SCOPE OF THE BOOK. This volume enters into every question of professional deportment that can ordinarily confront the lawyer. It does not lay down platitudes and commands without the reasons therefor, but discusses each proposition, pointing out the why and wherefore of the rule. It is practical. It enters into details. It takes up each detail concretely and solves it, instead of passing it over with a flourish of general language that means nothing definite to the reader. The first chapter deals with the change of status from layman to lawyer and points out briefly the newly acquired obligations of the legal practitioner. Chapter two takes up in detail the various considerations that should govern a lawyer in choosing his office, together with suggestions as to conditions of the office after it has been opened for practice. Chapters three, four, five and six deal with the lawyer's obligations and duties to his clients. Chapter seven considers in detail his duties to the adverse party. Chapter eight discusses his duties and obligations to other lawyers. Chapter nine deals with the lawyer's duties to the courts. Chapters ten and eleven discuss his various duties to the State and Nation. Chapter twelve treats the very difficult and elusive topic of legal fees, and contains some very practical information concerning the customary charges of the profession for ordinary legal services. Chapter thirteen considers such general duties as do not readily admit of classification in previous chapters. Chapter fourteen discusses the advisability of lawyers entering politics. Chapter fifteen treats of the growing demand for lawyers in business enterprises. Chapter sixteen contains a detailed statement of the lawyer's legal liabilities to his clients for professional misconduct; while chapter seventeen treats of disbarment and suspension of lawyers, with an interesting collection of illustrative cases of disbarment. An Appendix containing the American Bar Association Canons of Ethics, Hoffman's Resolutions and a schedule of legal fees as adopted by a prominent bar association follow chapter seventeen. Throughout the book will be found extracts from the Canons of Ethics and Hoffman's Resolutions, quoted in connection with the topic to which they refer. Although contained in full in the appendix it has been deemed wiser to quote from them directly than to put the reader to the necessity of looking up the reference each time in the appendix. The inter-relation of topics has made necessary in some instances a summary or forecast of a topic treated more fully elsewhere, but the plan of the book has been to avoid repetition, unless for the purpose of clearness or to impress the principle by reiteration. The same duty will be seen to exist in some instances in several aspects, as, for example, the lawyer's duty not to slander or disparage others. In chapter one, section five, the duty is mentioned as one of the newly acquired obligations of the lawyer; in chapter seven, section sixty-five, it is treated as a duty owed to the adverse party, and in chapter eight, section seventy, as a duty to other lawyers. In each connection it is necessary, since the plan of the book demands a separate treatment in each connection. FOR LAWYER OR LAYMAN. Although this book is intended primarily for lawyers, yet much of its contents should be of vital interest to laymen, especially to those who are obliged to employ the services of lawyers. Chapters three, four, five, six, seven, twelve, thirteen, sixteen and seventeen, nine chapters out of seventeen, directly concern the layman. They set forth in plain non-technical language precisely what duties his lawyer owes him, what rights he has against the lawyer, and what the range of fees for ordinary legal services may be. It is confidently believed that such information coming to the knowledge of the lay public would do much to purify the profession of law by rendering it more difficult for unscrupulous lawyers to impose upon their clients. SUFFOLK SCHOOL OF LAW. BOSTON, Oct. 1, 1910. G. L. A. |
