The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-27
THE LAWYER OF TODAY.
He Is Gradually Becoming Moro and More
of n Specialist.

He Is Gradually Becoming Moro and Mora
of IA Specialist.
Ihere Is as much learning hero in
the legal profession as ever. but it is
not on exhibition, said PHILADELPHIA
iaw.er. In tho first place, the courts
VIII not countenanco its undue display.
IN OLD times an advocate was allowed
great latitude. Formerly, in n case of
damages caused by neglected side
walk, the attorney would be allowed to
eXpound not only the laws relating to
damages for neglect, but he might
stray OH into the realms of medical iu-
rlsprudcnce at great length, and even
peEorate with an allusion to the Magma
Charta, the constitution and the Amer
lean eagle. At present II lawyer must
tontinc himself to the real merits of his
rase. The machinery of our courts has
grown too costly to permit such waste
OF time. 1t follows that there is less
oratorical skill displayed than in former
days, especially ut the period when some
OF our leading lawyers made Il specialtv
of criminal defense. Now few LAWYERS
of eminence, either in Philadelphia or
the east generally, undertake the d..
Tense i'll Il criminal case.
To-day the practice of law, like other
professions, is becoming more and more
specialized. a law office is simply a
business Office, as you may discover
by visiting some of the handsome new
office buildings down town. | know of
one Office where there are several part
ners, that would remind you of n bank
ing office, and where a bookkecpcr and
cDSIIpJ rl1nyn1 70 IF IL
typcwriters and other employees. You
will, however, still find veteran members
of the bar pursuing old time methods in
a coy, quiet Office, sitting at baizc COW
cred table amid wilderness of we'll
thuinbed books. They carry dark
green bag filled with briefs when they
go to court, precisely as all lawyers did
so years ago, and as London barristcrs
still DO.
. AS TO young lawyers, however tai
ented they may be, if without social or
political prestige. their struggle to adj
vance III the profession is sure to he
hard one. Practice now is often inner
tied or transmitted III some other way.
l could point out to YOU in Philadelphia
law firms that have been confined to the
members of one family or its collateral
branches since the Revolution.
g may say that there is an evident
impetus to change many useless old le-
gal methods. The remark of Lord Cole
ridge. when in this country. that there
We're many volumes of English legal de-
cisions which it would do no harm to
destroy, would answer as the main
spring of this impetus. Legislation is
certainly advancing in ths-tlIat mere
ly experimental general laws are passed
with greater difficulty than formcrlv.'
Another lawyer, older than the other.
said: Progress i'll the legal profession?
Progress is hardly Il term to apply to
law, for it is founded on precedents,
sometimes the older the better. For this
reason jurisprudence is the least pro-
| grcssive of the sciences Still there have
been. no doubt, improvements in meth
DDS of practice, though am not much
of code lawyer. have had to study
hard all my life. The younger lawyers
appear to do little of that They seem
to believe, with Aaron Burr, that law
is whatever is boldly advanced and
plausibly maintained. '"-Philadelphia
Record.