Lawyer spitting speech. Fedor Plevako: Robin Hood of the Russian Bar. Chekhov about Plevako

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako is the greatest Russian lawyer who has earned many titles: “great orator”, “metropolitan of the legal profession”, “senior hero”.

The father of judicial rhetoric, Plevako is rightfully considered one of the first masters of his craft who reached the heights of professionalism in oratory and legal analysis.

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako

The future genius of the word was born in the Orenburg province, in the city of Troitsk on April 25, 1842. In 1851 the Plevako family moves to Moscow, where young Fedor Together with his brother, he continues his studies at the gymnasium, which he graduates with honors.

Miniature, watercolor of the Main building of the University in the 1820s.

In 1864 Fedor Plevako becomes a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. In accordance with the “Project for the Establishment of Moscow University” in 1755. three faculties became the basis of the new educational institution: legal, medical and philosophical. Since then, law graduates of Moscow University are rightfully considered the best specialists in their field, invariably contributing to the development of jurisprudence in Russia. The young candidate of law Fyodor Plevako becomes one of the first lawyers to become a stronghold of the judicial reform of Alexander II.

Portrait of Alexander II. N.A. Lavrov. 1860 State Museum-Reserve Tsarskoe Selo

From Plevako’s memoirs: “My comrades were from the sphere that endured lawlessness on their shoulders. These were commoners or young people who became acquainted with science as “subjects” of the young barchuks, who had surpassed them in mastering the course of science. We, the students, still had some idea of ​​the beginnings of the Judicial Reform; at the university, professors demonstrated examples of Western European legal proceedings in sample trials and drew attention to the main provisions of the upcoming Judicial Reform.”

Judicial Charters November 20, 1864

Judicial reform, announced by decree of November 20, 1864. approved the creation of the Jury Court and the introduction of new positions of sworn attorneys - lawyers. The main principles of the reformed judicial procedure are: independence of courts and judges, administration of justice only by the court, separation of judicial and prosecutorial powers, irremovability of judges, equality before the court regardless of class, transparency of legal proceedings, etc.

In the photo: Judicial rulings in the Kremlin. K.XIX century

The first district courts were created in Moscow and St. Petersburg in April 1866. Then there was a gradual introduction into force of the Judicial Statutes on November 20, 1864. in all regions Russian Empire. By the end of the 19th century. Judicial statutes were changed by a number of legislative acts, and the legal process itself was completely reformed only in 37 provinces of Russia, while in the Caucasus, the Baltic States, Siberia and many other regions, jury trials were never introduced.

Plevako's house. Date of construction: 1817 Moscow, Bolshoi Afanasyevsky lane, 35. Demolished in 1993.

Fedor Plevako began his practical legal activity by drafting documents for free in the office of the Moscow District Court. This was followed by the position of assistant to sworn attorney M.I. Dobrokhotov, and on September 19, 1870. Fyodor Nikiforovich himself became a sworn attorney of the Moscow Judicial Chamber.

In the photo: Fedor Nikolaevich Plevako (in the center)

Since then, the surname Plevako has become a household name, and the fame of the brilliant lawyer runs ahead of him. The court speeches of Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako become not only teaching aid for students of law universities, but also as an asset literary heritage Russia.

Distinctive features of Plevako's speeches in court are constant emotional restraint, logical justification of statements and indispensable quoting of Holy Scripture. Plevako fully implemented the principles of Judicial Reform in his work. His skill in defending the accused did not depend on the status and level of well-being of the participants in the process. Placing the discussion on the degree of guilt of the accused first of all Russian laws, Spit, nevertheless, being true Orthodox Christian, never forgot about the moral responsibility of people to each other.

Famous trials involving Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako: the case of the Luthorian peasants, the case of the Sevsky peasants, the case of the strike of the workers of the S. Morozov Partnership, the Bartenev case, the Gruzinsky case, etc.

Portrait of Chaliapin. K.A. Korovin 1911

Subsequently, Plevako earned the rank of actual state councilor, corresponding to the status of major general. Possessing literary talent, Plevako published in magazines under the name Bogdan Poberezhny. The brilliant lawyer moved among no less brilliant people of his time. Plevako's close friends were the artists Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel, Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin, Vasily Ivanovich Surikov; singers Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin and Leonid Vitalievich Sobinov, theater figures Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky, Maria Nikolaevna Ermolova.

M.A. Vrubel. Self-portrait.

Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako died on December 23, 1908, having already become a last years life deputy 3rd State Duma from the party "Union 17 October".

Grave of F.N. Gobber. Cemetery Vagankovsky

During the lifetime of the great lawyer, many of Plevako’s court speeches became anecdotes and even parables passed from mouth to mouth. And a modern lawyer, willy-nilly, but suddenly flaunts an aphorism, calling for help from a brilliant lawyer.

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako:

“A swear word is an interjection of the folk language”

“Behind the prosecutor is the law, and behind the lawyer is a man with his own destiny, with his own aspirations, and this man climbs onto the lawyer, seeks his protection, and it is very scary to slip with such a burden.”

“There are moments when the soul is indignant at untruth, at the sins of others, indignant in the name of the moral rules in which it believes and lives, and, indignant, strikes the one with whom it is indignant... Thus, Peter strikes a slave who insults his teacher. There is still guilt, incontinence, a lack of love for the fallen, but the guilt is more excusable than the first, for the act is not caused by weakness, not by self-love, but by a jealous love for truth and justice.”

