Lincoln lore at Law Day Luncheon
By Karen Florin
Published on 5/2/2009 in The Day   
Frank J. Williams, recently retired chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, regaled a gathering of local attorneys and judges Friday with stories of a lawyer who had everything it takes.
The attorney was a good negotiator and an eloquent speaker. He was confident in front of judges, yet had a knack for putting things in simple terms when speaking to a jury. He was known for his honesty and integrity.

”Remember the nickname Honest Abe?” Williams said. “Well, that was true.”

Williams, a lifetime admirer and scholar of Abraham Lincoln, delivered his remarks during the New London County Bar Association’s annual Law Day luncheon. The theme was “A Legacy of Liberty – Celebrating Lincoln’s Bicentennial,” since Lincoln was born in 1809.

Working their way through plates of pasta and chicken at Tony D’s restaurant, the lawyers learned that Lincoln had no formal training, but practiced law for 25 years in Illinois before he was elected President in 1860. Lincoln sat down for dinner with three members of the local bar who authorized him to practice law, and during his quarter-century career handled 5,500 cases, the subject matter ranging from eminent domain to the ownership of a pig.

Lincoln once refused to represent a man who had a $600 claim against a widowed mother of six, though the man had a legitimate claim to the money, according to Williams. Lincoln advised the would-be client to instead find work that would enable him to earn $600.

While representing a woman accused of murdering her husband, Lincoln called for a recess saying he wanted to speak with his client. The trial was not going well for her. She never returned to court and Lincoln was blamed for her disappearance.

”He said, ‘No, but she asked me where she could get a drink of water, and I told her Tennessee has darn good water,’” Williams said.

The Rhode Island justice ended his address with a joke about a burglar, a parrot and a Rottweiler, and to enthusiastic applause.

Also at the luncheon, the local bar association gave its 2009 Liberty Bell Award to Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, a nonprofit group that helps those in the legal community suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, compulsive disorders and other distress that impacts the ability to practice law effectively.

The New London County Bar Association has more than 300 members who practice in all areas of the law and live or work in New London County, according to its president, Matthew G. Berger.

K.FLORIN@THEDAY.COM

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