The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-31
CLEVELAND's LAW PRACTICE.
The Net Earnings of the Best Lawy ers
in New York.
Copyright, 1897


Copyright, 1891
NEW York, March 3o.-"I wonder II
Grover Cleveland will make as large an
come out of his law practice as he has
earned in the past four years"
This remark came from tall, strikiag
man who sat at table 10 a corner of the
magnificent dining room Of the Lawyers
Club in the Equitable building. IL was
Saturday afternoon. A number OF lawyers
were leisurely taking q dinner at the club
and the most distinguished nking among
them was the gentleman whose Gu ious re-
marx opens this para raph. He is a MEM
Der of the law firm Of Hoadly, Lauterbach
ard johnson.
"Hi' gross income may equal or even ex-
coed his former salary said another promi-
nent lawyer, but what will be left when all
the expenses are deducted"
Twenty years ago a lawyer whose iu-
come amounted to $4,000 year was con-
side ed to he at the topmost round of the
ladder He had dingy Office away up I'M
der the roof of some tall building, and his
clients putfed and perspired as they climbed
up 20 his den. There was no elevator then
and 10 easy chairs to rest in.
Things have changed. The lawyer Of
exactly the same caliber as the one Of
twenty years ago is no longer a musty,
dried-up bundle Of legal lore. He is a hand
some, 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 society man and a bon-Ut-
cant.
"Instead of paying $3.50 a year for his
office aud furnishing it at an expense Of $500
or less he paws from $4,000 to $1,000 rent
and perhaps five times rs much for fitting
it up. He EMPLOYS dozen assistants.
Another significant thing must be men,
toned. The old-time lawyer made his for
tn, ont of ard work and solid attain
ments Some of the most prominent and
successful lawyers OF to-day are business
men who have shrewdly SUI rounded them
selves With clever lawyers, or society mon
who can flue lce wealthy clients
Taken altogether, the ent the salaries
of a sistants, the furniture, the commissions,
the tips to politicians who have the. ears OF
the judges, amount to vast sum annually
a d lawyer with gross Income Of $40, 900
may be considered fortunate il he carries
away more than one-third of 1t as profit"
visited some prominent law offices with
my friend. The mo t elegant i saw is oc-
cupied by Sewall and Pierce, the counsel
for the New York Mutual Life In urance
Company. Robert Sewal's private room
looks more like the study of Vanderbilt
tina the office of a lawyer. All the furni-
ture is nah 1gany, a is'ically carved A
wonderful sofa, high backed and up lolstered
i , pressed leather, is the most striking piece.
1t is about Is feet long aud feet wide A
beautiful wood carpet and an IL me1se
carved desk are other objects of womb. A
private toilet room and a private elevator
add to Mr.. Sewal's comforts. From his
windows can be seen the New York bay,
Brooklyn bridge and the East river
In the same building, Ju lge Leslie w.
Russell, Sc Tor counsel for Judge Hilton in
the Stewart will case, has a beautiful ute
of offic S, commanding TIE same royal view
lete and has pulling machine and pair Of
Indian clubs in a corner of his Office.
Col. Ingersoll's offices are handsome and
expensive, too, but the walls are copcealed
behind rows upon rows OF handsomely
bound La books which cost him fortune.
found two law firms OF univer al reputa-
ton that are exceptions to the modern rule
Evarts, Choate and Beaman occupy very
PLAN Offices. They are far superior, how
ever, TO those they left recently There ia a
wioAed rum II afioat to the effect that Sei-
ator Evarts was opp sed TO moving until
o rainy : the watsr leaked through the
roof and blurred ii.ry-fve words of SEN
tence that ne had spent three hours in
building.
Ship nan. Barlow, Laracque and Choat e,
the firm that lost over S250,0)0 throu gh
til ir managing clerk, James f.
Bedell, cling to theramshackle offices
hey have occupied for years Though
the mem ers are nearly all millio l.
aires the walls of their offices are cracked
an the floors are bare and dirty. Yet
these two firms make very large incomes.
Bangs and Stetson, the firm with which Mr..
Clevela d has thrown his fortunes occupy
handsome but magnificent offices.
i WUgON .IOuNaON