Becker, Lauren Lynn

Atlanta lawyer Lauren Lynn Becker died peacefully at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital on July 17, 2012. She was 58 years old.

Lauren practiced law in Atlanta for over 30 years, vigorously representing many indigent defendants in federal criminal cases. She brought a keen intellect and tireless effort on behalf of her clients, winning several acquittals in difficult federal cases. Ultimately, as in many criminal cases, she waged a courageous battle for nearly two years in an unwinnable fight with a virulent form of uterine cancer.

Lauren was born May 3, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she attended George Washington High School. She attended the University of Texas in Austin, where she received her BA degree in psychology in 1976, then obtained her law degree in 1980 from Cumberland Law School and spent two years as clerk at Clerk of Court with Alabama Supreme Court. She held licenses to practice law in Alabama and Georgia.

In law and in life, Lauren blazed her own trail. She perfected her French and moved to the south of France for a year, creating her own sabbatical. She loved to travel, exercise and read, but retained a passion for practicing law, and her presence will be missed in the criminal defense community.

She is survived by her father, Harold M. Becker (Dianne); sisters and brother, Debbi Josephson (Larry), Sherri Becker (Bill Coleman) and Robert Becker (Diane Handler); and nieces and nephew, Melissa Josephson (Bill Sloan), Maya Becker (Itay Ricon) and Alan Josephson (Kari).

She was preceded in death by her mother, Arlene Gabert Becker.

A funeral service will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday.

A memorial fund for various cancer and child-related charities has been established at Guaranty Bank & Trust Co., PO 1807, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406.

Published July 20 and 21, 2012 in The Gazette