Richard Braman, our spirited warrior for cooperation, has passed away.

Richard created The Sedona Conference®, an oasis for dialogue around advancing the profession of law. All were welcome at his conclaves: plaintiff advocates, defense advocates, academics, judges, service providers, corporate counsel. All were expected to converse in the Sedona manner: respectful, insightful and with an open mind.

Richard’s revolutionary “Cooperation Proclamation” is enveloped in the new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and emblazoned in court decision after court decision.

Craig Ball paid tribute to the man here:

Perhaps it was Richard’s keen appreciation for jazz—he’d owned a jazz club in Minneapolis—that allowed him to see how discord and harmony could co-exist. I don’t know his inspiration; but, I know he was right.

Ralph Losey on Richard’s impact:

Richard made a big impact on the legal world, especially in e-discovery. He tirelessly promoted legal education conducted in a new way, based on Dialogue, not lecture and argument.

Joe Looby created a movie about the evolution of ediscovery and Richard is featured. His friend and Sedona colleague, Jason Baron says about the film:

It is especially heartwarming that Joe has focused on Richard Braman’s role in advancing the law through The Sedona Conference, especially on the matter of how lawyers can and should cooperate in the context of litigation.”

Heartfelt wishes to his family and friends.