Robert Stephen Bennett III (August 2, 1939 – September 10, 2023) was an American attorney and senior counsel at Bennett LoCicero & Liu LLP. He gained national prominence for representing President Bill Clinton during the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.
Early Life and Education
Robert Bennett was born on August 2, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. He completed his early education at Brooklyn Preparatory School, graduating in 1957. He went on to pursue his B.A. from Georgetown University in 1961, where he was a member of the Philodemic Society. Bennett then earned his LL.B. from Georgetown in 1964, followed by an LL.M from Harvard Law School in 1965.
Career Milestones
Early Career
After completing his education, Bennett served as a clerk for Howard Francis Corcoran, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from 1965 to 1967. He then worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Private Practice
Bennett moved to Hogan & Hartson, where he joined the litigation department. He later became a partner with the firm Skadden in Washington, D.C. In September 2009, he returned to Hogan & Hartson. He later founded and became a partner at Bennett Doyle, LLP.
Notable Cases
Bennett represented various high-profile clients, including:
- Judith Miller in the Plame affair grand jury investigation
- Caspar Weinberger during the Iran–Contra affair
- Clark Clifford in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal
- Paul Wolfowitz in the World Bank Scandal
He also served as special counsel for the United States Senate Ethics Committee during the 1989–1991 investigation of the Keating Five. In 2008, John McCain hired him to counter allegations by The New York Times.
Other Roles
He was a member of the National Review Board for the Protection of Children & Young People, created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, from 2002 to 2004. Bennett is also the author of In The Ring: The Trials of a Washington Lawyer, published in 2008.
Personal Life
Robert Bennett was the older brother of William Bennett, former United States secretary of education and director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
In Popular Culture
Bennett was portrayed by actor Christopher McDonald in the 2021 miniseries Impeachment: American Crime Story.
Death
Robert S. Bennett passed away due to kidney failure at his home in Washington on September 10, 2023, at the age of 84.
Robert Stephen Bennett III leaves behind a legacy as one of America’s most notable attorneys, renowned for representing high-profile clients in some of the nation’s most controversial legal cases.