Anecdotes about court cases involving Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako:

* In one case, Plevako took up the defense of a man who was accused of rape. The victim tried to recover a decent amount of money from the unlucky Don Juan as damages. The woman alleged that the accused dragged her into a hotel room and raped her. Man
in response, he retorted that their love affair took place by mutual consent. And now, the brilliant Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako is speaking to the jury:
“Gentlemen of the jury,” he declares. - If you sentence my client to a fine, then I ask you to deduct from this amount the cost of washing the sheets that the plaintiff soiled with her shoes.
The woman immediately jumps up and shouts:
- Not true! I took off my shoes!
There is laughter in the hall. The defendant is acquitted.

* Once Plevako defended an elderly priest accused of adultery and theft. By all appearances, the defendant could not count on the favor of the jury. The prosecutor convincingly described the depth of the fall of the clergyman, mired in sins. Finally, Plevako rose from his place.
His speech was brief: “Gentlemen of the jury! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right in everything. The defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. A man sits in front of you who has absolved you of your sins in confession for thirty years. Now he is waiting from you: will you forgive him his sin?”
There is no need to clarify that the priest was acquitted.

* The court was considering the case of an old woman, a hereditary honorary citizen, who stole a tin teapot worth 30 kopecks. The prosecutor, knowing that Plevako would defend her, decided to cut the ground from under his feet and himself described it to the jury hard life the client who forced her to take such a step. The prosecutor even emphasized that the criminal evokes pity, not indignation: “But, gentlemen, private property is sacred, the world order is based on this principle, so if you acquit this woman, then logically you should acquit the revolutionaries.”
The jury nodded their heads in agreement, and then Plevako began his speech.
He said: “Russia has had to endure many troubles, many trials over more than a thousand years of existence. The Pechenegs tormented her, the Polovtsians, the Tatars, the Poles. Twelve tongues attacked her and took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, and only grew stronger and stronger from the trials. But now... The old lady stole an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, cannot stand this; it will perish irrevocably..."
The old woman was acquitted.

* Plevako had the habit of beginning his speech in court with the phrase: “Gentlemen, it could have been worse.” And no matter what case the lawyer came across, he did not change his phrase. One day Plevako undertook to defend a man who raped his own daughter. The hall was packed, everyone was waiting for the lawyer to begin his defense speech. Is it really from your favorite phrase? Incredible. But Plevako stood up and calmly said: “Gentlemen, it could have been worse.”
And here the judge himself could not stand it. “What,” he cried, “tell me, what could be worse than this abomination?” “Your honor,” asked Plevako, “what if he raped your daughter?”

* Plevako loved to protect women. He stood up for a modest young lady from the provinces who came to the conservatory to study piano. She accidentally stayed in the rooms of "Montenegro" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, a well-known refuge of vices, not knowing where her cab driver had taken her from the station. And at night, drunken revelers began to break in on her. When the doors began to crack and the girl realized what they were trying to do from her, she jumped out the window from the third floor. Luckily, she fell into a snowdrift, but her arm was broken. The rosy dreams of musical education perished.
The prosecutor took the stupidest position in this process:
“I don’t understand: why were you so scared, throwing yourself out the window?” After all, you, mademoiselle, could crash to death!
His doubts were resolved by the angry Plevako.
- Do not understand? “So I’ll explain it to you,” he said. – In the Siberian taiga there is an animal, the ermine, which nature has awarded with fur of the purest whiteness. When he is fleeing persecution, and there is a dirty puddle on his way, the ermine prefers to accept death rather than get dirty in the mud!..”

* One day Plevako came across a case regarding the murder of his wife by a man. The lawyer came to the court as usual, calm and confident of success, and without any papers or cheat sheets. And so, when it was the turn of the defense, Plevako stood up and said:

The noise in the hall began to subside. Spit again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was dead silence in the hall. Lawyer again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was a slight rustle in the hall, but the speech did not begin. Again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Here the dissatisfied roar of the people, who had been waiting for the long-awaited spectacle, echoed in the hall. And Plevako again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Something unimaginable began. The hall roared along with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. And finally, Plevako raised his hand, calling on the people to calm down.
- Well, gentlemen, you couldn’t stand even 15 minutes of my experiment. What was it like for this poor guy to listen for 15 years? unfair reproaches and the irritated itching of his grumpy woman over every insignificant trifle?!
The audience froze, then burst into delighted applause. The man was acquitted.

* In Kaluga, in the district court, the bankruptcy case of a local merchant was being heard. F.N. was called as the defender of the merchant, who owed a lot of money. Gobber. Let us imagine the then Kaluga of the second half of the 19th century. This is a Russian patriarchal city with great influence Old Believer population. The jurors in the hall are merchants with long beards, philistines in sensitive clothes and intellectuals of good, Christian character. The courthouse was located opposite the cathedral. It was the second week of Great Lent. The whole city gathered to listen to the “star of the legal profession.”
Fyodor Nikiforovich, having studied the case, seriously prepared for a defensive speech, but “for some reason” he was not allowed to speak. Finally, at about 5 pm, the chairman of the court announced:
– The floor belongs to attorney-at-law Feodor Nikiforovich Plevako.
The lawyer leisurely takes his podium, when suddenly at that moment cathedral They struck the big bell for Lenten Vespers. In Moscow style, with a wide sweeping cross, Plevako makes the sign of the cross and reads loudly: “Lord and Master of my life, spirit of idleness... do not give it to me. The spirit of chastity... grant me... and do not condemn my brother...”
It was as if something had pierced everyone present. Everyone stood behind the jury. They stood up and listened to the prayer and the judicial ranks. Quietly, almost in a whisper, as if he were in a church, Fyodor Nikolaevich made a small speech, not at all the one he had prepared: “Now the priest has left the altar and, bowing to the ground, reads a prayer that the Lord will give us the strength “not to condemn our brother.” . And at this moment we gathered precisely in order to condemn and condemn our brother. Gentlemen of the jury, go to the deliberation room and there in silence ask your Christian conscience, is your brother, whom you are judging, guilty? The voice of God through your Christian conscience will tell you of his innocence. Give him a fair sentence."
The jury deliberated for five minutes, no more. They returned to the hall, and the foreman announced their decision:
- No, not guilty.

