Abe Lincoln On Why Law Firm Partnership Ain't All It's Cracked Up To Be

Advice for lawyers from our 16th president.

Bill Watts as President Abraham Lincoln.

Bill Watts as President Abraham Lincoln.

I was offered a partnership in Chicago, but I knew the confinement would kill me.

William Watts III, a partner at Pipes, Hudson and Watts in Mobile, Alabama, giving a speech at an Eleventh Circuit federal appeals court conference as country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln persona was from circa 1858, just after losing his U.S. Senate race to Stephen Douglas. In addition to opining on his feelings for the partnership track, his address included advice for lawyers, drawn from Lincoln’s writing, including, “If you cannot be an honest lawyer, rather be honest without being a lawyer.” Read the rest of Watts-as-Lincoln’s advice here.

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