The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-11 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

• -ATTC4NIES AND SOLICITORS.
Mn. Earrott—l believe that it is usual in most..

eases to allow 'to the original proposer of a ques-
tion, a reply to the answers of those who differ.
Ivith. him, and I therefore claim from your •COur-
.
te.tY the customary privilege.
:The object of my letter addressed to-1,4r. Ser-
jeOt CVsLoW, which you inserted in your Paper
of!the 31st of March, was to propose, first, that
the principle upon which Attornies and Solicitors
are-... restrained from taking more than •two Ar-
ticLed Clerks, at any one period should be fur-
ther extenclEd, nod that they should be allowed
to. take, . on% one ,at a time,. and that not until
the.y should have. been of a certain standing •in
their .profession. 2ndly, That Attornies. should
iot. be permitted to practice until 25 years of.
age-7-and 3dly, That the present Stamp duty on
Articles, of Clerkship should be doubled. These
were my propositions; the propriety of which I
attempted .to show- by urging in support of my
fs st.proposition. the enormous increase. of Attor-
ul s and Solicitors. That almost every private
:family has some member of it either in the

or. bringing up to the law—and that to afford to
. such vastly inrrea.sed and increasing numbers a.
competent livelihood, business must be •forced--or
"'rade .for their support, of course at a cost to the
acid to. the encouragement of litigation.—
In support. of my 2d. proposition I merely stated
my,conviction, that it was sufficiently early for a
profe'isional man to -be entrusted• with the ma-
nagement of the fortrnes and property of others
at 23 years.of age—and in support of my 3d sug-
gestion. I urged that. money was one of the in-,
gredients of respectability, and that no •person;
should lie brought .up to a profession- in which
'there is so much temptation and. opportunity to
,ito wrong, who is not in some measure placed
abov the temptation by a moderate independ-
ence of his own,..out of which he should be able
to, pay the. duty proposed.
In answer to, or-in observation upon, this let-
+..er, two .others have appeared, the • one signed.
ccA _Barrister," and the other ." An Articled I
Clerk." .
.

" A Barrister" differs with me as to the defi-
nition of the word respectability, of which he
dues not, seem-inclined" to allow that money forms
any-portion. But as he agrees with my prOposi,
tiOns.generally, I shall not stop to discuss this
point with him, for I believe there are few who
do not. know that practically, and in the common
acceptation of the word; riches do form a very
material ingredient in the compound term of re-
spectability,.and do:afford a considerable exemp-
tion frorrr the inducements to dishonesty. -

" Au Articled Clerk" deserves from me much
more attention; he. has fairly taken op the ques-
tion, without attempting; to quibble upon the
!pearling, of a word ; and- though I cannot but
think that- his observations are more ingenious
than substantial, he nevertheless seems to be one
of those few who use discussion as !means to ar-
rive. at truth, without stepping aside to vituperate
his opponent.. He considers that the restriction
proposed would lessen competition by creating
a monopoly, and he justly terms monopoly a pub-'
lic-notsance. But I am not disposed to-admit that
the limiting a Solicitor to the taking one Articled
Clerk at .a time would be in any sense of the word al
nron.opoly, and, I. think I can satisfy your readers
and your correspondents that my view is correct.
Our great. Lexicographer, Dr. Johnson, says, ",a
monopoly is an exclusive privilege..of selling any
thing.'.ia There- are. now about seven thousand.
A.ttornia" Eitgland and Wales : eade of these,
according to the proposed limitation, would, be.
able to take one 'Articled Clerk.evevy 'five years.
Allowing to each of these to practice for twenty
years only, he would, during that period, be able
to take four clerks, so that if only the number at
present practising were to take a clerk, there'
would. be, in 20 years, %B,ooo.new Ittornies., to
say. nothing of those who- would, in the mean
whilea.have become competent to take clerks,7=----
Now, T .will ask of your correspondent's- good.
sense,ilthis can ,he considered practically either'
as limiting competition or creating a monopoly ?
It.is not necessary for me now to contend for the'
principle of some such restriction as that pro-
posed.. • It bas for years been admitted in the
present 'Jim' itation to two clerks, and it hAs been
carrii.d•sti-11 rajZ.ller with Proctors; who riot only'
cannot'talce more than oneclerk, but cannot even,
take 00 until *the principal shall have been very
many years in the profession, and there shall be
only a certain number remaining. ,
An Articled. Clerk" objects,. 2dly, to the
restraining an Attorney from practisin'ar until
years of age, observing, that age is a very fallible;
criterion of A man's judgment,, and further,' that
etien 44 An Old Practitioner" may not poEses,s
half the talents of a Clerk whose articles have just
'er.pirect. It is impossible to deny this; but an.
oarasionar exception affords no solid. argument
against at general rule, if the generalarule be
good-Una hirwitio not facit cetatem. 'NOW' the
law has
.the period, at_ whieli arnan
shall succeed to his estate. and `air to Cain.
'other Vriyileges.
.By parity of
1., with
your Corre'spond'ent, some lads better'
'competent to manage an estate the . er men
at'2l; but the' line Must be d' •yr _ewhere..
If may be true,thfil Age does •..,,t r .. :r talents,
hUt it gives experience, even. to foots. 'Talents
-alone will not constitute a good LawyerL---A net-,
tame experience 'in the ways of men' (le
world is equally necessary, and frequetatf? more
'S6., and it is inipossible that a man 1at..214
ever clever, can possess this experience;;-she rng'y'
be competent to enter upon the pOsseasion,,itne
perhaps to manage his own estate, but if he-lids;
manage it, he alone suffers,.. whereks a want' of
experience, either legally or, worldly, on the part
of a Lawyer, may often plunge. Client into,liti--
ation, and perhaps into ruin. 'lt follows there-
fore, I think,. whatever are-the talents of a man
at 21., be they many or be Aney.few, that they
Will be ripened and improved, ; and (what may
hd necessary also)„, corrected at- .25, If to this
•
restriction thc .'examination 'proposed by your
Correspondent be added, :the security of the
public will be greatly assisted:
As there have not been any objections started
to my 3rd proposition of increasing the duty on