* Lawyer Plevako’s defense of the owner of a small shop, a semi-literate woman, who violated the rules on trading hours and closed the trade 20 minutes later than expected, on the eve of some religious holiday, is very well known. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 o'clock. The court left 10 minutes late. Everyone was present, except for the defender - Plevako. The chairman of the court ordered to find Plevako. About 10 minutes later, Plevako slowly entered the hall, calmly sat down in the place of protection and opened his briefcase. The chairman of the court reprimanded him for being late. Then Plevako pulled out his watch, looked at it and stated that it was only five minutes past ten on his watch. The chairman pointed out to him that it was already 20 minutes past ten on the wall clock. Plevako asked the chairman: “What time is it on your watch, Your Excellency?” The chairman looked and replied:
- At my fifteen minutes past ten. Plevako turned to the prosecutor:
- What about your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?
The prosecutor, clearly wanting to cause trouble for the defense attorney, replied with a malicious smile:
“It’s already twenty-five minutes past ten on my watch.”
He could not know what trap Plevako had set for him and how much he, the prosecutor, helped the defense.
The judicial investigation ended very quickly. Witnesses confirmed that the defendant closed the shop 20 minutes late. The prosecutor asked to find the defendant guilty. The floor was given to Plevako. The speech lasted two minutes. He declared:
– The defendant was really 20 minutes late. But, gentlemen of the jury, she is an old woman, illiterate, and doesn’t know much about watches. You and I are literate and intelligent people. How are things going with your watches? When the wall clock shows 20 minutes, Mr. Chairman has 15 minutes, and Mr. Prosecutor’s clock has 25 minutes. Of course, Mr. Prosecutor has the most reliable watch. So my watch was 20 minutes slow, so I was 20 minutes late. And I always considered my watch to be very accurate, because I have a gold, Moser watch. So if Mr. Chairman, according to the prosecutor’s watch, opened the hearing 15 minutes late, and the defense attorney arrived 20 minutes later, then how can one demand that an illiterate trader have best watch and had a better understanding of time than the prosecutor and I?”
The jury deliberated for one minute and acquitted the defendant.

1. “I’ll find myself Gobber”

It was this phrase that was said in Russia when someone needed the services of a good lawyer. With this name, people began to associate with a public defender, on whom they could fully rely. Why was Fyodor Plevako so convincing in his speeches in court? Why did he win even the most seemingly complex and confusing processes?

2. What captivated Plevako’s speeches

It's all about not only the correctness of his speech, but also the construction of statements, organization of the text, composition and emotional coloring. It is not for nothing that in the magazine “Pravo” for 1908 he was compared with Pushkin: “Plevako was a brilliant Russian orator. In this area he was for us what Pushkin was for Russian poetry. Just as after Pushkin it became difficult to be a Russian poet, so after It has become difficult for Plevako to be a Russian speaker."

3. It’s a paradox, but he lost the first case

Despite the fact that Plevako’s first case was lost, his name became famous. However, his first judicial speech was distinguished by skill and showed the talent of an orator. He never spoke sharply and assertively; on the contrary, the validity of his statements, calm tone and evidence captivated listeners of both educated and unversed people in the art of oratory.

4. Chekhov about Plevako

Many writers wrote and spoke about him during his lifetime. One of them is Chekhov. Here is what the writer noticed about the speaker’s talent and the power of his words: “Plevako comes up to the music stand, looks at the jury for half a minute and begins to speak. His speech is even, soft, sincere... There are many figurative expressions, good thoughts and other beauties... The diction penetrates into the very soul, fire looks out of the eyes... No matter how much Plevako talks, you can always listen to him without boredom..."

5. “The Case of the Old Lady.”

Plevako's speeches and court cases are studied in many public speaking courses. The case of the old woman who stole the kettle has already become a traditional and textbook example. So, already at the trial, the prosecutor knew that Plevako would defend the old woman and decided to act with cunning: he himself presented arguments in defense of the old woman. The prosecutor said all the mitigating circumstances of the crime: old woman, poverty, need, the insignificance of theft... But still he emphasized that property is sacred, and if you encroach on it, the country will perish. What did Plevako answer to this? “Russia had to endure many troubles and trials over more than a thousand years of existence. The Pechenegs tormented it, the Polovtsy, the Tatars, the Poles. Twelve languages ​​fell upon it, they took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, only grew stronger and grew from the trials. But now, "Now... the old lady stole a teapot worth fifty kopecks. Russia, of course, cannot stand this, it will perish irrevocably." It was this brilliant answer from Plevako, his comparison with the history of Russia, that saved the woman from prison, and the court acquitted her.

6. The most important difference between Plevako and other speakers and lawyers was that he could influence the feelings of listeners, “see” the jury, make them cry, laugh, and sometimes ironically smile.

