Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-24
SOME LAWYERS BIG FEES
FORTUNES MADE THROUGH
GAINING A SINGLE CASE.

$780, 900 Received IA One Fee by a
Member of the Savannah Barlow
yers who Have Made Snug Fortunes
i'm Their Prsotice-sOme Things Not
Generally Known About sRvannahs
Legal Fraternity.
The Savannah bar has wide spread
and deserved reputation both for the
ability Of its members and the hightoned
and gentlemanly manner in which they
carry on the practice of the profession.
/ President Cleveland showed that he rec
! Ognlzed the ability OF at least two OF these
learned legal lights when he appointed
| Generals Henry r. Jackson and A. X.
Lawton to represent the United States at
the Mexican and Russian courts. 1t is a
subject of remark throughout the State
that the requirements OF professional cour-
tesy are more strictly adhered to, and
that the tricks Of the profession are less
frequently resOrted TO by the members or
the savannah bar than anywhere in
Georgia. This may be due to the innate
good qualities of the savannah
lawyer or 1t may be be-
cause the profession is less crowded
| here than in most OF the other Georgia
sertiOn is almost universally admitted by
the Georgia bar.
This years city directory shows that
there are all told siXty-ive lawyers in
Savannah. Atlanta can discount this
number about three times and then have
few left over, and Augusta, Macon and
Columbus all exceed 1t in proportion 10
their populations. OF SaYannah's sixty
five lawyers there are at least thirty who
fuht ha In xrTr avg a
is those who have been at the bar for less
than ten years, or are under 80 years OF
age.
Among the members Of the American
| Bar Association are numbered fifteen or
twenty of Savannah's lawyers, more than
from any other Georgia city, and the ma
iOrity of the total, sixty-fve,
are members of the State Associa-
| ton. The old saying that "birds
OF feather flock together" is fully up
held here. In that small portion OF the
city between Bull and DraytOn streets on
the west and east and Bay and Bryan on
the north and south, at least foTty-fve OF
the profession have their Offices, and the
remaining twenty can be found within a
stones throw on one side or the other.
Criminal practice in Savannah, as in
good many other cities, does not pay
much for the simple reason that persons
W uO are dTIalEDeu On lu6 cTIllludi Slub vi
the court are, as a rule, unable TO pay
large fees. Civil practice pays much
better than criminal, and the settling OF
estates is the most lucrative part OF this
| department of the law.
The lawyers report what are known
as big fees as exceedingly
scarce at present in any branch
of the profession. There have
been some big ones though received by
lawyers who are now in active practice
here. Gen. Henry X. jackson added the
snug sum of $250,000 to his fortune by
means of TWO of these fees. He re-
ceiVed a check for a cool 800, 900
in compensation for services rendered
| in the famous case against the Jackson
vile, Pensacola aud Mobile railroad,
which be brought to a successful close In
| 1881. A year later, when the litigation
against the Vicksburg, Shreveport and
Pacific railroad was concluded, together
| with fees and what he made by buying
the bonds OF the road at a low figure and
selling at a higher, he found himself richer
by $l50,000. These two are undoubtedly
the largest single fees ever made by Sa-
vannah lawyer.
Judge w. s. Chisholm pocketed the neat
sum OF 500, 800 for legal services in fore
| closing a mortgage against the old At
| lantic and Gulf railroad. Gen. A. r.
| Lawton and Capt. Robert Falligant were
! also interested in this case and received,
respectively, $l2, 800 and $4,000 in salts
faction of their claims for services rem
| deTed.