Harland Marshall Britz

Harland Marshall Britz died on May 10, 2021 in Charlotte, NC. He practiced law in Toledo for 50 years, retiring in 2006. After his retirement he resided at Clarklake, Michigan and Ann Arbor, Michigan. He ultimately chose to live in Charlotte, North Carolina to be near his step-son, Tony Jabon, and for the temperate winter weather.

The son of attorney Morris J. Britz and Lillian Pintis Britz, he was born in Toledo on July 2, 1931. He was Student Council President at DeVilbiss High School, Class of 1949, and went on to the University of Michigan where he received degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Bachelor of Laws. He also served as editor of the Michigan Daily. After graduating from law school, he practiced with his father for five years until he was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio at Toledo. During his tenure, he and his fellow AUSA, John G. Mattimoe, worked with the Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy to co-ordinate the works of the FBI and the IRS in a campaign against organized crime.

He left the Justice Department after serving almost three years to form a new law firm with Charles (Bud) Fuhrman and Marc Gertner. The firm was founded on the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated and continued for eight years. Shortly thereafter Mr. Britz partnered with Norman Zemmelman; that firm lasted for 23 years until Norman became a judge of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division. Harland and Norm often boasted that they were together for 23 years without a single disagreement. Mr. Britz eventually formed a new partnership with Connie Zemmelman until she became a judge of the Juvenile Division.

Mr. Britz’s practice was primarily in litigation, although he also had a general practice. He handled civil rights cases, employment law cases, as well as criminal cases. His sympathy for the underdog led him to activity with the ACLU of Northwest Ohio, where he served as chair and legal director. He litigated before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th, 6th, and 7th Circuits, and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Mr. Britz was the founder of the Toledo Employment Lawyers Association. Among his many honors, the one he most cherished was the Order of the Heel, presented by the Toledo Junior Bar Association to a lawyer who assisted young lawyers. He was also named Toledo’s Distinguished Attorney by the University of Toledo Law Alumni Association in 2003.

He was also active with the local Democratic Party, where he was a precinct committeeman and ward chairman. He served ashttps://admin.mem.com/sso/newde/10189571#contententry/generalinfo Secretary of Central Committee of the Lucas County Democratic Party. In 1968, he was elected and served as an alternate delegate to the tumultuous Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

He served on the Board of the Trustees of the Toledo Bar Association, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (Executive Committee), and the Economic Opportunity Planning Association (President). In Toledo he belonged to Temple B’Nai Israel and Temple Shomer Eminim.

A lifelong music lover, Mr. Britz played the cello, and for 35 years he played with the Jewish Community Center Orchestra, which he co-chaired with Jimmy Fox. In 1970, he conducted two concerts of the Toledo Symphony.

Throughout his life he was an ardent fan of University of Michigan athletics and was a season ticket holder for Michigan football games, enjoying tailgating with his family on the Ann Arbor Golf Course. He attended the 1972, 1989, and 2004 Rose Bowl games. He dearly loved his Detroit Tigers and Red Wings as well.

Mr. Britz enjoyed sailing on Lake Erie, at his summer home at Clark Lake, and at Camp Michigania. His racing strategy was to follow the boat ahead of him and his goal was not to be last. In one Clark Lake Regatta he was so far behind that the officials on the committee boat came over to ask if he was still competing. At the time, he was being towed by a pedal boat powered by his wife and nephew.

Mr. Britz was a devoted family man. He was married for 43 years to Judith Mehring Britz, whom he considered to be his guardian angel. In addition to Judy, he is survived by his two sons: Tony Jabon, an environmental engineer, his wife, Andrea, and their son, Mathias, of Charlotte, NC; and Benjamin Britz, an international lawyer, his wife, Sari, and their children, Ian and Alexandra, of Bethesda, MD. His survivors also include his sister, Barbara Rosenberg of Atlanta, GA. His other sister, Myrna Danzig, died in 2013.

Local arrangements are by the Wick Funeral Home. In light of the pandemic, burial services will be private. Those wishing to make tributes are asked to please kindly consider the ACLU, the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, or the Toledo Humane Society.