Two lives of lawyer Plevako. Documentary. Directed by Stenin M., 2012

The lawyer's name became a household name far beyond the borders of the Russian Empire. Fyodor Plevako became famous not only for his professionalism and deep knowledge of the laws, but also for his masterly command of words and oratorical talent. On court hearings with his participation, people came as if to a spectacular event, fascinating and arousing emotions.

“Metropolitan of the Bar”, “Pushkin in jurisprudence”, “genius of speech” - Plevako was called as many times by his colleagues and common people, whom Fyodor Nikolaevich often defended for free. The imagery and richness of speech, the skillful construction of sentences, the composition of the text and the emotional coloring given to it were admired by another genius of the word -.

“The diction penetrates into the very soul, fire looks out of the eyes... No matter how much Plevako speaks, you can always listen to him without getting bored...” the writer said.

Childhood and youth

A talented lawyer was born in the spring of 1842 on Southern Urals, in Troitsk, which at that time belonged to the Orenburg province.

About family and parents famous lawyer biographers continue to argue. If regarding the father they came to a common denominator, calling him an exiled Polish nobleman with the rank of court councilor, then the nationality of the mother is still unknown for certain. Some sources call her a Kalmyk, others - a Kyrgyz, and still others - a Kazakh serf, who nevertheless came from a rich and noble family.

Fedor Plevako in his youth and his mother

Father of the future luminary Russian Bar Association name was Vasily Plevak (later the lawyer added the letter “o” at the end for euphony, placing emphasis on it).

Parents lived in civil marriage, Not consecrated by the church and official seals. The family had four offspring, of whom two sons survived - Fedor and Dormidont. The children were illegitimate, which later affected the biography. They received their middle name from godfather.

In the early 1850s, the family moved to Moscow. The boys were sent to a prestigious school on Ostozhenka, which prepared students for students at commercial and technical universities in Russia. In the first year of study, the names of the Plevak brothers adorned the honor board, but six months later, Fyodor and Dormidont, having learned about their “illegitimate” status, were expelled.

The head of the family had to work hard to get his children into the 1st metropolitan gymnasium, which was located on Prechistenka. Based on the exam results, the boys were immediately assigned to the 3rd grade.

After graduating from high school, Fyodor Plevak became a student at Moscow University, choosing jurisprudence. The graduate's diploma already included a new surname, by which the lawyer is still known today.

Jurisprudence

After graduation professional career Plevako developed rapidly. In 1964, a young lawyer with a PhD in Law interned for six months in the capital's district court, waiting for a suitable vacancy.

This turned up in the spring of 1866. At this time, jury advocacy appeared in Russia, and Fyodor Plevako became one of the first in the capital to be hired as an assistant to a jury attorney. In this rank he quickly became famous, speaking at criminal trials.

It is noteworthy that the future “metropolitan of the legal profession” lost his first case, and his client was exiled to Siberia. But the young lawyer’s speech made a strong impression on the judges. Fyodor Plevako demonstrated a masterly ability to work with witness testimony.

In the fall of 1870, Plevako himself was already an attorney in the trial chamber of the capital's district court. From that moment on, “golden” pages began to appear in the lawyer’s biography one after another. The court speeches of the “genius of words” were analyzed into quotes. But after 2 years brilliant career Plevako was almost interrupted: the human rights activist came under suspicion from the head of the provincial gendarmerie as an active member of a secret legal society. He was accused of promoting revolutionary ideas among students.

Book by Fyodor Plevako "Selected Speeches"

The luminary of the Russian legal profession managed to emerge victorious: the case was closed for lack of evidence. But Fyodor Plevako has not taken risks since then and has avoided “political” processes. Only after 1905 did the human rights activist begin to take on cases with political overtones.

A successful lawyer has improved financial situation and bought a house in Bolshoy Afanasyevsky Lane. His fame thundered in Moscow and throughout the country, and among the admirers of the lawyer’s talent were all classes of citizens: Plevako defended both rich clients and poor ones with equal zeal. He didn’t take the last money and even paid legal expenses.

There were legends about the oratory skills of the master of law, and Interesting Facts biographies and the most entertaining parts of court speeches were passed on from mouth to mouth. Later, Fyodor Plevako published a book in which he published his most high-profile speeches at the trials.

Eyewitnesses described the lawyer's speeches as inspired and not devoid of improvisation. He often referred to the Bible, gave examples from Roman law, which he knew thoroughly and wrote a scientific work on it.

One day, Fyodor Plevako had to speak out against the thieving abbess, who was accused of forgery and stealing money. The lawyer was not afraid of the wrath of the clergy and exposed the temple servant, pointing out the hypocrisy and bribery hidden under the nun’s cassock.

Documentary film "Three secrets of lawyer Plevako"

At the end of 1874, a loud scandal took place in the district court of the capital. trial, in which Fyodor Nikiforovich defended a girl who arrived in Moscow and checked into a hotel. At night, a crowd of drunken men burst into the unfortunate woman’s room, and to escape from them, she jumped out of a third-floor window. Fortunately, Plevako’s client only broke her arm after falling into a snowdrift.

Defenders of the criminal company insisted on the innocence of their charges, arguing that the men did not harm the girl, and that she jumped out of the window herself.

Fedor Plevako (center) with colleagues

Then Fyodor Plevako resorted to an instructive analogy, talking about the behavior of an ermine fleeing a chase. If there was a dirty puddle on the way to salvation, the animal preferred to die rather than stain its snow-white fur.

