Editing Vince Foster (section)

===Lawyer in Arkansas===
In 1971, Foster joined [[Rose Law Firm]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]],<ref name="lh">[[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], ''[[Living History (book)|Living History]]'', [[Simon & Schuster]], 2003, {{ISBN|0-7432-2224-5}}, pp. 78–81.</ref> and in 1974 was made partner,<ref name="starr-bio"/> one of only nine in the firm at the time.<ref name="bernstein-book"/> He was the head of the [[Arkansas Bar Association]] committee that oversaw [[legal aid]], and as such worked with legal aid clinic worker [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham]] in successfully overcoming an unreasonable measuring requirement for indigent clients.<ref name="lh"/> Foster then initiated the hiring of Rodham at Rose Law Firm, where she became its first ever female associate<ref name="lh"/> (and later first female partner); Foster and fellow partner [[Webster Hubbell]] were instrumental in overcoming the reluctance of other partners to hire a woman.<ref name="bernstein-book">{{cite book|first=Carl|last=Bernstein|authorlink=Carl Bernstein|title=A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton|year=2007 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf]]|location=New York City|isbn=978-0-375-40766-6|pages=123–31}}</ref> The hiring occurred soon after Bill Clinton was elected [[attorney general of Arkansas]], which led Clinton and Rodham to move from Fayetteville to Little Rock.<ref name="bernstein-book"/> Foster and Rodham worked together on a number of cases.<ref name="eahc"/> And as Bill Clinton's political career gained force, Foster supported him.<ref name="bill-15"/> They were also personal friends and Foster was the one who taught their daughter [[Chelsea Clinton]] how to swim.<ref name="bill-15"/>

[[File:RoseLawFirmRearCorner2008.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rose Law Firm]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], where Foster worked for two decades]]
Foster practiced mostly [[corporate law]],<ref name="nyt082293">{{cite news|first=Jason|last=DeParle|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DD173FF931A1575BC0A965958260|title=A Life Undone: Portrait of a White House Aide Ensnared by His Perfectionism|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 22, 1993|accessdate=July 29, 2007}}</ref> eventually earning nearly $300,000 a year.<ref name="nyt082293"/> Known for his extensive preparation of cases ahead of time, including the creation of [[decision tree]]s,<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> Foster developed a reputation as one of the best trial litigators in Arkansas.<ref name="eahc"/> Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir calls Foster "one of the best lawyers I've ever known," and compared him in style and substance to [[Gregory Peck]]'s portrayal of [[Atticus Finch]] in the classic 1962 film ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]''.<ref name="lh"/> In Bill Clinton's memoir, he characterizes Foster as "a tall, handsome, wise, good man."<ref name="bill-15"/> Writer [[Carl Bernstein]] has described Foster as "tall, with impeccable manners and a formal mien ... elegant in perfectly tailored suits, and soft-spoken to the point of taciturnity."<ref name="bernstein-book"/> Writer [[Dan Moldea]] characterized him as "a 'can-do' lawyer who worked best when under pressure."<ref name="moldea"/> Phillip Carroll, the leading litigator at Rose Law Firm, once said of Foster, "He was my ideal of a young lawyer."<ref name="abaj"/> The ''[[ABA Journal]]'' reported that Foster was "acknowledged by many as the soul of the firm".<ref name="abaj">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qs2Z6HdA0S8C&pg=PA46 | title=From Bum's Rush to Bum Rap | first=Terry | last=Carter | magazine=[[ABA Journal]] | date=July 1998 | page=46}}</ref>

He appeared to experience only success at Rose Law; a partner later said, "I never saw a professional setback. Never. Not even a tiny one."<ref name="nyt082293"/> The firm grew five times its size during his time there.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> The Arkansas Bar Association gave him a number of awards<ref name="k-r-stunned">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19930722&id=19ZPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6595,872139 | title=Legal aide's suicide stuns president | first1=Aaron | last1=Epstein | first2=Frank | last2=Greve | agency=[[Knight-Ridder Newspapers]] | newspaper=[[Ocala Star-Banner]] | date=July 22, 1993 | page=4A}}</ref> and in June 1993 would name him as its Outstanding Lawyer of the Year.<ref name="moldea">{{cite book | title=A Washington Tragedy: How the Death of Vincent Foster Ignited a Political Firestorm | first=Dan E. | last=Moldea | author-link=Dan Moldea | publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]] {{!}} Washington, D.C.| year=1998 | pages=62–63, 402n | isbn=0-89526-382-3 }}</ref> He was also listed in the ''Best Lawyers in America'' book.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> His wife Lisa described him as driven to prevail, staying up around the clock to prepare for big cases, believing he would lose the case even though he rarely did; she later viewed this as an early sign of depressed behavior.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

By 1992, Vince Foster was, as ''[[The Washington Post]]'' later wrote, at "the pinnacle of the Arkansas legal establishment."<ref name="wapo070194">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/stories/wwtr940701.htm| title=Foster's Death a Suicide| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| first1=David| last1=Von Drehle| author-link=David Von Drehle| first2=Howard| last2=Schneider| date=July 1, 1994| access-date=March 31, 2009| page=A01| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205081439/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/whitewater/stories/wwtr940701.htm| archive-date=February 5, 2012}}</ref> He was also an established figure in Little Rock society, serving as the chair of the board of the [[Arkansas Repertory Theatre]] and belonging to the exclusive Country Club of Little Rock.<ref name="wapo-dvd"/>