Subject Index Abraham Lincoln

The Science, Technology, and Innovation President

By Ron Spears
February
2024
Column
, Page 44
Abraham Lincoln’s curiosity and interest in science and technology advanced the nation.

Lincoln’s Challenge to Save Democracy

By Ron Spears
February
2023
Column
, Page 52
Reflections on Abraham Lincoln’s way of facing the struggles of his time, and what we can learn as we face our own.

Lincoln and Robert E. Lee

By Ron Spears
February
2022
Column
, Page 44
The restoration of Robert E. Lee’s reputation vs. true racial reckoning.

Lincoln, Campbell, and Rock

By Ron Spears
February
2021
Column
, Page 44
Three lawyers who wrestled with slavery, racism, and leadership.

Why Lincoln Still Matters

By Ron Spears
November
2020
Column
, Page 44
Notes from a Lincolnesque lawyer.

Lincoln’s Resiliency Résumé

By Ron Spears
August
2020
Column
, Page 44
The coping skills Lincoln gained from his many setbacks, failures, and dark times.

Lost Lincoln Real Estate Case Discovered

By Guy Fraker
May
2020
Column
, Page 42
Details of the case, which included prominent McLean County figures, had been lost due to a 1900 Bloomington courthouse fire.

Lincoln, Explainer of Things

By Ron Spears
February
2020
Column
, Page 44
Lincoln had a way of making complex topics easy to understand for judges and jurors.

When Goings Got Rough

By Ron Spears
August
2019
Column
, Page 48
The time when Lincoln allegedly told a thirsty client, on trial for murdering her husband, about the tasty water in Tennessee.

A Bridge Over Troubled Steamboats

By Ron Spears
May
2019
Column
, Page 44
Abraham Lincoln and his involvement in a case defending the first train bridge over the Mississippi River.

Lincoln’s Representation in Murder Cases

By George R. Dekle Sr.
February
2019
Column
, Page 44
Accused murderers who hired Abraham Lincoln had a fair chance of acquittal, but one was quickly executed after he was found guilty.

Abraham Lincoln and the Illinois Supreme Court

By John A. Lupton
January
2019
Column
, Page 46
Lincoln's appellate skills helped establish his reputation as a lawyer's lawyer.
1 comment (Most recent January 4, 2019)

Shining Moonlight on Witness Testimony

By Ron Spears
August
2018
Column
, Page 46
The most intriguing part of Lincoln's famous almanac trial was his interest in science.

When Lincoln Learned What Not to Say

By Ron Spears
May
2018
Column
, Page 46
In the 1840s, Lincoln learned the hard way that bullying and belittling words can produce embarrassing, even dangerous, consequences.

Lincoln and Stanton: Incivility Meets Humility

By Ron Spears
February
2018
Column
, Page 44
Frontier-lawyer Lincoln responded to humiliating disrespect from co-counsel Edwin Stanton by working hard to improve - and by later making Stanton his Secretary of War.

Honest Abe on Lawyer Honesty

By Guy Fraker & J. Steven Beckett
November
2017
Column
, Page 48
When it came to "candor toward the tribunal," Honest Abe arguably failed to live up to his moniker if a legendary Lincoln story is true.

Are You a Lincoln Lawyer?

By Guy Fraker & J. Steven Beckett
August
2017
Column
, Page 44
In his "Notes for a Law Lecture," Lincoln left a blueprint for good lawyering. His advice is echoed in case law and the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.

Lincoln’s ‘Matson Problem’

By Ron Spears & Roger Billings
May
2017
Column
, Page 46
Lincoln's decision to represent a slaveholder against slaves seeking their freedom is controversial to this day.

A New Look at Lawyer Lincoln

By Ron Spears
February
2017
Column
, Page 44
A new ISBA effort will generate articles and CLE about Lincoln's legal career and the lesson it can teach us.

Select a Different Subject