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William T. Wuliger (“Bill”) began his illustrious legal career in1969 in defense of the poor. As a public defender in Cleveland, Ohio, Bill became a local legend, orchestrating such novel defenses as “the reckless gesture of defiance”-a euphemism he coined to characterize the conduct of a client charged with burglary who relieved himself in the aisle of a grocery store (allegedly as a form of protest over high prices).His take-no-prisoners approach did not earn him many friends in the prosecutor’s office, but it did earn him respect.After transitioning to private practice, Bill continued to champion the First Amendment, sometimes representing unpopular clients to advance the greater good.His reputation as a tenacious litigator never waned.Over his 50-year career, Bill literally tried hundreds of cases, and at one point, he held the record for the highest legal malpractice verdict awarded in the state of Ohio.Perhaps his biggest accomplishment can be measured by the successes of the young lawyers he mentored over the years who have helped shape (and, hopefully, will continue to shape) theNortheast Ohio legal community. This portrait is an adaptation of a photo published in the ClevelandPlain Dealer in June 1972 depicting Bill in his heyday asa young public defender with a hole in his well worn boots! William Wuliger