“And I understand why the victim jumped out the window,” Plevako concluded.

The judges punished the men by handing down a guilty verdict.

Fyodor Plevako has over two hundred cases won, including the case of an industrialist, which was heard in the summer of 1900. He was taken into custody for failure to repay debts to banks from which he took money for the construction of a railway line. The road was supposed to connect Vologda and Arkhangelsk, and the contract for construction came from the Russian government.

Mamontov spent all his savings, but they were not enough. The hope for help from the government and the “financial” minister did not materialize.

The lawyer was able to prove that the industrialist did not embezzle a penny of money and did not pursue selfish goals. Plevako’s speech at the trial, as expected, became an example of oratorical skill. Savva Mamontov was released from custody right in the courtroom.

Personal life

Even in the personal life of a lawyer, there was a place for a 20-year-long legal battle.

After the dissolution of his failed first marriage with teacher Ekaterina Filippova, who gave birth to his son Sergei, Fedor Plevako fell in love with his client Maria Demidova, who initiated a divorce from her millionaire husband. “The Flax King” Demidov did not want to let his wife go and destroy the family in which 5 offspring were raised.

The outbreak of romance forced Fyodor and Maria to give a damn about conventions and settle under the same roof. Soon the couple had a daughter, Varvara. A boy appeared behind her - son Sergei. According to the law, Plevako’s children were considered Demidov’s children.

The divorce process lasted 20 years and ended with the death of the stubborn merchant. Fyodor Plevako had to register the children as abandoned and then adopt them.

Both Sergei became lawyers, like their father, but they were unable to replicate his fame.

Death

The man died, having lived 66 years, in December 1908. The cause of death was a heart attack.

IN last way Fyodor Nikiforovich was accompanied by a huge procession, in which people of different classes and incomes mixed.

The famous lawyer was buried in the cemetery adjacent to the former convent, which bore the name Skorbyashchensky.

At the end of the 1920s, the cemetery was destroyed and a playground for children was built on the burial site. Plevako’s remains were transferred to Vagankovskoye, erected on the lawyer’s grave wooden cross. Only in 2003, the Russian lawyer's fraternity raised money for a tombstone and bas-relief with the appearance of Fedor Plevako.

The release of the detective-historical series “Winners” has been announced for 2019, in which the role of “Pushkin in jurisprudence” went to.

Plevako Fedor Nikiforovich (1842–1908) is the largest pre-revolutionary Russian lawyer, whose name is well known not only in our country, but also far beyond its borders. F. N. Plevako received his legal education at Moscow University. Soon after the introduction of the Judicial Statutes of 1864, he entered the legal profession and was a sworn attorney at the Moscow Judicial Chamber. Gradually, from process to process, with his smart, heartfelt speeches he won wide recognition and fame as an outstanding court speaker. He always carefully prepared for the case, knew all its circumstances well, was able to deeply analyze evidence and show it to the court inner meaning certain phenomena. His speeches were distinguished by great psychological depth, clarity and simplicity. He illuminated the most complex human relationships and sometimes insoluble everyday situations in an accessible, understandable form for listeners, with special inner warmth. According to A.F. Koni, he was “... a man whose oratory turned into inspiration.”

IN court speeches he was not limited to covering only the legal side of the case under consideration. In a number of court appearances, F. N. Plevako touched upon large social issues that were in the field of view and worried the progressive public.

One cannot forget his angry words addressed to Mother Superior Mitrofania:

“A traveler walking past the high walls of the Vladychny Monastery, entrusted to the moral guidance of this woman, devoutly crosses himself on the golden crosses of the temples and thinks that he is walking past the house of God, and in this house the morning bell aroused the abbess and her servants not to prayer, but to dark deeds !

Instead of a temple there is a stock exchange; instead of praying people there are swindlers and buyers of counterfeit documents; together prayers are an exercise in composing bill texts; instead of deeds of good - preparation for false testimony - this is what was hidden behind the walls.

The monastery walls in our ancient monasteries hide worldly temptations from the monk, but this is not the case with Abbess Mitrofania...

Build higher, higher the walls of the communities entrusted to you, so that the world cannot see the deeds that you do under the “cover of the cassock and monastery!..”

F. N. Plevako also touches on pressing social issues in other speeches. Thus, speaking in defense of the Luthorian peasants who rebelled against inhuman exploitation and immeasurable extortions, he says;

“When we are exacted what is not due from us, we worry and lose our composure; We worry when we lose either a small share of our income, or something we can gain or fix.

But a man's ruble is rare and comes at a high price. With the blood ruble taken away from him, the happiness and future of his family often go away, eternal slavery begins, eternal dependence on the world-eaters and the rich. Once a broken farm dies, the farmhand is condemned for the rest of his life to seek work from the strong as if it were a blessing, and to kiss the hand that gives him a penny for work that brings benefits to another worth hundreds of rubles, to kiss it like the hand of a benefactor, and to cry and ask for a new benefit, new bonded labor for crumbs of bread and miserable rags.”

Plevako never relied solely on his talent. The basis of his success was great hard work, persistent work on words and thoughts.

F. N. Plevako is the most colorful figure among the largest pre-revolutionary lawyers; he stood out sharply with his bright personality among the pre-revolutionary bar, which was not poor in talented speakers.

A.F. Koni characterized Plevako’s talent this way: “... through the outer appearance of the defender stood a tribune, for whom the matter was only an excuse and who was hampered by the fence of a particular case, which constrained the flapping of his wings, with all their inherent strength.”

