Lawrence Lenin Duga (1932-2019)Larry was born in Los Angeles on May 1, 1932. His parents were members of the Communist Party, and they instilled in Larry the importance of fighting for social justice. This principle guided him throughout his life.
Larry graduated from U. C. Berkeley and then went on to Hastings Law School. He worked his way through law school driving a cab in San Francisco while living in the tenderloin.
He was admitted to the bar in 1960 and his first job was with the Thomas Berkeley firm in Oakland. Larry then formed a partnership in Berkeley with Carlton Innis, which lasted for several years. A partnership between a white and black man was very rare at the time. Among other socially-committed activities, in 1969, Larry spent a night sleeping on the floor of the Black Panther Party office in Oakland when the organization was under threat of attack nationwide.
Larry later went into solo law practice in Berkeley and then in Oakland, sharing office space with Robert Treuhaft, Doris Walker, and a number of other lawyers who were committed to progressive social change. He went on inactive status with the State Bar in 2006, after 46 years in law practice.
Larry was always active in Berkeley civic and political activities, as well as the National Lawyers Guild. For several years in the early 1970's he was the Guild delegate to the California State Bar convention. He was the president of the Berkeley Co-op during which time the grocery chain was the first to refuse to buy grapes not picked by members of the United Farm Workers union.
Larry was a founding member of Berkeley Citizens Action, a progressive political organization which supported former mayors Lonnie Hancock and Tom Bates, among others. He was also the chair of the Berkeley Board of Adjustment for a number of years. On May 1, 1992, a celebration of his 60th birthday was held at the North Berkeley Senior Center, which was attended by a packed audience. Then-mayor Lonnie Hancock proclaimed May 1, 1992 as Larry Duga day.
However, aside from his professional accomplishments, Larry was a mentor to several new lawyers, always being generous with his time and wise in his advice. He was also a great wit and entertainer, being a prominent member of skits performed for various political and personal events. Larry was always one of the best at Zona's Trivial Pursuit parties. And he supported numerous organizations, including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Office, among others.
Larry will be remembered by his many friends as a warm and generous man who would always go out of his way to help people in need. He lived to be 87 years old, and died too young.
Contributions in Larry's honor should be made to the .