Arent Fox partner Bernice Leber, who is currently serving as president of the New York State Bar Association, has been published in the New York Law Journal. Bernice's piece, “As a Lawyer, Lincoln Saw Our Higher Calling,” explores Abraham Lincoln's career as a lawyer before he was elected president of the United States and how his commitment to public service during that period of his life should still inspire lawyers today.

“Although historians have reviewed, analyzed and critiqued in great detail Lincoln's presidency, relatively few have focused upon his legal career. But for most of his working life, Lincoln toiled as a lawyer. Based upon the Lincoln Legal Papers database, which is publicly available, we can state confidently how Lincoln and his partners handled at least 5,173 cases. We know now that Lincoln and his partners took more than 1,000 cases to jury verdicts,” Bernice writes. “Lincoln handled all kinds of cases, for all kinds of people and businesses. Lincoln viewed his profession as a call to represent clients faithfully but also to do public service. In this regard, many have commented that he possessed a service mentality; and while he was ready to represent any client, he also drew upon his love of the rule of law as a springboard for public action. ... This view that lawyers should perform some public service is also what drives lawyers 150 years later to continue this tradition.”

To read Bernice's complete New York Law Journal article, please click here.