How Great a Need is There for Lawyers?
The legal profession is rapidly becoming overcrowded. During the period from 1870 to 1900 the percentage of increase in the number engaged in the practice of law was 180.1 per cent. The following table sets forth the growth and percentage of increase in membership of the professions of medicine, theology, and law from 1870 to 1900:
Growth and per cent of increase in memberships of the professions of theology, medicine, and the law from 1870 to 1900. Statistics of Occupations, Twelfth Census of the United States.
| Year. | Theology. | Medicine. | Law. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 43,874 | 62,449 | 40,736 |
| 1880 | 64,698 | 85,671 | 64,137 |
| 1890 | 88,203 | 104,805 | 89,630 |
| 1900 | 111,638 | 132,002 | 114,460 |
| Per cent of increase | 154.4 | 11.5 | 180.1 |
In the opinion of the leading members of the American bar to-day the practicing of law is a very poor vocation for the incompetent and poorly equipped.