Best Pen for a Lawyer?

[Jimmy James]

You may want to have a look at Lalex pens. They are rather unprepossessing Italian pens, but each is emblazoned with Lalex's logo, the scales of justice.

 

http://www.lalex1938.it/inglese/index.html

 

Why'd you have to mention these pens? I absolutely want to know more now. Time to go use search.

[PamHB]

The Lalex is a very distinctive looking pen! (Perhaps a little flashy for my husband, but perfect for me ) Has anyone ever used one?

 

[georges zaslavsky]

I would have said:

-a waterman le man 100, a very nicely built pen with very good ink capacity, perfect finish, smooth nib and nice aesthetics

-a parker vacumatic maxima, a fairly large vintage pen with a great nib and great ink capacity

-a MB 149 a classic among the classic great ink capacity and great nib

-a m1000 a good alternative to the 149 if you find the 149 too expensive or too flashy.

[obmike]

seems like some haven't read the original post.

 

the mb149, pelikan 1000, danitrio are too big.

the vp probably comes up short in the ink capacity. however, the rest to ready time is perfect.

 

i would second (or third) the parker 51 and lamy 2000 recommendation. both are snap caps. both have very good ink capacity. just a pick of vintage vs. new. they both have similar prices.

[piembi]

I agree that a Montblanc would not be a very helpful pen for your husband to use in court. Not only would it generate a degree of resentment from blue collar folks in the jury or elsewhere in the room, it would also generate a degree of lost respect from folks who have money and know that MB pens are something most often associated with people who are new to money and are trying to buy respect with overpriced tokens. When most poor people win the lottery they do not become a wealthy persons - they are poor persons who happen to have a lot of money.

 

Buy him a couple of nice vintage pens - like some nice Parkers or Sheaffers so that when one runs dry he can just reach in his pocket and pull out another one.

 

And avoid buying him an oversized pen. Those are things that go with people who wear oversized glasses and wrist watches. They do not look classy.

 

Thank you very much for this comment!

Depends if one looks for a status symbol and therewith may offend other people or simply a good writing instrument.

 

Montblanc does not have that much ink capacity but is one of the most popular status symbols and the easiest way to offend others

that cannot afford anything like this.

 

Great ink capacity comes with the Lamy 2000. Bauhaus Desing makes the pen an understatement pen and it is a great everyday writer. Looking at pens it has the best value for a very reasonable price. Nibs are a bit broad.

 

Pelikan also has great ink capacity. Bigger size does not come along with greater ink capacity. But the different sizes make it easy to find the best size for yourself. As well as the Lamy 2K a great everyday pen and very reliable. Comes in different colours.

 

I normally carry 2-3 pens with me. Vintage or new Pelikans and sometimes Lamy 2K or vintage Lamy 27. This is the easiest way to avoid running out of ink

[kazoolaw]

And of course you've heard of the client who told his friend he was looking for a lawyer with one hand.

"Why on earth do you want a one-handed lawyer?", said the friend.

"Because when I meet with him, he gives me a long and detailed opinion. And then he says, 'On the other hand...'".

 

Flashy or not depends on the individual. When I started practice, one senior partner left his Lincoln Town Car at home and only drove his Ford station wagon to rural courts, not wanting jurors to think he was a flashy city lawyer. Another senior always drove his Cadillac de Ville, wanting jurors to know that he was successful.

 

Just as each of us develop our own courtroom style so it is with wardrobe and pens.

 

gary

Edited December 30, 2007 by gary

[ipse dixit]

I would recommend a sterling silver Parker 75. This is the pen I used in court exclusively for 30 years. In that time I never had anyone comment on the pen I was using. It is a slim design and I have never had a problem with the ink supply. I also carried a matching ball point for carbon forms and other fountain pen unfriendly paper. They are converter/cartridge pens, the nibs are easily replaced and different type nibs are readily available (F, M , B, etc.). You can rotate the nib to arjust the pen to the way you hold the pen.

 

Is your husband a coroner, his counsel or does he appear for interested parties? We don't use the coroner system here in Texas so it is not familiar to me.

 

Jim Laurence

 

 

[jmkeuning]

ipse dixit? You're showing your legal bits! (as someone once told me)

 

You make a GREAT point.

 

Just get a set with a BP. Use the FP, when it runs dry, whip out the BP.

[PamHB]

Just as each of us develop our own courtroom style so it is with wardrobe and pens.

 

gary

 

And some lawyers, regrettably, have no style at all.... Hmmm, did I mention that I'm a lawyer too? Corporate commercial. Parker 51.

Edited December 30, 2007 by PamHB

[KClaw]

Style is important, and is personal to each practitioner. I had a law professor, a very wise man, tell me that all law school can do is teach one to think like a lawyer. The successful practice of law comes with experience, and tempering in the trenches.

