The Topeka state journal., 1899-04-28
LAWYERS EXCITED
Topeka Attorneys Looking For
a Certain Individual.
They Have Been Grated" and
Don't Like It.
is 1T BLACKMA1L?
BLACKMAIL?
Has Taken Pains to Place
Grades on Practitioners.
Men at the Head of the PrOfes'
sion Marked Second Rate.
Others Who Seldom Appear in
Court Given Higher Grade.

on the war path and are seeking the
scalp of the parties who are responsible
for the rating of the members of the
Shawnee county bar association in a
certain legal directory.
This directory is a publication about
as thick as Webster's unabridged die
t1onary and about the size otherwise as
common law book. 1t contains the
names of every lawyer in the United
States and some of those of foreign
countries. 1t is compiled on the same
plan as is Dun's or Bradstreet's COM
mercial rating books and purports to
rate the attorneys whose names it
gives with reference to ability and in
tegrity, except in the large cities.
The book is used by two classes of
people-buSineSS men who have consid-
cradle legal business to attend to in
different parts of the country, and law
yers who have business to be trans
acted in towns where they are not
acquainted.
Attorneys are rated according to their
legal ability, their integrity, their finan-
c1al standing, and their promptness in
paying bills. If a business man has
legal business to be looked after in an
other state where he knows nothing
about the attorneys or the laws of the
state, he can consult his directory find
a man who is rated as being an able
lawyer and at the same time has un-
doubted integrity, and he can entruSt
his business to him. If a lawyer in
Maine has a mortgage to foreciose in
kansas, he can consult his directory
pick out the man he wants and send
his business to him. The directory pur-
ports to give the rating of the different
lawyers as nearly as it can be ascer-
tanned.
But this book is in disfavor in To-
peka. There are only five or six COPIES
in the city, and these are supposed to
be strictly confidential and for the use
of subscribers only, but most of the at
n
their rating in the publication, and as
result the atmosphere around some
offices is lurid.
The trouble started through some at
torney getting hold of the book in the
office of law firm which is a subscrib-
er- one day some brother attorney ran
across the directory and proceeded to
look up his own rating as we'll as that
Of several other attorneys He went
out and told some of the others what
he had discovered, and soon others be-
gan to drop in to consult the library.
Without saying anything to the owners
about it they would hunt up the direc-
tory and study the Topeka ratings In
less than a week there was a steady
stream OF attorneys going to consult
this famous library. There appeared to
be no other law library in town. Their
office was the mecca of the legal pro-
fession apparently.
The proprietors of the book did not
know what gave their office such un-
wonted popularity, until they noticed
that the directory was always among
the books which was left out of the
shelves after the visitors had gone
away. Then they hid the book The
lawyers still kept coming, but it took
them longer to find their '+authoritieS''
than it had before, and they went away
dissatisfied. Finally some of them be-
gan to ask to see the directory, but
were refused.
By that time, however, nearly every
lawyer in Topeka knew how he was ra-
n IA IL
among themselves in secret. 1t has
now reached the stage where each one
knows that all the rest know all about
1T, and there is a movement on foot to
call a meeting of the bar association to
investigate the matter and pass reso-
lutions concerning the ratings if need
be.
Most of insurgents blame Dobbs
& Stoker with responsibility for the
ratings.
''It is said that Dobbs &. Stoker are
put down as first-cIass lawyers" said
one attorney, while David Overmyer
is put down as a second-class. That is
what makes so many of the lawyers
hot. Thomas Archer is put down in the
same class with Overmyer, and A. B.
Quinton is put down a third rate
lawyer. 1t is these glaring inequalities
that make the attorneys mad about it."
Mr.. StOker denies that his firm is re-
Sponsible for the ratings.
I'VE represent the collection agency
in Topeka" he said land for that rea-
son we are furnished a copy of the
directory. But the directory is entirely
separate from the collection business
and do not know who is responsible
for the ratings in the 1899 directory.
We assisted in making the ratings four
years ago, but understand that differ
ent attorneys are asked to make the
ratings each year. Then no one mans
judgment is taken in the matter. Three
different attorneys are asked to make
the ratings, and the rating which is put
down in the book is made up from the
combined judgment of these three. No
one outside the offices knows who these
attorneys are who make the ratings. Be
cause we represent the collection agency
some of the lawyers have jumped at the
conclusion that we make the ratings
for the book published by the firm, but
it is not true.
Il think myself that Mr.. Quinton
should have been given a higher rating
tremely difficult matter to get it exact,
because there are so many points to
be taken into consideration. 1 don't
know that Mr.. Overmyer has anything
to kick about-he is rated in the second
class as regards legal ability and in the
highest class in other respects. don't
know as he ought to be placed in the
same class with Judge Horton
Most of the attorneys, however, are
of the opinion that the rating of Mr.
OVermyer is a glaring injustice.
The legal ability of attorneys is des-
ignated in the directory by a, b, C, d and
e. The letter "a signifies that the at
torney stands high in his procession.
while ''e'' after his name denotes that
he doesn't know a thing about law. In
tegrity is designated by the letters V, W,
x, Y and z. The letter W. after an at
torney's name denotes that he will do
| his best by his client and will deal just
ly with him. while ''z'' means that he
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