Speaking about Plevako, V.V. Veresaev in one of his memoirs conveys the following story about him:

“His main strength lay in his intonation, in the genuine, downright magical infectiousness of feeling with which he knew how to ignite the listener. Therefore, his speeches on paper do not even remotely convey their amazing power.

A priest was tried for committing serious crime, in which he was completely exposed, and the defendant did not deny guilt.

After the thunderous speech of the prosecutor, Plevako spoke. He rose slowly, pale, agitated. His speech consisted of only a few phrases...

“Gentlemen, jurors! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right in everything - the defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. There is a man sitting in front of you who, for THIRTY YEARS, absolved all your sins in confession. Now he is waiting from you: will you forgive him his sin?” And he sat down. Talking about another case, Veresaev writes:

“The prosecutors knew Plevako’s strength. An old woman stole a tin teapot that cost less than 50 kopecks. She was a hereditary honorary citizen and, as a person of the privileged class, was subject to trial by jury. Whether by dress or by whim, Plevako acted as the old woman’s defender. The prosecutor decided in advance to paralyze the influence of Plevako’s defensive speech and himself expressed everything that could be said in defense of the old woman: poor old lady, bitter need, the theft is insignificant, the defendant does not evoke indignation, but only pity. But property is sacred. All our civic welfare rests on property; if we allow people to shake it, the country will perish.

Plevako stood up.

– Russia had to endure many troubles, many trials during its more than thousand-year existence. The Pechenegs tormented her, as did the Polovtsians, Tatars and Poles. Twelve tongues attacked her and took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, and only grew stronger and stronger from the trials. But now, now... The old lady stole an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, cannot stand this; it will perish irrevocably.”

But it wasn't only the jurors who succumbed to the charm great talent It doesn't matter, and crown judges often found themselves in the spit of its large, strong and subtle psychological influence.

Plevako’s comparisons and images are very strong, convincing, and deeply memorable. Figurative comparisons further enhance the impression of his spectacular speeches.

Plevako’s speech in defense of Bartenev in the case of the murder of artist Visnovskaya is a brilliant example of Russian judicial eloquence. It is distinguished exclusively by psychological depth, subtle analysis state of mind the murdered and the defendant. This speech is impeccable in its style and is distinguished by high artistry. Analysis psychological state the young, successful artist and the defendant is given exceptionally deep and talented...

Almost without examining the issues of the crime, and the circumstances of the case did not require this, Plevako, with the brush of a great artist, figuratively paints the situation in which the crime matured.

This speech deeply and truthfully depicts the inner and external world the young, beautiful, talented actress Visnovskaya, who successfully performed on the stage of the Warsaw Imperial Theater. Skillfully touching on and showing the inner springs of the mental discord of a young, highly successful woman, Plevako truthfully depicts the situation of the crime.

This speech rightfully became famous far beyond Russia.

From the speeches presented in the collection, the reader can get a sufficient impression of the work of this talented lawyer and outstanding judicial speaker.

Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako, one of the most famous Russian lawyers, whom his contemporaries nicknamed “Moscow Chrysostom”.

Here are several examples of Plevako's famous eloquence.

"20 minutes"

Lawyer F.N. Plevako’s defense of the owner of a small shop, a semi-literate woman, who violated the rules on trading hours and closed the trade 20 minutes later than expected, on the eve of some religious holiday, is very well known. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 o'clock. The court left 10 minutes late. Everyone was present, except for the defender - Plevako. The chairman of the court ordered to find Plevako. About 10 minutes later, Plevako slowly entered the hall, calmly sat down in the place of protection and opened his briefcase. The chairman of the court reprimanded him for being late. Then Plevako pulled out his watch, looked at it and stated that it was only five minutes past ten on his watch. The chairman pointed out to him that it was already 20 minutes past ten on the wall clock. Plevako asked the chairman: “What time is it on your watch, Your Excellency?” The chairman looked and replied:

At my fifteen minutes past ten. Plevako turned to the prosecutor:

What about your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?

The prosecutor, clearly wanting to cause trouble for the defense attorney, replied with a malicious smile:

It's already twenty-five minutes past ten on my watch.

He could not know what trap Plevako had set for him and how much he, the prosecutor, helped the defense.

The judicial investigation ended very quickly. Witnesses confirmed that the defendant closed the shop 20 minutes late. The prosecutor asked to find the defendant guilty. The floor was given to Plevako. The speech lasted two minutes. He declared:

The defendant was actually 20 minutes late. But, gentlemen of the jury, she is an old woman, illiterate, and doesn’t know much about watches. You and I are literate and intelligent people. How are things going with your watches? When the wall clock shows 20 minutes, Mr. Chairman has 15 minutes, and Mr. Prosecutor’s clock has 25 minutes. Of course, Mr. Prosecutor has the most reliable watch. So my watch was 20 minutes slow, so I was 20 minutes late. And I always considered my watch to be very accurate, because I have a gold, Moser watch.

So if Mr. Chairman, according to the prosecutor’s watch, opened the hearing 15 minutes late, and the defense attorney arrived 20 minutes later, then how can you demand that an illiterate tradeswoman have a better watch and have a better understanding of time than the prosecutor and I?

The jury deliberated for one minute and acquitted the defendant.

