Was lincoln a good lawyer

Abraham lincoln honesty story
When did abraham lincoln stop being a lawyer
At what age did abraham lincoln become a lawyer

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Abraham Lincoln

He was called Honest Abe in part because of his ethics as a lawyer for more than 25 years

Michael L. Stern

2014 July

Abraham Lincoln’s name has symbolized integrity, trust and honesty for more than 150 years. Lincoln was called “Honest Abe” because he acted ethically, particularly as a practicing attorney for the quarter century at the bar before he became the 16th President of the United States in 1861.

Attorneys in the mid-19th century era when Lincoln practiced were largely self-regulated when it came to ethical standards and practices. The first formal canons of ethics for the legal profession were not proposed by the American Bar Association (“ABA”) until 1908.1 Those early guidelines for professional responsibility have been revised many times over the years. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (“Model Rules”) were adopted in 19832 and have been enacted in some form by every state except California, which has its own Rules of Professional Conduct.3

So what were the ethical principles that guided Abraham Lincoln in his law practice and g

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Abraham Lincoln and the Law

A Honest Calling: The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln

Mark E. Steiner, A Honest Calling: The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln
(Northern Illinois University Press, 2006)

Abraham Lincoln’s persona was deeply rooted in reverence for law and rationality: “Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap – let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in college; – let it be written in Primmers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; – let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay of all sexes and tongues and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.” said Mr. Lincoln in his January 1838 speech to the “Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield.” In that speech, Mr. Lincoln argued:

“Reason, cold, calculating, uni

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Lincoln the Lawyer

Abraham Lincoln handled cases in almost all levels of the court, including justice of the peace, county, circuit, appellate, and federal. He had three successive formal partnerships: junior partner to John Todd Stuart (1837-1841), junior partner to Stephen T. Logan (1841-1844), and senior partner to William H. Herndon (1844-1861). Like many of his legal colleagues, Lincoln was a general practice attorney and represented clients in a variety of civil and criminal actions including debt, slander, divorce, mortgage foreclosure, and murder.

Lincoln was away from Springfield for nearly six months of each year, three months each spring and fall riding the circuit; he did not have any formal partnerships during this time. When he reached a county seat, local attorneys asked him to assist them with a case, or litigants themselves sought his services. Lincoln handled the business as it came to him. Generally, he chose neither clients nor co-counsels along partisan lines.

During various times in his legal career, Lincoln suspended the practice of law in favor of hi