through, among other things, the Arthur and Audrey Greenberg Student Commons. That space, on the first and second floors of the law building, “has served as a home away from home for our students,” Michael Waterstone, UCLA Law’s dean, said in a message to the faculty and staff.

“I am so grateful I got to know and spend time with him,” wrote Waterstone, who described Greenberg as a “titan in the legal landscape of Los Angeles.”

As his law firm described in its announcement of his death, Greenberg was indeed “a pillar of the Los Angeles community” through his legal acumen and contributions to the common good.

Over six decades, he built an eminently respected law firm that is “known for complex litigation, sophisticated transactions, and an unwavering commitment to client service,” the firm wrote. “It was a remarkable arc for a young man who grew up with a stutter and channeled it into a passion for debate, advocacy, and ultimately the courtroom. From sophisticated corporate transactions to complex litigation, trust and estate matters, and high-stakes real estate transactions, his work shaped Southern California's legal and commercial landscape.”

Greenberg was, for the duration of his long career, a steadfast model of the UCLA Law ethos of public service and access to justice. Including his ongoing engagement with UCLA Law – where he was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 1978 and Dean’s Circle Donor of the Year in 2016 – Greenberg held leadership roles with organizations including the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, the American Jewish Committee, and the Leo Baeck Temple. A cultural patron, he also helped found the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Skirball Cultural Center. In Santa Monica, he helped create Daniel's Place, which supports people with mental illnesses and their families.

Greenberg is survived by his wife Claire, sons Jonathan and Rob, and four grandchildren. A funeral was held on May 1 at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Russell Korobkin, a vice dean and former interim dean of UCLA Law, fondly recalls Greenberg. “I had the opportunity to meet with Arthur many times, both at the law school and over lunches at the Hillcrest Country Club, two places where Arthur was a fixture,” Korobkin says. “I loved when he would regale me with his stories about the very first years of the law school and his path to becoming a titan of the Los Angeles legal community in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s – along with stories of Army life before he attended law school. He was both a monumental figure in UCLA’s history and a mensch.”

When UCLA Law celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, Greenberg jovially participated in a set of interviews – alongside his 1952 classmate Joseph Tilem – where he reflected on his incredible legal career.

“UCLA Law made my life,” he said. It was “exciting, interesting, profitable, and happy.”

Watch the interview that Dean Michael Waterstone conducted with Greenberg and Tilem and read the story about them.

Watch the video tribute that UCLA Law produced when it presented Greenberg with the Dean’s Circle Donor of the Year award in 2016.