The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-17
cLEvELASD's Law PRACTICES


yers in New York.
New York Letter
= | wonder If Grover Cleveland viii
make as large an income out of his
law practice as he earned in the past
four years
This remark came from tall, strik-
ing man, who sat at table in cor
ner of the magnificent dining-room OF
the Lawyers Club in the Equitable
building. 1t was Saturday afternoon.
A number of lawyers were taking q
leisurely dinner at the club, and the
most distinguished looking among
them was the gentleman whose curl
Gus remark opens this paragraph. He
Is member Of the law firm OF Hoad-
ley, Lauterbach and Johnson.
His gross income may equal or
even exceed his former salary said
another prominent lawyer, "but what
win be left when all the expenses are
deducted ?n
Twenty years ago lawyer whose
income amounted to SO 600 q year was
considered to be at the topmost round
Of the ladder. He had q dingy Office
away up under the roof of some tall
building, and his clients pulled and
perspired as they climbed up to his
den. There was no elevator then and
no easy chairs to rest in.
Things have changed. The lawyer
of exactly the same calibre as the one
of twenty years ago is no longer a
musty, dried-up bundle OF legal lore.
He Is q handsome, smiling well dressed
man. His face is round and full: his
clothes are of the most fashionable
cut, probably made by Bell, and he is
q society man ard bon rigum.
Instead of paying $50 year for
his Office and furnishing it at an ex-
pense of 500 or less, he pays from
5000 to 5000 rent and perhaps five
times as much for fitting it up. He
employs dozen assistants.
Another significant thing must be
mentioned. The old-time LAWYER
made his fortune ont OF hard work
and solid attainments. Some of the
most prominent and successful law
yers of to-day are business men who
have shrewdly surrounded themselves
with clever lawyers, or society men
who can influence wealthy clients.
Taken altogether, the rent, the
salaries of assistants, the furniture,
the commissions, the tips to politicians
who have the ears of the judges,
amount to vast sum annually and a
lawyer with a gross income of $75 600
may be considered fortunate IL he car
ries away more than one-third of it as
profit. .
8 visited some prominent law Offices
with my friend. The most elegant /
saw is occupied by Sewail Il Pierce
the counsel for the New York Mutual
Life Insurance Company, Mr.. Rob-
ert sewall's private room looks more
like the study of a Vanderbilt than
the office OF lawyer. All the fIrni-
ture is mahogany, artisticaily carved
A wonderful sofa, high backed and
upholstered IN pressed leather, is the
most striking piece. 1t is about Is
feet long and feet wide. A beautiful
wool carpet and an immense carved
desk and other objects of wonder. A
private toilet room and private ele-
water add TO Mr.. Sewall's comforts.
From his windows can be seen the
New York bay. Brooklyn bridge and
the East river.
In the same building Judge Leslie
w. Russell, senior counsel for Judge
Hilton in the Stewart will case. has a
beautiful suite OF Offices, commanding
the same royal view OF the bay and
river. The Judge is an athlete, and
has pulling machine and 3 pair OF
Indian clubs in a corner of his Office.
Col Ingersoll's Offices are handsome
aad expensive, too. but the walls are
conceded behind rows upon rows of
handsomely bound law books which
cost him fortune.
| found two law firms OF universal
reputation that are exceptions 10 the
modern rule. Evarts, Choate aau
Beaman occupy very plain Offices.
They are far superior, however. To
those they left recently. There Is a
wicked ruTnor ailoat 20 the effect that
Senator Evarts was opposed "a NOV
ing until one rainy day the water
leaked through the roof and blurred
IS words in sentence that he had
spent three hours in building.
Shipman, Barlow, Iaracque K
Choate, the firm that lost over q quar-
ter of million dollars through their
managing clerk. James T.. BedelI.
cling 20 the ramshackie Offices they
have occupied for wears. Though the
members are nearly all niilionaires,
the walls of their offices are
cracked. and the fnors are bare and
dirty. YET these two firms make
very large incomes. Bangs 4 Sfet-
son. the nrfn with which Mr.. Ceve-
land has thrown his fortunes, occupy
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