Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-26
LAW OFFICE At
WASHINGTON HAS
A STAFF Of 900
Veterans Bureau Boasts OF
Having What Is Probably
the Largest Legal Staff
in the World

Washington. Dec. 20,--What is
probably the largest law office In
the world--a survival Of the war
is located in this city. Practically
all of the biggest things in WASH
ington belong TO Uncle Sam, and
the record breaking law practice Is
no exception.
The 500 lawyers or whom we
write work for the government In
the legal division of the veterans
bureau. They handle questions of
real estate. domestic relations,
criminal law. contracts; in fact, all
varieties of legal problems that
arise in the course of administer
ing the insurance compensation,
and rehabilitation affairs Of 5OO,-
900 war veterans.
That 500 lawyers are needed is
enough to show the immensity of
the task. and it is not likely that
the legal force will be cut down to
any extent for the next four or five
years.
There are still great many in
surance cases that require legal de-
cisions. There are cases in which
q soldier dies and two or more
people claim to be the rightful
beneficiary OF his insurance. In
thousands Of cases soldiers have
make their insurance payable to
their estates. and I'm thousands of
others the beneficiary named has
died. AS the men involved in the
cases have scattered to all parts of
the country, and even to Europe,
Asia and the South Sea islands, the
bureau LAWYERS have to ascertain
and apply the laws Of every juris-
diction in the world
One of the most unusual fea-
lures of the law work of the bu-
reau relates to contracts for train
ing Of veterans. The average stu
dent who ir placed in a school pays
rs he goes. The Veterans bureau
has $4,000 men in vocational train
ing with 5000 institutions and in
structors, and the only way to keep
track Of the different arrangements
agreed to by so many schools and
individuals is to draw up legal
contracts.
The real estate and contract Sec
tion, which now has probably the
most work of any section in the
legal division, also handles all the
contracts for hospitals being built
under the two Langley bills. The
first of these bills calls for an ex-
penditure of $1S,600,000 and the
second $17,000.000. all for hospi-
tails.
Law NiOiators Prosecuted
Another section prepares for
prosecution cases where the law
is violated. An official of the bu-
reau SAYS that considering the i'm
mense number Of cases the bureau
has to handle there are not so
many cases of fraud and false
claims as might be supposed. He
says that of the cases actually
prosecuted by the department of
Justice, however. the proportion of
acquittals is almost negligible. in
dicatinE that the courts are not
inclined to be lenient with persons
who defraud the ex-service man
and the government.
Special attention has been given
by this section to cases involving
excessive fees of attorneys. The
original war risk insurance act al
lowed claim agents and ATTORNEYS
TO charge not more than 10 per
cent Of the sum awarded a client.
Unscrupulous claim agents saw in
this provision a great opportunity
Tor business and they pestered ev-
cry person having a semblance of
a claim against the war risk bu-
reau. The condition became so
Objectionable that congress amend
ed the act in 1918 making it un-
lawful to caarge more than three
dollars for assistance rendered as
agent or attorney in any one case
and imposing penalty Of fine and
Imprisonment at hard labor for vio-
lation Of this provision. Even this
ala not put a stop to extortionate
fees.
An official says: "Flagrant vio-
lations still occur. In o. recent out
standing case fee of $4,000 was
charged for obtaining $4,000 war
FISK insurance where the only thing
done or necessary to be done for
the claimant was to write a few
letters to the bureau in reference
to the claim"
At one time the work of this gov
ernment law office was even
heavier than it is now. The ex-
emption section was four years ago
the biggest court of domestic rela-
lions in the world. This was when
the allotment and allowance busi-
ness was at its height. Enlisted
men misunderstood the law and
tailed to arrange for allowances for
their families. Other enlisted men
with families were claiming exemp-
tion from making compulsory al
lotment, and wives were asking
that the government make their
soldier husbands contribute TO their
support.
All Kinds Of Cases
The questions that the govern
ment lawyers had to settle in these
mixups ran the gamut of domestic
experience. One case would center
on the possibilities Of a soldier be-
ing bigamist, another on insanity
OF a wife, and others on aIimony
and funeral expenses. More than
100000 of these cases have been
Investigated and settled.
This domestic relations court ex-
isted on large scale less than a
= 'N"t' 81 biC oPl ms VI 1910 It's
work began to grow and by fall
400 employees were struggling with
an avalanche or eases, After Christ
mas tho worst was over, and now
that the allotment and allowance
law is imperative 26 employees
handle all the hangover adjust
ments.
While this section is in the main
past history. It represents one OF
the most humanity interest
ing phases OF the Veterans bu-
reau work. Most OF the evidence
was obtained by correspondence
and this made the cases more i'm
formal than If they had been
brought to a solemn court room.
Bureau officials found that when
plaintiffs are not restrained by
oath to tell the truth and are not
subject to having their testimony
shaken by cross examination as in
court there Is almost no limit to
which they will not go in order to
prove a case.
The cases ran from the pathetic
TO the humorous One Of the near