Bobby Lee Cook
Famed attorney Bobby Lee Cook died Friday morning at his Lookout Mountain home at Cloudland, Ga. He was 94.
He practiced law since the late 1940s with Summerville, Ga., as his home base.
Attorney Cook, according to his bio in Wikipedia, "is known for combining a sharp legal mind with a folksy demeanor. He has represented a wide variety of clients, from rural Southerners to international businessmen and corporations."
The area attorney is said to have inspired the main character on the TV show Matlock as played by Andy Griffith.
Attorney Cook made a number of appearances in state and federal court in Chattanooga, including serving as one of the attorneys in the Bobby Hoppe murder case.
He represented Wayne Williams in the Atlanta child murders and banker C.H. Butcher, who he cleared of 25 fraud counts in federal court.
Attorney Cook is estimated to have won 90 percent of the trials he was involved in and to have earned over $1 million per year.
He was renowned for his dapper seersucker suits and for arriving at court in a stretch vehicle with his own driver.
He was a master of trial preparation, spending many hours becoming intricately familiar with every detail of the case.
His education included the University of Alabama and Vanderbilt University Law School.