The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-11

Elghth-The criminal lawyer, whose
practice is confined to defending crimi-
nails before the court. Comparatively
few lawyers are fitted for criminal
cases. The successful criminal LAWYER
is keen and smart, whether or not he is
great. He must be good pleader,
convincing speaker, and able to make
much out of little; q reader Of human
nature, and a manipulation Of the human
mind, which he must handle as the pot
ter moulds his clay, shaping it the way
he wants it to set.
The court lawyer, whether a criminal
lawyer or not, is not, as a rule, a good
desk lawyer; that is to say, his know
ledge of the manipulation Of the law
is greater than actual knowledge Of the
law itself. He is, to an extent, the
wind' of the law; and 1 say this in
no dlsparaging sense, because the
wind OF the lawmaybe as NECESSARY
to success in law as is the real sub
stance of law. Most so-called court
lawyers are connected with law firms,
so that their lack of ability in one di-
rection will be balanced by the capacity
OF their partners, one or more of whom
are indoor or desk lawyers, the other
attending to the court business
Very few men are able to success
fully handle more than one class of law
cases. The successful lawyer, special
list or not, is, however, proficient in
fundamental or general law. Without
this knowledge he could not practice
any branch Of it. He learns to be a
lawyer first, and afterwards to be a
specialist. r.
The boy likely to become good law
yer, and likely to make any kind Of a
success of himself in that profession,
not only possesses, but gives evidence
Of reasoning qualities, and has a
pronounced power of analysis. These
may be crude and undeveloped, but
they are there; and if examination will
not discover them in a boy they will not
come out in the man. At an early age,
the boy fitted to enter the law, can rea-
son out probable results from circum-
stantial data. To certain extent he
knows how to produce apparent fact
from possibility. He invariably en-
5.
OF apparent reasons, for every stand he
takes. He may or may not be more
than an ordinary student at school,
altho the bright lawyer usually devel.
ops from the bright scholar. Before
he has finished his common school edu-
cation, he has probably read one or
more law books; and very likely has
been a leader among his fellows at
mock trials and debates on complicated
subjects. =.@.>.e.7 .szs E
4 very large proportion of our young
attorneys-at-law and those who begin
to practice at the bar within twenty
years, are graduates of law schools.
Many of our older lawyers. read law in
law offices, and neither attended nor
graduated from law school, This
socalled law office education prevails
today, but to much less extent than IN
the past.
A classical college education cannot
be considered essential, but it is to be
most strongly advised. The graduate of
a college has a great advantage over
the man whose school education is linn
tied. The discipline of college work,
and the environment of college life,
irrespective Of what the college actual
ly teaches, are Of fundamental advan-
tage to the wouldbe lawyer Even if
it could be truthfully. said that the
classical college teaches nothing, and
that the graduate of the college OBJ
tanned nothing so far as mere
learning is concerned, I would en-
Enthusiastically recommend college
education to anyone who intends to
enter the legal profession. The asso-
Citations. begun at college will be of
ever-present value to him. I don't
mean to say that the lack of college
education prejudices his legal success.
The right kind of boy will become a
successful lawyer without college
education. The college, however,
helps, and helps nightly. 1 would,
therefore, advise anyone who intends
to become a lawyer to enter a classical
college and graduate from it, even at
great personal sacrifice. I would rec
commend the law school, as the we'll
equipped law school is in every respect
better than reading law in lawyers
office, altho many Of our most emf
nent attorneys did not graduate from
law schools .. .~-. s- ....,.....s