So yes, I agree that individual style is the overlay to any pen selection. What works for one may be ridiculous for another. And you have to have a sense of what the jury is looking for as far as which lawyer they would rather identify with. Some may view Ferragamo shoes, Brooks Brothers Suits and a fancy fountain pen as elitest, but others may look at these things as the signs of credibility and a successful attorney.

But to me, knowing the law and facts of your case inside and out, being prepared for trial, and knowing the other side's case inside and out, are still the best factors for success in the courtroom. A fountain pen isn't going to save you if you are not prepared. It is a writing instrument, a mere tool.

I think it was Mark Twain who said in effect, a trial is 12 laypersons deciding which party has the better lawyer. :roflmho:

[Romeo Dog]

True, some lawyers lose their appeal. Let us know what you finally decide upon.

[PamHB]

Is your husband a coroner, his counsel or does he appear for interested parties? We don't use the coroner system here in Texas so it is not familiar to me.

 

When in court, he is most often representing parties appearing at the inquest. You're right though -- the coroner is often a lawyer, and has his or her own counsel, and then parties appearing at the inquest will often be represented by their own counsel. There's a form of jury involved -- their role is to make recommendations as to how the death could be avoided in the future.

 

You're of course right about the ball point pen. Very practical resolution, and one I'm sure my husband would have done anyway. We were talking about paper this morning. Some lawyers here like to write their trial notes in bound books, with the question on the left page and the answers on the right page. My husband prefers a pad of ordinary ruled paper, on which he merely strokes a legal margin. His philosophy -- if he's in trial in a small town and runs out of books, then he has a problem. If he runs out of paper, he simply walks to the local drug store, and he's back in business.

 

Jim, I love the quote in your signature, by the way. Here's a paraphrase of a quote regarding Canada/US relations: Living next door to the US is like a mouse sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly the elephant, the mouse is affected by every twitch and groan...

[2cents]

give him a couple of Marlen Aderl piston filled fountain pens. This cigar like pen should give a lot of ink and make a statement as a lawyer. somthing out of the ordinary Pelikan and Montblanc...

 

2cents

[Hoarder68]

Some of them need the pen-itentiary .

Edited December 30, 2007 by Hoarder68

[seppe]

Pilot Vanishing Point. The only time I use one of my other numerous pens is when I can't find the Vanishing Point.

 

I take notes as I am talking to clients or in court, so the timing of when I will use the pen is irregular: listen, take a note, talk, take a note. Even though it is such little effort, it's just very nice to not take the cap on and off each time I want to jot down a brief thought. If I leave the cap off a pen it sits there exposed waiting for me to dip the sleeve of my white shirt on it---or drop a book on it.

[penrivers]

Some of them need the pen-itentiary .

 

Lol. Specially here in México.

[Donald2]

The Pilot Vanishing Point is what I recommend too. I'm finishing up my last course in the next few weeks for my Master's in Accounting and will be taking the CPA exams in the spring to become a Certified Public Accountant. I bought a few pilot Vanishing Point fountain pens that I will use for my work. The nib doesn't need to be capped on the VP. The clicker does the job capping the nib so it doesn't dry. Plus I don't have to worry about damaging or losing the cap. The VP is an excellent choice for a CPA and for a lawyer.

[Freddy]

Parker "51" both versions..............................

 

Fred

"We look forward to a retrial where we will present again the powerful proof {w/o that mamaluke Jona Rechnitz} of how

Seabrook allegedly sold his duty to safeguard correction officers' retirement money to Murray Huberfeld in exchange

for Cash bribes." ~ Joon H. Kim Acting U.S. Attorney Southern District of New York

[Bookman]

I recommend something with a built-in, high-capacity ink reservoir, either a pen that can be converted to an eyedropper or a piston-filler. The typical converter holds between .5 and .7 ml of ink. You can go off-the-record easily enough at a deposition to refill your pen; at trial, you need more ink in your pen to start with. The Edison Collier, for instance, which comes with a standard converter, can be turned into an eyedropper and can hold between 4 and 5 ml of ink. The Edison Menlo Draw-filler holds 2 ml, more than 3 times the converter's capacity; its Pump-filler holds 1.7 ml. The Montblanc Meisterstück 149 holds 1.6 ml. The Lamy 2000 has a capacity of 1.35 ml. The Pelikan M1000 has a 1.3 ml ink capacity; its M800, 1.2 ml. The Aurora 88 holds 1.1 ml.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Bookman

[ENewton]

Parker "51" both versions..............................

 

 

A few years ago, I bought a fountain pen as a gift for an attorney and first thought of a Parker 51 because mine are my favorite pens, but then I decided on a Parker 45 instead, because I thought the filling system would be easier for him to maintain. I chose a gray one with gold-plated trim and flighter cap--attractive but quiet.