Soon after taking up editorship of the "Bee", Chase also attended classes at Howard University Law School in 1883–1884. Continuing his editorial duties, Chase did not take a law degree and maintained his legal studies privately. He was admitted to the bar in Virginia and in Washington, D.C., in 1889, and practiced law thereafter in Washington. His standing as a lawyer and editor made Chase a Republican Party leader in Washington, and Chase was named as a District of Columbia delegate to the Republican national conventions held in 1900 and 1912.