The passing of our colleague and friend, William “Bill” Rutter
It is with great sadness that we report our former colleague, Bill Rutter, passed away peacefully on Feb. 2, 2012. Bill was the founder of The Rutter Group, a Thomson Reuters business based in California, specializing in state and federal Rutter Group Practice Guides.
In 1979, Bill founded The Rutter Group, where he devoted his career to pioneering legal education. Through his leadership, The Rutter Group became a leading and highly respected publisher of legal education and programs nationwide. Bill wrote and published all of the original Gilbert Law Summaries, based on his own law school notes. He also founded the BAR/BRI Bar Review, which became the largest Bar Review course in the country.
Bill received his juris doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Southern California School of Law, where he was Associate Editor of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. Prior to founding The Rutter Group, he maintained a general civil law practice, specializing in business litigation and appellate work, and admirably served our country during the Korean War.
Bill’s passing was marked by many of his friends and colleagues throughout the legal community. His leadership and his numerous contributions to legal education have left a deeply rooted impression on the legal profession and Thomson Reuters.
“Bill Rutter’s contributions to the legal profession and, through it, to justice and the administration of justice are immeasurable, and indelible,” said Norman L. Epstein, presiding justice of the California Court of Appeal. “He altered the course of legal education forever.”
Bill is survived by his wife Sally and his four children. There will be a public memorial service celebrating his life on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Gifts in honor of Bill can be made to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association-Music Matters. For more information about Bill Rutter, please see his obituary.
