Famous Attorney in Buried Bodies Case, Frank Armani, to Speak at Capital Law School

March 27, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Tuesday, March 25, 2008 – Frank H. Armani, defense counsel in the famous 1970s “Buried Bodies” case in New York, will speak at the Columbus Museum of Art Auditorium, 480 E. Broad St., at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 2.

In 1973, Armani and his co-counsel, Francis Belge, gained international attention in their defense of serial killer Robert Garrow. Garrow told his attorneys where he buried the bodies of two dead girls. The attorneys verified the fact by finding the bodies, but they did not tell anyone. Six months later the bodies were found, and a year later, when Garrow’s case went to trial, it was disclosed that Armani and Belge had seen the bodies and not told anyone. The public and the media were uncomprehending. The lawyers’ conflict between their own personal ethics and their professional responsibility to protect the confidences of their client remains a central tenant in the teaching of legal ethics.

The media attention given to the case and the difficult legal ethical issues that arose led to Armani co-authoring the book, “Privileged Information.” Twentieth Century Fox made the movie, “Sworn to Silence,” in which Armani appeared and he also was featured on a 1986 WETA-TV documentary, “Ethics on Trial.”

The April 2nd program also will include a panel of speakers: David Goldberger, Isadore and Ida Topper Professor of Law at The Ohio State University; Jonathan Coughlan, Disciplinary Counsel of The Supreme Court of Ohio; Dennis W. McNamara, a criminal defense attorney; and Holly Wallinger, staff attorney to the Hon. Richard S. Sheward.

The program, co-sponsored by the Columbus Bar Association Professionalism Committee and the Ethics Institute of Capital University Law School, is free, but registration is required. Visit www.law.capital.edu for more information or to register online, or call (614) 236-6515. The program has been approved for 1 hour of ethics and 1 hour of professionalism CLE credit for Ohio lawyers.