Phil’s Space

Dear Evan: Can you answer this question? I had an uncle when I was a young girl say, “You need a Philadelphia lawyer.” I have often wondered who or what “Philadelphia lawyers” were. — L. Coperich, McKees Rocks, PA.

Before I answer your question (which I will, honest), let me take this opportunity to quote my favorite first line of a book, admittedly apropos only in that it mentions Philadelphia. The great American humorist S.J. Perelman began “Westward Ha!,” his hilarious account of a trip around the world, with the following:

“The whole sordid business began on a bleak November afternoon a couple of years ago in Philadelphia, a metropolis sometimes known as the City of Brotherly Love but more accurately as the City of Bleak November Afternoons.”

How one feels about “Philadelphia lawyers” depends largely on whose side the lawyer is taking. On the up side, the Oxford English Dictionary defines “Philadelphia lawyer” as “A lawyer of great ability, especially one expert in the exploitation of legal technicalities.” Naturally, the folks at Oxford go on to give equal time to the less charitable view: “A shrewd or unscrupulous lawyer.” One need not live in Philadelphia to encounter a Philadelphia lawyer, of course — the country as a whole seems to be awash in them these days. In a more general, non-legal sense, a “Philadelphia lawyer” is anyone who simply loves to argue for the sake of arguing, and the more obscure the point of the argument the better.

The original “Philadelphia lawyer,” however, was one of the heroes of American history. In 1735, the British colonial authorities charged a New York printer named John Peter Zenger with criminal libel for criticizing British policies in his newspaper. It was a Philadelphia lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, who successfully defended Zenger by convincing the jury that Zenger’s articles could not be libellous because they were true. In so doing, Hamilton not only established the right of free speech in American law but also gave the colonies’ struggle for freedom an important early victory.

http://www.word-detective.com/back-j.html 

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
Groucho Marx

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!
Benjamin Franklin

The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid.
Art Spander

Freedom is when the people can speak, democracy is when the government listens.
Alastair Farrugia

Well, i think i know enough about a blog now to update on a regular basis, will still keep my address pretty private for a while until im confident with posting content.

  Hi all, this will be where i will be telling stories, everyday happenings, and adding photos i hope you will visit and add comments.

Phil