"15 years of unfair reproach"

One day Plevako received a case regarding the murder of his woman by a man. Plevako came to the trial as usual, calm and confident of success, and without any papers or cheat sheets. And so, when it was the turn of the defense, Plevako stood up and said:

The noise in the hall began to subside. Spit again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

There was dead silence in the hall. Lawyer again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

There was a slight rustle in the hall, but the speech did not begin. Again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Here the dissatisfied roar of the people, who had been waiting for the long-awaited spectacle, echoed in the hall. And Plevako again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

At this point the audience exploded with indignation, perceiving everything as a mockery of the respectable audience. And from the podium again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Something unimaginable began. The hall roared along with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. And finally Plevako raised his hand, calling on the people to calm down.

Well, gentlemen, you couldn’t stand even 15 minutes of my experiment. What was it like for this unfortunate man to listen to 15 years of unfair reproaches and the irritated nagging of his grumpy woman over every insignificant trifle?!

The audience froze, then burst into delighted applause.

The man was acquitted.

"Absolution of Sins"

He once defended an elderly priest accused of adultery and theft. By all appearances, the defendant could not count on the favor of the jury. The prosecutor convincingly described the depth of the fall of the clergyman, mired in sins. Finally, Plevako rose from his place. His speech was brief: “Gentlemen of the jury! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right in everything. The defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. A man sits in front of you who has absolved you of your sins in confession for thirty years. Now he is waiting from you: will you forgive him his sin?”

There is no need to clarify that the priest was acquitted.

30 kopecks

The court is considering the case of an old woman, a hereditary honorary citizen, who stole a tin teapot worth 30 kopecks. The prosecutor, knowing that Plevako would defend her, decided to cut the ground from under his feet, and he himself described to the jury the difficult life of her client, which forced her to take such a step. The prosecutor even emphasized that the criminal evokes pity, not indignation. But, gentlemen, private property is sacred, the world order is based on this principle, so if you justify this grandmother, then logically you must justify the revolutionaries too. The jury nodded their heads in agreement, and then Plevako began his speech. He said: “Russia has had to endure many troubles, many trials over more than a thousand years of existence. The Pechenegs tormented her, the Polovtsians, the Tatars, the Poles. Twelve tongues attacked her and took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, and only grew stronger and stronger from the trials. But now... The old lady stole an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, cannot stand this; it will perish irrevocably..."

The old woman was acquitted.

I took off my shoes!

In addition to the story about famous lawyer Gobber. He defends a man who has been accused of rape by a prostitute and is trying to get a significant amount from him in court for the injury he caused. Facts of the case: the plaintiff claims that the defendant lured her to a hotel room and raped her there. The man declares that everything was by good agreement. The last word for Plevako.

“Gentlemen of the jury,” he declares. “If you sentence my client to a fine, then I ask you to deduct from this amount the cost of washing the sheets that the plaintiff soiled with her shoes.”

The prostitute jumps up and shouts: “It’s not true! I took off my shoes!!!”

There is laughter in the hall. The defendant is acquitted.

"The Omen"

To the great Russian lawyer F.N. Plevako is credited with frequently using the religious mood of jurors in the interests of clients. Once, speaking in a provincial district court, he agreed with the bell ringer of the local church that he would begin ringing the gospel for mass with special accuracy.

The speech of the famous lawyer lasted several hours, and at the end F.N. Plevako exclaimed: If my client is innocent, the Lord will give a sign about it!

And then the bells rang. The jurors crossed themselves. The meeting lasted several minutes, and the foreman announced a not guilty verdict.

The Gruzinsky case.

This case was considered by the Ostrogozhsky District Court on September 29-30, 1883. Prince G.I. Gruzinsky was accused of the premeditated murder of his children’s former tutor, who later managed the estate of Gruzinsky’s wife, E.F. Schmidt.

The preliminary investigation established the following. E.F. Schmidt, invited by Gruzinsky last. After Gruzinsky demanded that his wife end all relations as a tutor, very quickly became close to his wife with the tutor, and he himself was fired, the wife declared the impossibility of further living with Gruzinsky and demanded the allocation of part of the property belonging to her. Having settled in the estate allocated to her, she invited E.F. to join her as her manager. Schmidt. After the partition, Gruzinsky’s two children lived for some time with their mother in the same estate where Schmidt was the manager. Schmidt often used this to take revenge on Gruzinsky. The latter had limited opportunities for meetings with children; the children were told a lot of incriminating things about Gruzinsky. As a result, being constantly in a tense nervous state during meetings with Schmidt and with children, Gruzinsky killed Schmidt during one of these meetings, shooting him several times with a pistol.

Plevako, defending the defendant, very consistently proves the absence of intent in his actions and the need to qualify them as committed in a state of insanity. He focuses on the prince’s feelings at the time of the crime, his relationship with his wife, and his love for his children. He tells the story of the prince, about his meeting with the “clerk from the store”, about his relationship with the old princess, about how the prince took care of his wife and children. The eldest son was growing up, the prince was taking him to St. Petersburg, to school. There he falls ill with a fever. The prince experiences three attacks, during which he manages to return to Moscow - “Gently loving father, my husband wants to see his family."

“It was then that the prince, who had not yet left his bed, had to experience terrible grief. Once he hears - patients are so sensitive - in the next room a conversation between Schmidt and his wife: they, apparently, are arguing; but their quarrel is so strange: as if they were scolding their own people, and not strangers, then again the speeches are peaceful..., uncomfortable... The prince gets up, gathers his strength..., walks when no one expected him, when they thought that he was chained to the bed... And what. The dear ones scold - they just amuse themselves: Schmidt and the princess are together, it’s not good together...

