The history of Walter Arnold, 90, and Eddie Booth, 74, could take up volumes. Legends in the local legal community, the two joined forces in 1972 and have each represented some of the biggest names in the city and the nation — from Edward Ball to Herb Peyton Jr., to Dan Rather. One of their most recent successes, however, was landing U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Paul Perez as a partner in 1994. Perez was confirmed for the job by the U.S. Senate, last week. Skip Booth, 45, Edward’s son, joined the firm in 1986. Daily Record staff writer Sean McManus met recently with members of the firm, which will remain Booth, Arnold & Perez while Perez is serving as U.S. attorney.
WHO IS GOING TO REPLACE PAUL?
“All we can say is that we’re talking to a few people with criminal and civil experience in federal trial work.”
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
“What we’ve always been working on: civil and criminal complex litigation, grand jury and federal grand jury trials.”
ARE YOU BUSY?
“As busy as we want to be.”
ARNOLD WROTE A BOOK. CAN I BUY IT AT THE BOOKSTORE?
“Nope. Arnold wrote that for his family and friends but said he can probably get his hands on a copy. He said it wasn’t very well written, ‘like a brief.’” Booth said he was just being modest and reminded him that State Attorney Harry Shorstein recently asked for a copy. Edwards Brother Press published the book and is the same publisher who handled Herb Peyton’s ‘New Boy.’
HOW DO CASES COME IN?
“We get referrals from other law firms who need help with the federal grand jury field. That means we usually have co-counsel. We’ve worked with most of the lawyers in this town.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK HERE?
“Four lawyers, three assistants, one investigator, Bob Cook, a retired FBI agent who is one of the best investigators in the state. He digs through and finds details about cases nobody else could. Sometimes, when we represent large corporations, there are volumes of records to go through.”
TELL ME ABOUT SOME BIG CASES?
“We can’t talk about current cases, but there have been a whole slew of local politicians over the years: State Comptroller Bud Dickinson, City Councilman Oscar Maddox, City Auditor John Hollister, Commissioner Claude Smith. Arnold, with now-judge Chuck Arnold, represented a prominent Christian Scientist family in Sarasota who were accused of denying medical care to a child. Booth handled a big oil case in Louisiana. The pair defended Dewey Lee in the murder trial of celebrity model Athalia Ponsell Lindsey in the 1970s, which was the subject of the book, ‘Bloody Sunset in St. Augustine.’”
HOW DID PEREZ END UP JOINING THIS FIRM?
Booth met Perez when he was trying a case in Ocala and Perez was a clerk. Perez then went to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Mahoney Hadlow before being recruited to Booth & Arnold. Booth said he knew he would fit in well because he liked trying hard cases.
WHO DO YOU THINK ARE THE BEST LAWYERS IN THE CITY?
“Rut Liles, Hank Coxe, John DeVault, Bill Birchfield, Jim O’Donnell, Ken Anderson, Dexter Douglas in Tallahassee — he defended Al Gore during the recount.”
DID ANY OF YOU EVER WANT TO BE A JUDGE?
“Somebody’s got to pay the overhead around here.”
WHAT KIND OF LAW DOES SKIP BOOTH PRACTICE?
“He was the first attorney in the state to be board certified in aviation law. He is chair of the certification committee and on the board of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. He flies a Piper Cherokee.”
Perez’s new job
“It’s for the Middle District of Florida, so I’ll oversee 120 prosecutors and work in tandem with all the federal investigative agencies like the FBI, CIA, IRS and Customs. We’re chosen for four-year terms, but you serve at the pleasure of the president. I’ll have offices in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Ft. Myers.