J.R. Zepkin: Log Cabin Law Office in Williamsburg

“That log cabin. I remember doing a real estate closing one day and papers scattered on my desk and everything, and clients signing the papers. I looked and little things were crawling across the desk. Termites... We’re encouraged on the first day of classes to introduce yourself to your class. And I always tell them, you go through your whole life you won’t find another lawyer that practiced in a log cabin... it’s a lot more fun to talk about than it was to practice law in.” -- J.R. Zepkin, Class of 1965 and Former Adjunct Faculty, on his first law office J.R. Zepkin in his law office on Richmond Rd., late 1960s. Courtesy, J.R. Zepkin. The log cabin pictured here was located near the corner of Richmond Rd and Monticello Ave, close to where a Dunkin’ Donuts sits today. It was the first law office in which J.R. Zepkin (pictured) practiced after graduating, alongside fellow Law School alumni Hyman Wax and, later, John Stephens. The cabin itself was older and very dry, meaning they could not run heat after office hours – the first arrival in the morning had to turn the heat back on to warm the building for everyone. Even with the cold and the termites, Zepkin joked that the office was still preferable to the Law School’s original facilities in the basement of Bryan Hall. Listen to J.R. Zepkin's oral history online.