Today we celebrated the life of Tim Esper. He was my boss, partner, mentor and friend. He absolutely loved being a lawyer and thoroughly enjoyed the practice. He advocated fiercely for his clients and fiercely supported his family and friends. When I received this letter of encouragement from him back in 1995, I never would have thought our association would last for over 25 years. His encouragement and support were always there – through good times and bad, the ups and downs. He pushed me to be the best I could be and I am grateful he did.
I have been thinking about him a lot this past week; there are so many memories. One that keeps popping up in my mind sums up his skills I think. More than a few years ago a well-respected defense attorney stopped me in court one day. She and Tim had an intense medical deposition a few days earlier. She simply said “Esper! – He can make $#!& smell like candy!” Then she walked away. I seem to recall he got a pretty good settlement out of that one. Makes me smile every time.
The photo is from back in 1998. Tim, Jon Garrett, John Maksym and seated Steve Sweeney. Steve died in 2000, Jon in 2014. John Maksym is now an ordained Roman Catholic priest. I learned a lot from these men but from Tim the most. I will miss him but I also know that the lessons learned from him will help guide me in the years to come.
RIP JTE.
-Mark Aiello
