103 Mich. 173 | Mich. | 1894
The plaintiffs are practicing attorneys, and brought an action for services rendered to the defendant in certain litigation wherein he was a party, and for some minor services about which no controversy appears now to exist.
A number of questions were raised upon the. introduction of evidence, some of which may be passed with the remark that, when the ground of the objection to the admission of evidence is not stated, this Court will not review the question where the objection is overruled. Achey v. Hull, 7 Mich. 423; Gilbert v. Kennedy, 22 Id. 117; Stevens v. Hope, 52 Id. 66; Merkle v. Township of Bennington, 68 Id. 133; Macomb v. Wilkinson, 83 Id. 494.
Another may be disposed of- upon the principle that •leading questions are within the discretion of the trial -court.
Upon the part of the defense, it was claimed that the services rendered in the Gallup case by the plaintiffs were rendered under an arrangement that Erskine should change work with Mr. Chadwick, who had charge of this case, •Chadwick to argue a case called the “ Tax Case,” which Erskine is said to have had charge of for the. plaintiff. It was further claimed that Erskine had guaranteed victory for the plaintiff in the tax case, but met with defeat. The defendant’s bill of particulars comprises items of $132.01 for the tax sought to be recovered, and $161.65 for costs and disbursements in that case. In their brief counsel say:
“ The court steadily refused to allow evidence in support ■of the first of these two claims.”
We do not discover that they press the latter upon this hearing, though they say that the defendant’s counsel, in ■opening his case, insisted that the work of Chadwick in the tax case was to be set off against that of Erskine in the Gallup case, and that the court then stated that such a claim was.not material, though it was recognized when too late to be of use to the defendant.
“ f Mr. Erskine and you must look up certain testimony for me in the Gallup case; ’ and that was the arrangement between them. c And now,’ Mr. Chadwick says, ‘ I want you and Erskine to go to the register’s office,’ ” etc.
This is the nearest he came to testifying to an agreement between Erskine and himself about the change of work. He gives more conversation with Chadwick, but that is manifestly hearsay. The testimony sought for by these questions was valueless unless it was supported by proof of the agreement, and the court was Avarranted in excluding it until the proper evidence was introduced.
“What is Mr. Erskine’s ability as an attorney and his ability as a legal investigator?”
The question was objected to, upon the ground of incompetency, and appears to have been overruled only when counsel for the defendant stated, in answer to the court’s question, that he should take the position that the services of Erskine, who had been admitted to the bar less than two years, were of much less value than those of an older practitioner. It is a well-known fact that the character, reputation, standing, and known ability of a lawyer have much to do with his clientage, and the law recognizes them as bearing upon the value of his services. It would seem to follow that they might be proved. Phelps v. Hunt, 40 Conn. 97; Eggleston v. Boardman, 37 Mich. 14; Chamberlain v. Rodgers, 79 Id. 219; Kelley v. Richardson, 69 Id. 430.
We think also that the testimony of the witness Lowell as to the value of services was admissible.
One or two other points were made, but we find no error in them, and think it unnecessary to discuss them.
The judgment will be affirmed.