Lawyer Lincoln on the Web

Part of what I do as a Virtual Library Cat is to prowl the web (what else?). This week I hunted for sites to inspire law students facing the challenge of a new academic year. What could be more inspiring than a virtual look inside the law offices and of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President? Before he entered Congress and the White House, Lincoln was a thriving general practice attorney litigating civil, criminal and appellate cases out of his office above a federal courtroom in Springfield, Illinois. A “360 degree virtual tour” of Lincoln’s mid-19th century office, and the federal courtroom directly below, restored to appear as they did then, is provided at the web pages of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site. After the virtual tour, scroll down to view the short video that recreates, through contemporary images, Lincoln’s life as a circuit-riding young attorney. A good description of Lincoln’s law practice, including the types of cases he tried and his typical fees, is provided at the Papers of Abraham Lincoln web site.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat