Scoundrels in Law: The Trials of Howe and Hummel, Lawyers to the Gangsters, Cops, Starlets, and Rakes Who Made the Gilded Age

“A delightful romp through the theatrical courtrooms, seedy back alleys, and elegant parlors of Gilded Age New York.” —James McGrath Morris, author of Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power

“Only Dickens could have done more with this fabulously rich material. Terrific stuff.” —Eric Homberger, author of Mrs. Astor's New York

Cait Murphy, author of Crazy ’08, is back with Scoundrels in Law: a witty, irreverent book that details the life and outrageous times of the law partnership of Howe and Hummel—quite possibly the most colorful one that ever was—and in the process gives a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple at the end of the 19th Century.

From the critically acclaimed author of Crazy '08 comes the thrilling true story of the most colorful and notorious law firm in American history. Scoundrels in Law offers an inside look at crime and punishment in the nineteenth century, and a whirlwind tour of the Gilded Age.

Gangsters and con men. Spurned mistresses and wandering husbands. Strippers and Broadway royalty. Cat killers and spiritualists. These were the friends and clients of Howe & Hummel, the most famous (and famously rotten) law firm in nineteenth-century America.

The partners gloried in their reputation and made a rich living from it. William Howe left London a step ahead of the law to find his destiny defending the perpetrators of murder and mayhem in post-Civil War New York, in an age of really good murders. A dramatic, diamond-encrusted presence, Howe was one of the great courtroom orators of his era, winning improbable acquittals time after time.

Abraham Hummel enjoyed a quieter but perhaps more fearsome notoriety, shaking down high society so well and so often that receiving an envelope with the law firm's name on it became almost a rite of passage.

The partners bestrode Gilded Age New York with wit and brio, and everyone from Theodore Roosevelt to Lola Montez had a part in their story. In Howe & Hummel's prime, it would not have been unusual to see a leading politician, a pickpocket, a Broadway star, a bank robber, and a socialite all crowded together into the waiting room of their offices, located conveniently across the street from the city jail.

Howe and Hummel were not particularly good men. They were perfectly ready—even eager—to lie, cheat, and bribe on behalf of their clients. They did stop short of murder, though, a principle that played a critical role when the famous firm imploded in a truly spectacular web of deceit gone wrong.

Through the windows of the dingy premises of Howe & Hummel, readers can glimpse the Gilded Age in all its grime and grandeur. Cait Murphy restores this once-famous duo to their rightful place in the pantheon of great American characters.

“Cait Murphy is a witty, sharp-eyed storyteller, and what a stunning tale she has to tell of shameless lawyers, corrupt judges, sensation-seeking newspapers, and a rich assortment of thieves, murderers, and bent Tammany pols. Only Dickens could have done more with this fabulously rich material. The lawyers Howe and Hummel knew better than any how to play the criminal justice system of Gilded Age New York, and in Scoundrels in Law Murphy tells the story of their cases, tactics, and brazen triumphs. Terrific stuff.” - Eric Homberger, author of Mrs. Astor's New York

“Murphy dishes up real law & order, New York nineteenth-century style.” - The Writing Life

“The Gilded Age’s most colorful mouthpieces … are represented by smooth-talking Cait Murphy.” - Vanity Fair

“Anyone who has written about late-nineteenth-century New York has run across the legendary lawyers William Howe and Abraham Hummel. Almost every crook, murderer, and celebrity at some point seemed to have had to call on this talented legal duo for help. Now, at last, we have their story, thanks to the intrepid work of Cait Murphy. Scoundrels in Law is a delightful romp through the theatrical courtrooms, seedy back alleys, and elegant parlors of Gilded Age New York.” - James McGrath Morris, author of Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power

“Cait Murphy makes the case that the legal firm of Howe & Hummel was at the center of one of the most rambunctious criminal eras in American history; her research is meticulous, her storytelling sharp as the bang of a judge’s gavel. Scoundrels in Law is essential history and also a whopping good yarn.” - T.J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Havana Nocturne and Paddy Whacked

“In Murphy’s rendering, Howe and Hummel are fascinating and enjoyable characters when viewed at a distance, but she also sees them as worthy symbols of an age when amorality was elevated to a virtue.” - Booklist

“[Murphy] glories in the stark differences between the two men who gained renown during their lifetimes primarily through their immoral tactics in courtrooms.” - Kirkus Reviews