Thursday, 27th November 1913: Old-fashioned Lawyer Has Departed Forever, Judge Pendleton Says, The Atlanta Journal

The old-fashioned oratorical lawyer, in

his Prince Albert coat and with beaver full of papers, is gone forever, Judge

Pendleton, of the superior court, told the members of the Atlanta Law school

Wednesday afternoon.

Successful lawyers of today, the judge

said, prepare their cases thoroughly and depend on the accurate and skillful

presentation of facts to convince judges and jurors. The judge said in part:

The old-time lawyer was a declaimer.

He walked into the court with his meditative, Hamlet style, wearing a Prince

Albert coat and carrying his papers in his silk hat. His vest was buttoned only

at the bottom, and the peaks of his collar rose to his cheekbones. When arose

for argument he launched forth into Philippics and assailed the heavens in his

appeal for justice.

But the old school has gone forever.

The time has passed when a lawyer can win a case of any description by oratory.

The day is pretty nearly gone, but quite, when oratory counts of all.

Present-day juries expect logic and reason from the lawyers who address them.

Forceful presentation of facts is the thing that counts. The finest test of a

lawyer now is not his ability as an orator, or his splendid voice, but the

terseness and force with which he can outline his cause before the jury.