The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-08-14
LAWYERS CHARGES.
The Big Fees Some Of Them Have
Received in this Country.


Troy Press: Yesterday the Press
informed its readers through a spe-
clal telegram from New York of
certain high fees charged by law
yers in the Vanderbilt will case. AS
was there stated, Mr.. Henry L. Clin-
ton charged $250,OOO. Mr.. Clinton
was attorney in the case, which was
well worked up, and probably his
bill contains items of money ex-
pended by him for detective service
and other matters. Judge Geo. f.
Comstock, of Syracuse, charged and
received $4,000.
We learn that Mr.. Vanderbilt de-
clines to pay Mr.. Clinton's tremen-
dous bill. and we don't blame him
for it is utterly absurd that any
lawyer should receive in one case,
and that only of short duration, q
larger sum than one lawyer In a mil
lion makes by a lifetime of hard
work; and we think that Judge
Comstock (whose bill for sitting in
this case and looking wise, and oc-
casionally arguing a point of law,
was very modest in comparison with
Clinton's) has great reason for
commencing Mr.. Vanderbilt's gen
erosity.
We learn that Mr.. Scott Lord,
the counsel for the contestant Of
the will, received 100000. These
immense fees are beyond anything
ever known or heard of, not only in
this country, but in foreign lands.
The famous lawyers of England or
France have never received such
sums even in cases of much longer
continuance. To be sure there have
been very few, if any, cases inyolv
ing such an immense amount of
money, for there have been very
few men in the world worth so much
property as Cornelius Vanderbilt
left. During the entire eight years
which the famous Warren Hastings
trial went on none of the lawyers
received such heavy fees. In the
even,more famous case of"Jurndyce
and ,Jarndyce," the reporter of that
case is silent in regard to the fees
of the counsel, bnt we presume they
consumed the estate.
Erskine, the leader of the English
bar in his time, and one of the most
brilliant lawyers Great Britain ever
produced, never received a greater
yearly income than 100000, and
not more than $4,000 in any one
case. Sir James Scarlett, after
wards Lord Abinger, a very sue
cessful lawyer, had an income GER
tainly not to exceed Erskine's. The
same is true of Garrows, another
Great English lawyer. Ballanyyne
received from the British Govern
ment a very large fee for going to
Calcutta to try murder case, but
a largePart=of-l was consumed in
expenses.
America takes the lead in big law
yer's fees, and it is only within a
dozen years or so that our lawyers
have been SO lucky. Pinckney,
Webster, Choate, or any of our
great lawyers in times past never
dreamed of such extravagant bills.
The first great fee ever known in
this country was received by Clark
son N. Porter IN the foreclosure of
the Canandaigua railroad not many
years ago. 1t is stated that he re-
ceived 100000 in that case. 1t is
reported that Charles O'Conner re-
ceived $4,000 in the Jumel will
case and 100000 in the Parrish
will case. In the latter case Judge |
John X. Porter and Daniel Lord re-
,eived large fees,
To come to our own city, which
8 seldom far behind in anythi ng,
he late Henry Burden paid his law
'ers upwards of $4,000 in the ia
nous Spike case, and ex Chancellor
Valworth, the referee in that case,
eceived $4,000 referees fees. In
he Marshall will case Townsend d.
Browne received $4,000.