The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-03-24
ADMISSION TO THE BAR
judge Benet Writes Interesting Let
ter on Timely Subject.

Ter oh ~
, To Editor of The Press and Banner:
Your excellent and timely article
In last Wednesdays paper, on the
subjec. of Admission to the Bar"
gave me great pleasure. The subject
is of the utmost Importance to the
public as we'll as to the legal profess
sion. 1 agree with your sensible and
kindly criticism of the recent action
of the American Bar Association.
That body of learned lawyers know
better than the public knows, how
necessary it is that some, action must
be taken to maintain the high stand
ards proper to their profession. There
is no doubt that during the last for
ty or fifty years there has been a
manifest lowering Of those standards
in the United States. In every state
of the Union, unfortunately, there
are numerous members Of the bar
who practice law, not as an honor
able profession, but merely as a mon
ey-making trade. By them the ethics
of the profession are ignored. Many
of them, indeed, are totally ignorant
of those ethics. To act ~honorably and
honestly in the interest of his client,
! at the same time to act honor
ably and honestly as an officer of
the court in administering the law,
as the oath he took requires of him,
that, in brief, embraces the main
ethics of the lawyers profession. So
many lawyers fall short of this that
it is no wonder that the American
Bar Association is anxious to rid
their profession Of members who are
unworthy Of it and who are every
where bringing reproach on what
should be known as an honorable
profession.
The sacred ministry, medicine and
law, these have always been called,
and regarded as honorable profess
sions. It has always been held that a
clergyman, a physician, a lawyer, to
be worthy of his profession should
be a man of good character, good
education and good manners, in
short, a gentleman, in the true sense
of that fine old term. To the credit
of the clergy and the doctors, in
spite of a few black sheep in the
clerical flock and numerous quack
doctors, they have been more sue
cessful than the lawyers in maintain
ing the high standards of their pro-
LESSONS.
The remedy proposed by the Bar
Association to cure the admitted
evil, is to require that the applicant
for admission to the bar must have
had two years of college training and
must be a graduate vof a ~three-year
law school.
This proposed remedy, it seems to
me, does not touch the evil COM
planned of. 1t provides for a good
education; but the legal profession
is not suffering from lack of educa-
ton. The disease it suffers from is
lack of good character. Will a five
years. college course cure that dis
ease? Will it rid the membership of
the bar of the ambulance-chaser, the
railroad wrecker, the damage-suit
pettifogger? These are the men
who lower the standards of their
profession, the men who make their
living by bringing suits for damages
On contingent fees, men who hunt up
r"nt3 and ask to be employed, men
who sometimes employ touts to
Ir;ng suits for damages to their Of
flee, mcn who rush to the scene of
I. railroad accident or send their
agent there to secure lawsuits for
Tic injured passengers.
No five-year college education can
"AaHge the character of such men.
:. ms always seemed to me that the
Custom Of bringing suits Cor damages
or contingent fees is more than any
thng else, the cause Of the lowering
oi the professional standards. | re-
gard the contingent fee rs the curse
Of the legal profession. l wish the
American Bar Association and all