Two traits that characterized President Ford were his loyalty and ethical nature.  In 1974, these traits prevented him from considering that President Nixon may resign and he could possibly occupy the Oval Office.  In May of that year, Philip Buchen, a Law Weathers partner and one of President Ford's closest friends secretly began preparations for his presidency.  The planning began in May of 1974 with Mr. Buchen and Clay Whitehead, director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy.  Mr. Buchen believed that Vice President Ford's staff could not be relied on to establish an orderly transition to the Oval Office.  So, he took matters into his own hands and began secretly planning a transition without Vice-President Ford's knowledge.  Mr. Buchen had no legal staff at the ready in Washington so he called upon two attorneys at Law Weathers to research the legal issues of a possible transition and, in particular, the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution. 

The issues and scenarios that Law Weathers researched were complex and had considerable constitutional implications. Due to Mr. Nixon's resignation on August 8, 1974, the legal conclusions were never "put to the test".  Nevertheless, the work done kept Law Weathers fresh on Mr. Buchen's mind.  He enlisted the firm's assistance in the early days of Ford's presidency as he assumed the role of White House counsel without having the benefit of a White House legal staff.