This fascinating history explores Abraham Lincoln's legal career, investigating the origins of his desire to practice law, his legal education, his partnerships with John Stuart, Stephen Logan, and William Herndon, and the maturation of his far-flung practice in the 1840s and 1850s. Brian Dirck also examines Lincoln's clientele, how he charged his clients, and how he addressed judge and jury, as well as his views on legal ethics and the supposition that he never defended a client he knew to be guilty.

What the law did to and for Abraham Lincoln, and its important impact on his future presidency

About the Author
Brian Dirck is an associate professor of history at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, and the author of Lincoln and Davis: Imagining America, 1809-1865.

Reviews
Awarded the Barondess/Lincoln Award of The Civil War Round Table of New York (2007).

"Dirck is to be commended for giving us something new to think about in this fascinating book about our sixteenth president. . . . A persuasively and tightly argued book."--Fides et historia

"Dirck sheds light on how the original Great Commoner would become one of America's greatest lawyers in the presidential mansion. Readable and insightful, this volume deserves a place on every library shelf."--Journal of American History

Book Information
ISBN 9780252076145
Author Brian R. Dirck
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Weight(grams) 399g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 20mm