The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-02-24


.<1zY K. kzRSzYJ -
AT the first hearing the decision was
against the women.
There was still a forlorn hope. A
great lawyer could save the $4,000
for the women. Would Mr.. johnson
undertake itg There were two dis
couragements to such a plan. The evi-
dence was unusually complicated. To
disentangle the facts would be worth
lawyers fee that would probably
leave little OF the estate.
Nevertheless the women's lawyer
took the papers to Mr.. Johnson. He
said he would read them overnight It
was one OF Mr.. Johnson's peculiarities
that by ignoring details he can reach
the very heart of the controversy in
the shortest possible time, then ex-
press the gist Of it in a few simple
words The next day the women's
lawyer called on Mr. Johnson.
IN take the case" ne said.
He did so and fought the case
through the county and appellate
courts. He saved the s45.OOO for the
women.
What will be your fee, Mr. John
SOM" one of his clients asked.
Il will charge you $1,000 he re-
piled. When the women recovered
from their surprise, they were rather
hurt. They were proud, and felt that
Cley were an object Of the lawyers
charity Mr.. Johnson was stubborn
about 1t. He insisted that his services
were worth no more.
Fees Past and Present.
A lawyer who is an authority on
the question Of fees, drew an interest
ing comparison between the altered
standards Of fees, past and present.
"The lawyers Of the old school" he
said, had very moderate notion OF
fees. When / was a student under
Mr.. Evarts and Mr.. Choate $3.50
seemed to be an average fee and $500
the exceptional fee. with tendency
to charge women little or nothing,
think Mr.. Choates fees all his life
have been much less than is charged
OF supposed to have been charged in
exceptional cases by men like Guth-
rie and Cromwell"
The lawyer continued:
Always what seems a large fee to
the up-country legislator is really a
small fee down here. Expenses are
larger. Loss in other business is many
times as large as in the up-country
districts.
CAS- to contingent fees. there are
many popular misconceptions. In the
first place, many a monopoIist would
90 unwhipped of justice, as the courts
have said in their opinions, but for
the fact that the poor man who has no
money or the man OF moderate means
who feels he cannot risk money can
employ counsel on a contingent fee.
Il personally believe that no pro
vision in our statutes is more Ameri
can, in the better sense than the pro
vision for a contingent fee. Every law
yer Of standing, in some shape Of
another, makes his fee contingent IN
part or entirely upon his success. No
modern lawyer would think Of charg
ing a full fee on a failure. except in
the rare case Of a client whom he
never expects to see again. know
that some charge too large contin
gent fee, but many charge only 10. II
and 20 per cent, and some charge
as little as five per cent. in rare in
stances.
How Rewards Are Fixed.
"A student went to James Russell
Lowell and said: Professor, l thInl
you have marked me unjustly.' Sir,
said Mr.. Lowell, with his grand cour
tesy, I would not willingly wronl
you; will you tell me how you thinl
you should be marked?' The student
set forth his views. and Mr. Lowell
admitted them. / think 1t has beer
the common practice OF such men al
Mr.. Choate and Mr.. Evarts to asl
clients their view about their fee and
to fix the fee largely accordingly
And then, even more than with th'
medical profession, It is the custom o
lawyers TO make low charges to thu
poor and unfortunate. and to chargl
women little OF nothing"
But the surprising fact remains, al
one lawyer said. that Of the 11,OOl
lawyers, fully two-thirds, or 1900 o
them, do not make more than 5000
a year.
Yet at this estimate, the 1900 Rttor
neys earn nearly $22.000,000 The q
lawyers making 100000 each put an
other 81 100000 into their pockets
! Allowing $1,000 each for the s,e0l
, practitioners remaining--a conserVa
tive estimate-they would add SIS
375,0 900 to the expense bills Of litiganta
Wizard Of "Mungo Park"
) The Berllner Tageblatt. reviewing
c recently published biography 0
) ThomaS A. Edison, tells Of the trial