The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-02-03
OWELLS ON VALUE or Law
Business Men Need Legal knowledge,
He Says, and Vice Versa, Lawyers
Need Wide General Education
to Succeed.

General and diverse knowledge is as
necessary to the lawyer who is to be a
success as is that gained from the text
books prescribed in the course he fol
lows to get his degree of LID, was
the fact emphasized by Edward G.
Theirs, one of the lay members Of the
Kenosha Bar association, and who, al
though graduate lawyer, is not in
active practice, in an address before
that association at a dinner this noon
in the haywood Hotel. Mr.. Theirs
subject was "The Lawyer as a Bust
ness Man., and he made it plain that
the lawyer who is not scholar, a sci
enlist, commercial expert, a doctor
Of medicine to some extent, and dab
bier in all the other arts, sciences and
languages will not rise to the highest
eminences of his profession.
"'To be a perfect lawyer one would
need to know every trade and profess
sion, +" said Mr.. Theirs. "Every issue
joined in suit at law, except possibly
small percentage of the criminal
practice, involves trade, profession,
or calls for knowledge Of business in
one of its varied forms.
81 venture to say that within the
experience of every lawyer present it
has often happened that some special
knowledge outside his law books has
heen used to good advantage when
seeking to apply the law to his
clients needs.
"The skillful and successful lawy-
II is the one who at once sets to work
t, learn from laymen the details of
the business directly or indirectly in
volved in the litigation.
Needs Lay knowledge.
"How often have we noticed a
lawyer upon cross examination of a
witness show his ignorance regarding
the subject matter involved and the
witness at times get the better of
the contest owing to his more ac-
curate knowledge.
"Of course, it is not possible within
the few years allotted to us to learn
every trade and profession or to obtain
more than passing knowledge of more
than few of them. On the other
hand, it is possible for the average
man to obtain knowledge of the fun
damental principles of the common
law, and such knowledge, and more
than that the training incident to
obtaining such knowledge will be of
inestimable benefit to him.
Tn enlarging upon the value to the
ordinary business man of legal tr-.a-
ing, Mr.. Theirs gave instances of how
firms are easily mulcted through con
tracts with Cookers" in them, quite
undiscernible to the unframed eye.
cone of the first and most import
ant lessons lawyer learns is to hold
his temper. In justice to himself or
his client lawyer cannot afford to
lose control of himself for one instant =
Mr. Theirs gave away one of the
secrets of the game when he said that
often when two opposing lawyers
seem to be giving examples of
uncontrollably bad tempers, it is
on both sides but a move in the
game made with the idea of teas
ing the opponent into really losing his
temper. When court adjourns those
two lawyers, to the surprise of the lay
man 60 wandering off together amiably.
Needs Lawyer Anyway.
Mr.. Theirs is not of the opinion that
a business man, even if he has con-
siderable legal education, can profit
ably attempt conducting his affairs
without lawyer.
''The most marked example," said
Mr. Theirs, "of lawyer actively en-
gagged in business is, of course, Judge
Gary, chairman of the board of direc-
tors of the United States steel
corporation.
"While, no doubt, Judge Gary is in
close touch with his legal department,
/ fancy he would not dictate to his
council on question of law; much
less would be undertake to do any of
the work. The value of legal training
to the business man is more in educa-
ton; in development of the mental
faculties. The training of the mind to
be mentally honest, if / may use
such an expression; the ability to