The prince fainted and lay on the floor all night. Those caught fled, not even thinking of sending help to the sick person. The prince could not kill the enemy, destroy him, he was weak... He only accepted misfortune into an open heart so that he would never know separation from him."

Plevako claims that he would not yet have dared to accuse the princess and Schmidt, to condemn them to the prince’s sacrifice, if they had left, had not boasted of their love, had not insulted him, had not extorted money from him, that this “would have been the hypocrisy of the word.”

The princess lives in her half of the estate. Then she leaves, leaving the children with Schmidt. The prince is angry: he takes the children. But here something irreparable happens. “Schmidt, taking advantage of the fact that the children’s underwear is in the princess’s house where he lives, rejects the demand with an oath and sends an answer that without 300 rubles as a deposit he will not give the prince two shirts and two pants for the children. The hanger-on, the hired lover, stands between the father and children and dares to call him a man who is capable of wasting children's underwear, takes care of children and demands a deposit of 300 rubles from the father. Not only the father to whom this is said, but the stranger who hears about this, his hair stands on end!" The next morning the prince saw children in wrinkled shirts. “Father’s heart sank. He turned away from these talking eyes and - what fatherly love will not do - went out into the hallway, got into the carriage prepared for him for the trip and went ... went to ask his rival, enduring shame and humiliation, for a shirt for his children.” .

At night, according to witnesses, Schmidt loaded the guns. The prince had a pistol with him, but this was a habit, not an intention. “I affirm,” said Plevako, “that an ambush awaits him there. Linen, refusal, bail, loaded guns of large and small caliber - everything speaks for my thought.”

He goes to Schmidt. “Of course, his soul could not help but be indignant when he saw the nest of his enemies and began to approach it. Here it is - the place where, in the hours of his grief and suffering, they - his enemies - laugh and rejoice at his misfortune. Here it is - a lair where the honor of the family, his honor, and all the interests of his children were sacrificed to the animal voluptuousness of a scoundrel. Here it is - a place where not only was their present taken away from him, but their past happiness was also taken away, poisoning him with suspicions...

God forbid we experience such moments!

In this mood he drives, approaches the house, knocks on the door. door.

They won't let him in. The footman speaks of the order not to accept.

The prince conveys that he doesn’t need anything other than linen.

But instead of fulfilling his legal demand, instead of finally polite refusal, he hears abuse, abuse from the lips of his wife’s lover, directed towards him, who does not do any insult on his part.

Have you heard about this swearing: “Let the scoundrel leave, don’t you dare knock, this is my house! Get out, I’ll shoot.”

The prince's whole being was indignant. The enemy stood close and laughed so brazenly. The prince could have known that he was armed from his family, who had heard from Tsybulin. And the prince could not help but believe that he was capable of everything evil.”

He shoots. “But listen, gentlemen,” says the defender, “was there a living place in his soul at that terrible moment?” “The prince could not cope with these feelings. They are too legal, these are for them” “The husband sees a man ready to desecrate the purity of the marriage bed; the father is present at the scene of the seduction of his daughter; the high priest sees the impending blasphemy - and, besides them, there is no one to save the right and a shrine. In their souls it is not a vicious feeling of malice that rises, but a righteous feeling of vengeance and defense of the violated right. It is legal, it is holy; if it did not rise, they are despicable people, pimps, sacrileges! "

Concluding his speech, Fyodor Nikiforovich said: “Oh, how happy I would be if, having measured and compared with your own understanding the strength of his patience and struggle with himself, and the force of oppression over him of the soul-disturbing pictures of his family misfortune, you admitted that he cannot be charged with the charges brought against him, and his defender is entirely to blame for his insufficient ability to carry out the task he has taken upon himself...”

The jury returned a not guilty verdict, finding that the crime was committed in a state of insanity.

Get started!

From the memories of Plevako... Once a rich Moscow merchant turned to him for help. Plevako says: “I heard about this merchant. I decided that I would charge such a fee that the merchant would be horrified. But not only was he not surprised, but he also said:

Just win my case. I’ll pay what you said, and I’ll also give you pleasure.

What kind of pleasure?

Win the case, you'll see.

I won the case. The merchant paid the fee. I reminded him of the promised pleasure. The merchant says:

On Sunday, around ten in the morning, I’ll pick you up and let’s go.

Where to this early?

Look, you'll see.

It's Sunday. The merchant came to pick me up. We are going to Zamoskvorechye. I wonder where he's taking me. There are no restaurants here, no gypsies. And the time is not right for these things. We drove down some side streets. There are no residential buildings around, only barns and warehouses. We arrived at some warehouse. A little man is standing at the gate. Either a watchman or a team worker. They got off.

Kupchina asks the man:

That's right, your lordship.

We walk through the yard. The little man opened a door. We walked in, looked and didn’t understand anything. A huge room, shelves along the walls, dishes on the shelves.

The merchant sent the peasant out, stripped off his fur coat and offered to take it off for me. I undress. The merchant went to the corner, took two hefty clubs, gave one of them to me and said:

Get started.

So what to start?

Like what? Break the dishes!

Why hit her? The merchant smiled.

Start, you will understand why... The merchant walked up to the shelves and with one blow broke a bunch of dishes. I hit too. Broke it too. We began to break the dishes and, imagine, I went into such a rage and began to smash the dishes with such fury with a club that I’m ashamed to even remember. Imagine that I really experienced some kind of wild but acute pleasure and could not calm down until the merchant and I broke everything down to the last cup. When it was all over, the merchant asked me:

Well, did you enjoy it? I had to admit that I received it."