Linda Addison
Litigating the Tough Cases

Linda Addison, litigator extraordinaire, works on cases involving patents, technology, securities, e-commerce—even cat food. “I specialize in big, hard cases that involve a lot of money,” she explains, laughing. Currently she is representing Northern Trust (the former 401(k) trustee) in the Enron employee benefit plan cases.

The nationally known litigator has been with the renowned Houston law firm of Fulbright and Jaworski for more than 25 years. “When I graduated from law school in 1976, many of the job offers were contingent on my not trying cases.” Fortunately, Fulbright and Jaworski hired Addison and let her do what she does best—litigate. In 2001, she was named one of America’s “Top 50 Women Litigators” by the National Law Journal, as well as one of the “Most Fascinating People in Houston” by Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library. Addison also serves on the board of directors for the Holocaust Museum in Houston.

A Texan, Addison is the child of Holocaust survivors who were originally from Poland and immigrated to America in 1946. “We spoke Polish at home,” she recalls. “I didn’t learn to speak English until I was five years old and started kindergarten.” Although her parents had suffered horrendous losses, they were able to communicate a basic faith in life. “My father is a very positive person—very optimistic, always looking for the best.”

Her parents also communicated the importance of education. “Education was a very strong value in our family,” she says. “From the time I was really too little to understand what it meant, my parents were saying, ‘you must get a good education; it’s the one thing they can’t take away from you.’ ”

Addison says that like some children of Holocaust survivors, “Judaism did not play an integral part in my life. But that changed because of my daughter…. When she was eight years old, she decided to have a bat mitzvah. It was through her commitment to Judaism that Judaism become more significant to me.”

In daily life, Addison expresses Judaism in the way she walks through her world. “I am truthful and direct, and I try very hard to do the right thing. I might try to get a fair advantage, but I would never, ever try to get an unfair advantage, either personally or professionally.”

September 11 found Addison stranded in Austin, her daughter on a school retreat, and her husband home in Houston. “Being separated from my family, not being together, was one of the most distressing feelings,” she says. “It really stayed with me.”

However distinguished her career, however admirable her work ethic, at the end of the day Addison needs her family. She’ll no doubt pass the value on to her daughter—along with that of a good education.—Janet Silber

Janet Silber is a freelance writer who lives in Raleigh, N.C.