Paul M. Posner, 77; lawyer was long active in L.A. Democratic Party politics

Paul M. Posner, a lawyer who represented unions, advocated for the rights of the individual and was a leader in Los Angeles County Democratic Party politics in the 1960s, died April 17 in Paso Robles from complications of congestive heart failure. He was 77.

“His work reflected not only his intellect but also his commitment,” said state Deputy Atty. Gen. David Glassman, a friend, who argued court cases against Posner.

“He was very unusual in that regard.... I admired his professional skills and also his tenacity.”

Born in Milwaukee on Nov. 6, 1929, Posner moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was 9. His father, Jerome, was a union lawyer; his mother, Belle, was a homemaker. Posner graduated from Los Angeles High School and earned a bachelor’s degree and later a law degree at UCLA.

In 1957 Posner represented Caryl Chessman, the “red light bandit,” in Chessman’s bid for a new trial. He had been convicted in 1948 of 17 felonies and was given two death sentences in an infamous case that sparked protests against capital punishment. No one was killed in the crimes Chessman was convicted of committing, but he was executed in 1960.

“He felt very strongly against the death penalty,” said Posner’s wife, Linda Posner of Paso Robles. Other survivors include son David and granddaughter Lucinda of Medina, Ohio, and several nieces and nephews.

The attorney loved a good debate and knew the merits and weaknesses of the opposing view as well as of his own position.

“He wanted to discuss things, and if you weren’t informed ... you would soon find out,” said Linda Posner.

Politics was also Posner’s passion. At age 23 he was elected to the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee, to which he was reelected six times. In 1964 he was chosen as chairman. Posner was a strong political ally of then-Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh.

When Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) launched his presidential campaign in 1968, Posner left his law practice briefly and worked for Kennedy in the Indiana primary. That experience influenced his view of the role of young people in politics.

“We’ve got to capture the enthusiasm of young people who worked in the campaigns for Sen. [Eugene] McCarthy and the late Sen. [Robert F.] Kennedy,” Posner said in a 1968 Times article. “We’ve got to make it clear that these young people have got to join the party and work from within to achieve their objective.”

The civil rights movement and the Vietnam War provided the backdrop for Posner’s most active years with the Democratic Party. Whether or not he supported then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s bid for the presidency depended “a good deal on his position on the Vietnam war,” Posner told The Times in 1968.

“If he continues to embrace President Johnson’s views on the war, it would be very difficult for me to generate much enthusiasm for him.”

Over the years, Posner’s clients included the Teamsters union, the carpenters union and the Harlem Globetrotters. Early in his career he worked with the law firm of A.L. Wirin, who pioneered civil liberties cases in Southern California.

In the late 1980s Posner and his wife moved to Paso Robles. He worked with the California Appellate Project in San Francisco, which assists court-appointed private lawyers who are appealing the convictions of people facing the death penalty.

Posner and Glassman met often in court in the early ‘90s when Posner was representing defendants in their appeals and Glassman was representing the state. Over the years the two attorneys became friends.

“I got to the point where when I saw his name on the cover of a brief, I expected that there would be plenty to have to address,” Glassman said.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. May 20 at Paso Robles City Hall, 1000 Spring St., Paso Robles. Memorial donations may be sent to the Northern California Innocence Project, (408) 554-4993.

jocelyn.stewart@latimes.com