Hubbell to talk of life after fall

Ex-state justice, Clinton-era star now happily a writer

Former Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice and U.S. Justice Department official Webb Hubbell (left) — seen here golfing with President Bill Clinton on July 2, 1994 — will speak at the 8th Circuit Judicial Conference in Rogers this week.
Former Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice and U.S. Justice Department official Webb Hubbell (left) — seen here golfing with President Bill Clinton on July 2, 1994 — will speak at the 8th Circuit Judicial Conference in Rogers this week.

When officials gather this week in Rogers for the 8th Circuit Judicial Conference, they'll hear from a former Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice who wore prison clothes as well as a judge's robes and whose hands once wielded power as a Little Rock mayor but ended up in handcuffs.

Webster Lee "Webb" Hubbell went to Washington with his longtime friend and golfing buddy Bill Clinton in 1993. But, he was banished from the White House and eventually imprisoned once it was discovered that he'd been stealing money from his former employer, the Rose Law Firm, and numerous clients.

He was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud. He was incarcerated in a federal lockup near Camp David.

Millions of Americans witnessed his humiliation. A smaller number have watched him since as he struggled to rebound and rebuild.

Hubbell, who now lives in Charlotte, N.C., said he'll share his story Thursday at the conference.

It's the first time he's attended the gathering since 1993. Back then, barely 45 years old, he was the third-ranking official at the U.S. Justice Department. Now he's a novelist in his 60s who spins tales about high-powered attorneys and crooked politicians.

"Not many people who are 68 years old can say they're having the time of their life and enjoying themselves as much as they ever have," Hubbell said in an interview.

The first two novels are set in Arkansas.

His third thriller, A Game of Inches, is set in Washington and comes out later this month.

A memoir, Friends in High Places, was published in 1997.

"I had some help with the autobiography, and then on the three novels, I've done those totally by myself with the help of my wife, who's my editor," he said. "I like to say lawyers write fiction every day. Our briefs and arguments to the jury. So it's natural."

The conference session in which he will speak Thursday is titled "First Words of a Story."

Also scheduled to appear at the conference are U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball.

"This is a huge honor for me, and it's also an opportunity for me to come back home, and I take those anytime I can get them," Hubbell said.

When he's not discussing the joy of writing, he'll also share some of his experiences.

"I have been on both sides of the aisle in the criminal justice system, and I think they are interested in that perspective as well," Hubbell said.

He gave a similar speech a couple of years ago to the Arkansas Association of Defense Lawyers.

He also shares stories and offers encouragement to people caught up in the criminal justice system.

"I counsel people and have been for 20 years now on what they're going to go through if they're indicted and ultimately go to prison, and I try to tell them it's all a matter of attitude and take it as a positive experience," he said. "You know, life is full of adversity. It's how you deal with adversity that's a true measure of who you are. I've tried to react and take the good with the bad and learn from both."

In addition to speaking, Hubbell will reconnect with a large group of Arkansans, people he says who never abandoned him.

"I have a wonderful wife and family that stuck with me through all this, and I have a strong base of friends and old football teammates who stuck with me and supported me and encouraged me," he said. "[They] were my real strength."

Several of his longtime pals will assemble while he's in Northwest Arkansas, and they'll remember old times.

DeWitt Smith, a former offensive lineman and now Rogers businessman, will be one of them.

He and Hubbell met at Boys State a half-century ago. They both played for Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas. And their relationship has survived for decades.

"Every group of old athletes ... [or] old soldiers that go through tough times together, there is a bond there, and it's something that you can't articulate properly in words and it never goes away," Smith said.

It would take more than a felony conviction to break those ties.

"We've all made mistakes. We've all done things we would not want to highlight to the world," Smith said. "Once you figure out you're not perfect, you have a little different perspective on other folks."

Hubbell's friends stayed loyal, Smith said, but he portrayed Hubbell's wife as the true protagonist.

"Suzy has got a free pass to heaven," he said.

Another longtime friend, Little Rock Certified Public Accountant Michael Schaufele, agrees. "I think his family support is what kept him going through prison and then afterward. Suzy was a saint," he said.

While Hubbell was in prison, Schaufele and his wife, Marty, stayed in touch. "We talked once a week, and Marty and I went and visited."

In addition to phone calls and letters, he and Hubbell shared something else -- both were indicted by special prosecutor Kenneth Starr.

Schaufele was accused of helping Hubbell hide money, a charge he vigorously denied. The charges against Schaufele and Hubbell's wife and his attorney were eventually dropped after Hubbell reached a plea agreement.

Schaufele escaped with his honor intact -- but incurred a quarter-million dollars in legal fees.

"If they'd been successful, they were trying to put me in jail for 44 years," Schaufele said. "It tested our friendship. It's one of those things. You breach somebody's trust, it takes a while to rebuild it."

Incarceration changed Hubbell, he said. "I think he became more religious once he got out of prison and much more devoted with his family. You know, I think he knows what's important in life."

Hubbell's breach of trust damaged his friendship with Clinton. His crimes had hurt the president and embarrassed the administration.

He never heard from the White House again. The relationship with the Clintons appeared to be permanently severed.

Then Hubbell developed a liver ailment that nearly killed him.

"I had not talked to them since 1994, and when the president heard that I was having a transplant, he came to visit me and we had a good, nice visit that day," Hubbell recalled.

The transplant saved Hubbell's life, giving him extra years and the chance to become a writer.

The former president is aware of Hubbell's new vocation.

"I've gotten copies of each book to him, and he's called and he loves them," Hubbell said.

While at the Rose Law Firm, he worked with Hillary Rodham Clinton, long before she became a U.S. senator, secretary of state and Democratic presidential front-runner.

He was impressed by her then, and the years haven't changed that.

"I think she'd be terrific, I really do," he said of her as president. "I know how smart she is, and I know how much she cares about people. I knew that for a long, long time, and I don't think that's changed."

Metro on 05/01/2016

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