Editing Vince Foster (section)

==Legacy==
Foster's death, occurring just six months into the new administration, is thought by some to have ended the optimism and remaining innocence of the White House staff.<ref name="wapo072098">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/foster072098.htm "One Death Altered Path of Presidency"], [[Peter Baker (author)|Peter Baker]], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', July 20, 1998.</ref> White House chief of staff and childhood friend [[Mack McLarty]] said that "It was a deep cut. It clearly had a tremendous impact."<ref name="wapo072098"/> Nussbaum speculated that if Foster had lived, he would have helped resist the calls to appoint [[independent counsel]]s and the many investigations lumped under the [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]] umbrella that occupied the administration and Clinton for the rest of his presidency might not have happened.<ref name="wapo072098"/> As it did happen, how Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, [[Maggie Williams]], in particular handled Foster's files and documents immediately after his death became an issue of much investigation itself.<ref name="encyclo-ic"/><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/news/9608/27/whitewater/index.shtml "Memo Links First Lady To Handling Of Suicide Note"], [[CNN]], August 27, 1996.</ref>

Years later, Bill Clinton expressed his continued anger about the Foster rumors and theories, clenching a fist as he spoke: "I heard a lot of the right-wing talk show people ... and all the sleazy stuff they said. They didn't give a rip that he had killed himself or that his family was miserable or that they could break the hearts [of Foster's friends and family]. It was just another weapon to slug us with, to dehumanize us with."<ref name="gormley">{{cite book|first=Ken|last=Gormley|author-link=Ken Gormley (academic)|title=The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr|publisher=[[Crown Publishers]]|location=New York|year=2010|isbn=978-0-307-40944-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/deathofamericanv00gorm/page/72 72–73, 89–90]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/deathofamericanv00gorm/page/72}}</ref>

Foster's death also had an effect on Rose Law Firm, as many within the firm had expected Foster to become its leader once he returned from service in Washington.<ref name="abaj"/> As one partner later said, "In meetings of the partners, he didn't often take a vocal stand. ... But when he did, it almost always swayed the firm. When he left for Washington, people here spoke openly about the emotional vacuum."<ref name="wapo-dvd"/> Colleagues speculated that Foster might have someday become president of the state bar association or a choice for a federal judgeship.<ref name="nykr-boyer"/>

Beginning in 1993, the Vince Foster Jr. Outstanding Lawyer Award was given out annually by the [[Pulaski County, Arkansas|Pulaski County]] Bar Association to recognize members who contributed to the bar and advanced the legal profession.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.wlj.com/news/detail/default.aspx?id=39|title=WLJ Partner Receives Outstanding Lawyer Award; WLJ Paralegal Named Legal Support Professional of the Year by PCBA|publisher=Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP|date=June 2, 2011}}</ref> An endowed chair at the [[University of Arkansas School of Law]], the Vincent Foster University Professor of Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility, was created in his name.<ref name="eahc"/> In 2015 a holder of the chair, Howard W. Brill, was appointed Chief Justice of the [[Arkansas Supreme Court]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.uark.edu/articles/32119/law-professor-howard-brill-named-state-supreme-court-chief-justice |title=Law Professor Howard Brill Named State Supreme Court Chief Justice |publisher=[[University of Arkansas]] |date=August 26, 2015 |access-date=April 9, 2018}}</ref>