Frederick P. Furth was born in Harvey, Illinois, a first generation American. His father immigrated from Germany and his mother's parents from Poland. He remembers his father as a kind, quiet individual who struggled mightily during the Great Depression to provide for his wife and four children. Fred credits his mother's faith in his potential as the impetus for his extraordinary accomplishments.
Graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in 1956, Fred enrolled in the University of Michigan Law School and received his LL.B in 1959. At school, he met many foreign lawyers studying comparative law. Following graduation and service in the military, he traveled to Europe and studied comparative law at the University of Berlin and the University of Munich. "Berlin was my finishing school," says Fred. There he lived with a distinguished and cultured family who introduced him to theatre, opera, symphonies and wine.
When he returned to the United States, he worked for four years as an associate with a Wall Street law firm. "I never intended to stay in New York, but I was determined to experience the law from the perspective of the elite Wall Street firms." Fred's own preference is "to be the best, not the biggest."
