Clayton H. Farnham, one of the founding name partners of Drew, Eckl & Farnham, passed away on October 17, 2020.
Mr. Farnham was known for his energy, wit and deep passion for life. His breadth of knowledge was extraordinary and his story telling was legendary. Anyone who had the privilege of spending time with Clayton walked away better informed and greatly entertained. In addition to the wonderful force of his personality, he left us a great legacy when he helped create our law firm and we honor his traits of integrity, energy, and compassion in our culture to this day.
Mr. Farnham’s practice was focused on the representation of property and mortgage insurers in the Southeast. His legal scholarship in this field helped form the law that is relied on to this day. For those who had the pleasure of being in the courtroom with him, they witnessed what it meant to be a gentleman while also being a strenuous advocate for his client. He was recognized for his exceptional legal work by being named among the top thirty insurance attorneys in the United States in The National Law Journal.
Mr. Farnham also willingly shared his knowledge and experience with others by lecturing for the ABA National Institutes on Arson and Bad Faith, Defense Research Institute, National Forum for Property Loss Professionals, Property Loss Research Bureau, Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, International Association of Defense Counsel and National Society of CPCU.
Mr. Farnham volunteered his time to organizations that promoted excellence in the legal community. He served as a Member of the Council, the governing board of the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section, and was Chairman of the Property Insurance Law Committees of the International Association of Defense Counsel and the American Bar Association. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ABA for his work with the Property Insurance Law Committee.
He was a friend and trusted mentor to many within our firm and in the legal community. We are deeply saddened by the loss of this great man and he will always be remembered.