Jim Restivo, the former head of Reed Smith's litigation department who spent nearly 50 years at the forefront of asbestos litigation, died Dec. 28. He was 73.

A longtime Pittsburgh community member who was born in Johnstown, Restivo graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1971 and edited the Georgetown Law Journal during his final year of law school. He joined Reed Smith after graduation and made partner in 1977. He spent nearly half a century becoming one of the nation's leading insurance recovery attorneys with a special focus on asbestos litigation, beginning within the first few years of his time at Reed Smith, according to Dan Booker, a former managing partner of the firm who was in Restivo's 1971 associate class.

"Many people thought [asbestos litigation] was a bottomless pit," Booker said in an interview. "But Jim really made something out of it. It was high-visibility and high-impact work for Reed Smith."

In 1985, Restivo served as one of the principal negotiators and founders of the Asbestos Claims Facility. He also created Reed Smith's insurance recovery practice, an initiative that helped the firm achieve national attention.

"Due to Jim's leadership, the creation of the firm's insurance practice was so important because it put us on the map as a national player even though were a Pennsylvania law firm at the time," Booker said.

Restivo's experience extended beyond asbestos litigation—Booker said he did notable work for banks and other Pittsburgh companies, in addition to litigating in New York. He also participated in the Pittsburgh Corning bankruptcy, the longest running bankruptcy in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

"He was an old-fashioned trial lawyer who tried all kinds of cases and did them well," Booker said.

Restivo also served as head of Reed Smith's litigation department from 1988 to 1997, and during those same years he was a member of the firm's executive committee. He was awarded the firm's Shaw's Lion Award in 1993.

The firm said he is remembered for the attention he paid to mentoring young lawyers, including advocating for women attorneys and encouraging the firm to increase its diversity efforts.

"Jim was a giant in our firm and a big part of the foundation on which today's global Reed Smith has been built," Gregory B. Jordan, former global managing partner of Reed Smith, said in a statement. "In addition to being a top lawyer he also mentored scores of us on how to be lawyers and leaders, including me."

Booker agreed and said that Restivo's sense of humor made attorneys around him appreciate the entire process of working on a case.

"He believed that setting a tangible, clear objective and working like hell to get there was the key to success—and he lived it every day with a smile on his face and with a sense of humor," he said, adding that he would often tell mentees, "If we're doing it, then it's fun."

"That was the attitude he tried to bring to make long hours of work in corporate litigation memorable and something beyond just putting the hours in and getting the result," he said. "With him, you remember the experience."

In a statement, Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith's current global managing partner, added: "Jim was respected and loved by his colleagues and known far and wide, not just for his legal acumen, but also for his keen sense of humor, which endeared him to everyone with whom he came into contact."

Restivo's son, James, said his father "put his full heart and passion" into things he cared about. Beyond the legal profession, he was married for 49 years to his wife, Gail, and had four children, all of whom now live in the same community of South Fayette, southwest of Pittsburgh.

"All of us have different passions and pleasures, but there was a strong family bond he was able to create," he said. "We really enjoy each other and like each other. He and my mother created a strong family root."

James Restivo added that his father—known to his family as "bubba," a moniker from when his first grandchild was young—was active in the community, volunteering for multiple Catholic charities as well as Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, where he was a board member and brought the entire family along to participate in days of service.

"He was a superb attorney, intimately involved in important cases, discussion and litigation, but the family was not really aware of that," James Restivo said. "When he was home and with us, he would turn it off. A lot of people these days don't know how to find that balance."

James Restivo recalled Jim Restivo's retirement dinner at Reed Smith, where he addressed the room of attorneys and encouraged them to take their vacation time and spend it with loved ones.

"We all get vacation time, but I'm starting to see less and less people taking vacations, shutting down the computers and turning off the cellphones," James Restivo remembers his father saying. "I encourage each and everyone of of you to shut off email and the cellphone and go spend time with whoever is important to you. You'll never have that time back."

Jim Restivo was involved in the legal community in Pittsburgh and beyond, as a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Bar Association, the American Arbitration Association–Panel of Arbitrators, the Bankruptcy Inn of Court, the Defense Research Institute, the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Pennsylvania Panel of Neutrals.