by Len Lear

Bart Banks calls himself “a dabbler,” an outdated expression that today would be the equivalent of a multitasker. In fact, it’d hard to believe that just one person accomplished all of the things Banks has done in his 87 years. To mention just a few (since we are limited in space), he has been a lawyer for more than six decades, a stand-up comic, editor of the American Jewish Committee newspaper, a Little League coach, a lifeguard, manager of a 150-unit mall in Florida, coach of the Adath Jeshrun men’s basketball team, a Fuller Brush salesman, president of Realty Management, Inc. (a real estate brokerage and investment company), president of the Vanguard Savings and Loan Association, a dance company instructor, president of the East Wyncote Civic Association, guest lecturer at several area colleges, secretary of the Philadelphia Friends of the Blind, author of four books and, believe it or not, more. “If you want something done, give it to a busy person,” he explained.

And one more accomplishment that does not appear on his resume: “Frank Rizzo detained me for questioning when I was a freshman at Temple Law School on ‘suspicion of burglary.’ He said to me, ‘Never open up your mouth to a cop. In a mob, the first guy who talks, you hit him in the head with your club. The first rule for a cop is to protect yourself.’ I practiced criminal law for 15 years, and I learned a lot from Rizzo.”

Although his son, David, does most of the heavy lifting now, Banks took over the Banks & Banks Law Firm in Lafayette Hill that his father founded in 1925. “Our firm might be the last of the general practitioners,” Bart said. “We cover the waterfront. My dad was 74 when he died. He wanted me to be a lawyer and carry on the practice.”

The introspective attorney, who is short in stature, is not reluctant to engage in self-analysis regarding his workaholism. “When I was young, I was the youngest kid in class and small. I was afraid of being on the outside looking in. I wanted to project that I wasn’t 5-foot-6 but 6-foot-5. I played guard in football after several rejections. I overcompensated with an outgoing personality. I was not a great student. Never thought I’d pass the bar exam the first time, but I did. I was terrified of the big boys world of experienced lawyers.

“Scotch whiskey worked for about 20 years as liquid courage. Then it failed me in my personal life. Friends were disgusted with me. I was directed to a 12-step program. It turned my life around. I had one life for 43 years and a second life for 44 years. Life begins at 40. My life’s a banquet now. I have four kids I am close to and 11 grandkids who are my best friends. Seven weeks ago I was dancing and playing tennis.” (Although spinal stenosis has limited his mobility since then.)

Banks, who lived in Chestnut Hill Village many years ago, can recall one great anecdote after another about his many pursuits. In the 1990s he was performing open mic comedy when a man came up to him and said, “You’re really good. Let me be your agent. I can get you a job for 45 minutes on stage for $75.” Banks replied, “I can make $350 practicing law.” Nevertheless, the temptation was too strong, so Banks took a stand-up offer at a club in Trenton. “I had to buy my own dinners and pay for my own transportation.”

On another occasion Banks met his future wife at a singles dance at the Radnor Hotel. Each table had bouquets of flowers. “I gathered up all the flowers and said, ‘It’s my job to give these flowers to the prettiest girl in the place.’ I gave them to a girl named Carol and asked her to dance. Carol and I wound up being married for 21 years, and they were two of the best years of her life.” (Banks married his current wife, Donna, 21 years ago.)

One of Banks’ books, “The Book I Wrote on Humility!” is filled with interesting, offbeat, amusing and sometimes compelling anecdotes about the legal cases he was involved in. For example, there was the case in which a man who had been robbed was asked in court to identify the young man who had robbed him.

The victim said, “He’s sitting right there, at the counsel table next to his lawyer (Banks) … He’s the kid. There’s no doubt about it … When you’re looking down the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun, you never forget the face on the other end.”

Banks then told the judge that the young man who had just been identified was not the real defendant but a neighbor of the defendant and that the real defendant was “sitting in the last seat of the last row on your right.” After that, “The D.A.’s mouth fell open. The victim was totally puzzled. The arresting officer slumped in his chair.” A police lawyer called Banks’ tactic “chicanery, such a travesty, a circus …,” but the judge, Juanita Kidd Stout, dismissed the charges against Banks’ client.

Another subject that Banks has strong opinions about is religion. According to him, “Religions all say, ‘Ours is the right way.’ They are exclusive, not inclusive. I’m spiritual, not religious. Religion is for those who are afraid they’ll go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been to hell! What counts is if it works for you. If it doesn’t, don’t do it. Different strokes for different folks … Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery. You only have today.”

For more information, visit banksandbankslaw.com