"Lewis M. Steel, born a Warner Brothers' grandson, inherited a life of privilege, access, and opportunity. With every option available, he chose a life of purpose, spending more than fifty years as a no-holdsbarred civil rights lawyer whose victories set legal precedents still relevant today. In The Butler's Child, Steel explores the important role race played in his upbringing, anchored by his relationship with the family's African American butler, and why he has devoted his life to pursuing racial justice. This insightful life story chronicles his close relationship with Robert L. Carter, his mentor and extraordinary NAACP general counsel. Steel was there during the Attica uprising, represented innocent African Americans in front-page murder cases, and played a central role in the evolution of civil rights law from the height of the movement to landmark cases in the decades that followed"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes index.

Attica -- Childhood -- Culver Military Academy and Harvard -- Bill Rutherford -- Kitty Muldoon -- Starting at the NAACP -- Getting my feet wet -- Dealing with fear -- Robert L. Carter's Northern Campaign -- The Cincinnati School Case -- NAACP battles -- Two different worlds -- 1968 -- Bill Rutherford dies and a new beginning -- Tony Maynard -- Auburn Prison and life in the Hamptons -- The Harlem Four -- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and John Artis -- A racist court -- The 1970s and 1980s -- Life among white liberals -- Navigating racial lines -- Black lives matter -- Going forward.