F N Plevako: Life and Work

Abstract

A famous Russian lawyer Fedor N. Plevako received his common name of "Moscow Master of Rhetoric" while still alive. His contemporaries noted his ability to make a magical impact on the Court and the jurors, the ability to turn the trial in the favour of the accused. He could build invisible rapport with the audience, show smartness and quick wit applying comparison or retorting the replica of the opposite party in a blink. As a modern Russian lawyer H . Reznik justly emphasizes, Plevako was a lawyer - a professional of the top class, deep psychologist, penetrating the secrets hiding in the human soul, a connoisseur of social mores and life of different social strata. Those knowing F. N. Plevako in person noted the inherent sense of proportion, which is a characteristic of a truly smart and clever man He had a deep respect for all participants in the judicial process: he tried to find enemies neither in judges nor in the Prosecutors, neither in witnesses nor in the jurors; on the contrary, he considered himself as the thirteenth with a deliberative voice. In support of this conclusion the article rovides examples of speeches by F. N. Plevako at many trials. There is an opinion on Plevako being a lawyer of practice, but not a public figure, as he was not involved in the political processes of the cases such Faith Zasulich case. The author of the article contradicts this view, citing the cases of lyutorichesk peasants, sevsk peasants, on the workers' strike at the Savva Morozov factory and others, noting the fullness of his speeches with public and political sense, deep citizenship and a sense of compassion for people Plevako participated in the Commission working on a draft reform of the legal profession, together with A. F. Kony, V.D. Spasovich, N. S. Tagancev, I. Ya. Foynitskiy and other prominent lawyers of Russia. His being elected to the State Duma in 1907 shows him as a public figure The final part of the article highlights the huge role Plevako played in practical and theoretical jurisprudence in Russia, and notes that his legacy is subject to careful and in-depth study There is also a need for developing Plevako legal school among legal practitioners, providing his students with a finesse of psychological analysis, expressiveness and richness of legal language, brightness and vitality, glitter images, style and depth of thought