Did Abraham Lincoln Engage In The Unauthorized Practice Of Law?

Allen Matkins
Contact

I recently learned that I’m supposedly related to a certain Joshua Short, late of Sangamon County, Illinois.  I don’t know much about Mr. Short other than he was a farmer who couldn’t write his own name and wasn’t feeling very well in the summer of 1836.  Infirmity has a way of turning one’s thoughts to mortality.  And so it seems to have been with Mr. Short.  Being illiterate, he asked a young man in the neighborhood to write up a will.  The young man’s name?  Abraham Lincoln.  Other than the witness’ signature and my relations’ mark, the will is entirely in Mr. Lincoln’s hand.

The problem is that the will was signed (with Mr. Short’s X) on August 22, 1836.  It turns out, however, that Mr. Lincoln wasn’t admitted to the bar until September 9, 1836, some 17 days later.  Although will recites that Mr. Short is “infirm in body”, both he and Mr. Lincoln could have waited.  It turns out that Mr. Short didn’t pass away until 1841.

 

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Attorney Advertising.

© Allen Matkins

Written by:

Allen Matkins
Contact
more
less

PUBLISH YOUR CONTENT ON JD SUPRA NOW

  • Increased visibility
  • Actionable analytics
  • Ongoing guidance

Allen Matkins on:

Reporters on Deadline

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
Custom Email Digest
- hide
- hide