The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-04


The cable report that the largesE fee
ever paid to a Scottish barrister for
one days services was that received
the other day by Thomas Shaw. K. c..
NJ, F.. of Edinburgh, OF 500 guineas, or
$50, tor defending tho two sons of
Henry Phipps against the charge of
shooting some OF Lord LOvat's en-
playes Tor poachinS on a salmon pool
tEat MIR. PhIpps had leased from Lord
LoVat, recalls Jns Story o. Boswell the
famous biOgrapher o. Dr. Johnson
Boswell once remarked tina. hii income
as Scottish barrister amounted Il ST.
OO0 year, and some more OF less sar-
caste friend, VINO heard ths story OF
Boswell S income. remarked thas lie
wondered what all the other Scottish
lawy eTs lived on.
OF course 1t ii scarcely probable that
the correspondent VINO made tbs asser-
ton that the 500 guineaG waa Ihi iarg-
ess fe1 ever p4lo 10 Scottish barrister
To- one days service could have accur-
ate information absolutely 10 support
h. statement. 1t il an indication. now
ever, that large Ieea are not common
in Scotland, anC inasmuch az Bosweli's
friend suggested that if Boswell got
$5t 600 a year there would bu nothing
left Tor any OF the other Scottish law
yeTj it seems 10 indicate thar the same
condition OF affairs existed in Bosweii's
time tina: exists now.
In this country accounts are fire.
quently heard o. big fees, some o. them
well authenticated and others brought
out apparently by some Lewis Jar
Wis., who took this method OF Impress
ms the public with his Importance.
There have been all kinds OF stories
printed at various times and many
others circulated by word OF mouth
that never were put in typa concerning
the immense Zee Which a well known
New York lawyer received for organ
izing the original Standard Oil trust.
While the trust was declared illegal by
the courts as an attempted evasion of
tho corporation laws and an an unlaw-
tul combination, it undoubtedly was
the forerunner of the big corpora tons
which followed, and probably gave the
name trust" to all the big corpora
lions which have since been organized.
Another story is mentioned o. g big
fee received by a New York lawyer
that of James 3. Dill, now judge in
New Jersey, for bringing about peace
between Andrew Carnegia and Henry
G. Friek, or at least compromising
their difficulties. If reports are true,
the matters We're adjusted within a
short period of time, and innumerable
yarns are afioat concerning Mr. Dil!s
Zee. it being reported on numerous oc-
casions that he received $780, zoe for
his services in this case. II thia IL true
the fee of the Scottish barrister be-
fore referred to sinks into insignili-
canoe. as Judge Dill is credited with
having brought about tho compromise
after a few days work.
y more recent case Of g large fee is
that said to have been received by VIII
liam Nelson Cromwell for bringing
about the transfer OF the interests of
the French Panama Canal company to
the United States government. Many
accounts have been printed about the
size of Mr.. Cromwells fee in this mat
ter, some of them making it al high
as S10,00c, 00c This fee was not earned
in a day, however, but only after long
and tiresome negotiations
Since lawyers fees have become the
subject of contract between thh lawyer
and the client. and are no longer con-
sidered as a honorarium, a5 they were
originally, many stories are frequently
heard about disputes between lawyers
and clients concerning fees. In a GER
tain class Of cases contingent fees APP
pear 10 be the rule. while among the
better class OF attorneys g case il rare
~ ever taken on a contingent basis.
With the advent Of the electric rail-
roads the numerous accidents due TO
the changed conditions of public traf-
fic opened the door to a thriving BUSH
ness for that class of lawyers known
as ambulance chaseTs.' AS the cli-
ents in these cases are, nine times out