Donald T. Hibner, Jr.
April 5, 1934 - February 11, 2018
Don T. Hibner, Jr., a longtime resident of La Cañada Flintridge, peacefully passed away at home on February 11. Don came to California with his parents Don Telfer Hibner and Thirza Hull Hibner from Boone, Iowa when he was three months old. He described himself as "an almost native Californian."
Don was a 1951 graduate of Palo Alto High School, Stanford University ('55 majoring in Philosophy) and Stanford Law School '62. He had an enduring allegiance to "The Farm" and especially to Stanford Law School. His mother Thirza Hull Hibner was a Daughter of the American Colonists and niece to Cordell Hull. Don joined the Los Angeles law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton in the fall of 1962 and became the fourteenth extant partner in 1968. At the present time, the firm has grown from that single office to 15 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and has 820 lawyers. Don was a nationally known practitioner in anti-trust law litigation and economics for more than 40 years, often consulted by other anti-trust lawyers because of his legal and economic expertise. He was a prolific author on scholarly subjects. Don had taught himself economics to enhance his anti-trust law expertise, and he later taught himself the interplay of technology, intellectual property and anti-trust law when it became apparent that market competition disputes in the new economy revolved around patents, trademarks and technology rather than factories and tangible assets.
Starting in the early 1970s Don contributed to over ten antitrust treatises, published numerous law review articles and co-authored a book on antitrust litigation. When blogs became the new medium, Don immediately jumped in and wrote over 60 anti-trust law blog posts starting in 2005 and continuing into 2017. He was a speaker and lecturer at dozens of attorney conferences and conventions. In 2002, Don became Of Counsel at Sheppard Mullin and was selected as "Antitrust Lawyer of the Year" by the California State Bar Antitrust Section. According to Don this was generally believed to be in the nature of a "the light burns brightest before it goes out" award (typical of his humor, which has been commented upon by so many of his friends and colleagues). Nevertheless, he continued to come into the office almost every day until very recently. Don testified as an expert witness in anti-trust malpractice cases, and consulted on vertical restraint distribution strategies, particularity in toys, batteries, cameras and golf clubs and accessories. Don was also an Arbitrator for the LA County Bar Association - Attorney-Client Mediation & Arbitration Services. He held several arbitrations a year in the Los Angeles Office, his last Arbitration concluding on October 19, 2017. Don was always concerned about teaching young lawyers about the profession and mentoring their careers. He often told the young lawyers assigned to him at the firm, "It is my job to raise you up and kick you out of the nest so you can fly on your own." Don was a judge in the UCLA Law School Moot Court program for more than ten years and paid particular attention to reviewing the written briefs submitted by the law students.
Don married Scarlett Chambers (Stanford '61) in 1962. She told him, "It's not just me; there's also a horse." They moved to La Cañada in 1965 to have a horse-keeping property. They then joined the Flintridge Riding Club in 1970 where Don was elected to the Board of Directors for three terms and was three times President of the Club. They had horses at home for trail riding, and also bred and raised five foals, four of which eventually competed as jumpers. In 1974 Don was elected to the Board of Directors of the Valley Water Company, the largest purveyor to properties in La Cañada Flintridge, and additionally served as its President from 2003 to the present. He was always ready to help the La Cañada Flintridge Trails Council and to contribute to the development and preservation of trails and open space, especially in Cherry Canyon. In addition to his professional interests and community activities, from 1970 to 1990 Don traveled with Scarlett to eastern and southern Africa, a total of eight months, on six photo safaris to view wildlife considered by both to be the most enjoyable thing that they ever did! Their interest in wildlife continued in the U.S., Canada and their own backyard. Their interest in supporting national and international equestrian competition merged with an interest in European history such that their tourist travel became concentrated in Europe and frequently centered around attending major equestrian competitions. Don was predeceased by his elder brother John of Pioneer, CA, and is survived by his wife Scarlett. No services are planned.
Published in the Los Angeles Times from Mar. 9 to Mar. 11, 2018