LONDON LEGAL LETTER. London, Nov. 3, 1894. WE are all at work again, and most of us are complaining of shrunken cause-lists and a non-litigious public, but every one appears to be fairly prosperous notwithstanding. Lord Russell is doing splendidly on the bench. He is not only punctual in his appearances, but some times comes into court a few minutes before his time. This is a unique phenomenon. Although intolerant of prolixity on the part of counsel, and scornful of irrelevant detail, he enters into the core of every case most conscientiously, and his judicial demeanor is much more gentle than was anticipated. To the surprise of the profes sion, Mr. Frank Lockwood was appointed Solici tor-General he other day when Sir John Rigby went to the Court of Appeal and Sir Robert Reid became Attorney-General. Mr Lockwood is a most popular man, and no one regretted his pro motion, for he is the first wit at the Bar, and really a very humorous person; but his legal en dowments are not those usually associated with a law-officer of the Crown. What the new Soli citor-General aims at is a judgeship, and this he can look forward to as a matter of right from his new position. Since term commenced, there have been a good many complaints by litigants of the manner in which their interests have been neglected by the eminent counsel employed by them at great expense. There is, I fear, a good deal of founda tion for this grievance : fashionable advocates have so much work thrust upon them that they cannot possibly do full justice to all their briefs; in this respect lay clients are not entitled to so much sympathy, if it is by their own express desire that the leaders of the Bar have been retained; but this is too often done by the solicitor, who is merely anxious to obtain notoriety for his case by its association with the names of distinguished lawyers, and in this way the interests of litigants are frequently imperiled. The electric light has at last been introduced for general use in the Temple. It may be some time before the new illuminant entirely displaces the dingy lamp which is so highly favored in legal chambers, but it is now so comparatively
inexpensive that it must surely prevail over all rivals. It has been already installed in the Temple Church, where it gives as much satisfac tion as in all the other great London churches which have adopted electric lighting. Sir Richard Webster earned, during the legal year which closed last August, about £40,000, the largest figure even his great professional in come has ever reached. His fees in four days at the summer assizes amounted to £3,000. At this rate a colossal sum is soon realized. Sir Richard has certainly made more money at the bar than any man of his time, and few have ever equalled him. Lord Russell never made an in come of the same proportion. Sir Richard Webster is employed in almost all great mer cantile and patent cases where it is generally immaterial how much is spent on counsel's fees. Every one wonders when Mr. R. B. Haldane, Q.C., M.P., is going to accept preferment. Mr. Haldane is one of the most interesting figures in public life; he is only thirty-eight years of age, yet he is the confidant of the Prime Minister, and wields more political authority than most of the members of the Cabinet. He enjoys a large and lucrative leading practice at the Chancery Bar and before the Privy Council, he en riches parliamentary debate with graceful and philosophical disquisitions on the questions of the hour, he is a frequent contributor to periodical lit erature, the editor and translator of works on phil osophy, and yet finds time to deliver constant lec tures on socialism and politics to radical clubs throughout the metropolis. This remarkable young man has refused several offers of a seat in the Cabinet, and is reported to have twice de clined a law officership. There are few in whom talent and fortune are so equally- blended. Lord Russell has already signalized his ad vent to the Bench by determining to institute a special court with a selected roster of three judges for the trial of commercial causes. The revived Guildhall sittings have become a ludicrous failure, and it is thought the new proposal will find more favor with the mercantile community.
