Alexey Makarovich plevako. Moscow Chrysostom

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako, one of the most famous Russian lawyers, which contemporaries called "Moscow Chrysostom".

Here are some examples of Plevako's famous eloquence.

"20 minutes"

The lawyer F.N. Plevako defended 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 it was supposed to, on the eve of some religious holiday. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 o'clock. The court left 10 minutes late. Everyone was there, except for the defender - Plevako. The chairman of the court ordered to find Plevako. After 10 minutes, Plevako, without hurrying, entered the hall, calmly sat down at the place of protection and opened the briefcase. The chairman of the court reprimanded him for being late. Then Plevako pulled out his watch, looked at it and declared that it was only five past ten on his watch. The chairman pointed out to him that it was already 20 past ten on the wall clock. Plevako asked the chairman: - And how much is on your watch, Your Excellency? The chairman looked and replied:

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

And on your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?

The prosecutor, obviously wishing to cause trouble for the defense counsel, replied with a sly smile:

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

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

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

The defendant was indeed 20 minutes late. But, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, she is an old woman, illiterate, and does not know much about watches. We are literate and intelligent people. How are you doing with your watch? When the wall clock shows 20 minutes, the chairman has 15 minutes, and the prosecutor's clock has 25 minutes. Of course, Mr. Prosecutor has the most faithful watch. So my watch was 20 minutes behind, which is why I was 20 minutes late. And I always considered my watch very accurate, because I have gold, Moser.

So if Mr. Chairman, according to the prosecutor's clock, opened the session 15 minutes late, and the defense counsel appeared 20 minutes later, then how can you demand that an illiterate tradeswoman have best watch and better versed in the time than we are with the prosecutor?

The jury deliberated for one minute and acquitted the defendant.

"15 years of unfair reproach"

Once, Plevako got a case about the murder of his woman by one man. Plevako came to court as usual, calm and confident of success, and without any papers and cribs. And so, when the turn came to the defense, Plevako stood up and said:

The noise in the hall began to subside. Plevako 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 in the hall swept the discontented rumble of the long-awaited long-awaited spectacle of the people. And Plevako again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Here already the hall exploded with indignation, perceiving everything as a mockery of the respectable public. And from the podium again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Something incredible has begun. The hall roared along with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. And finally, Plevako raised his hand, urging the people to calm down.

Well, gentlemen, you could not stand even 15 minutes of my experiment. And what was it like for this unfortunate man to listen to 15 years unfair reproaches and the irritated itch of his grumpy woman over every insignificant trifle?!

The hall froze, then burst into admiring applause.

The man was acquitted.

"Remission of Sins"

He once defended an elderly priest accused of adultery and theft. By all appearances, the defendant had nothing to count on the favor of the jury. The prosecutor convincingly described the depth of the fall of the clergyman, mired in sins. Finally, Plevako got up from his seat. His speech was brief: “Gentlemen of the jury! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right about everything. The defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them himself. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. Before you sits a man who for thirty years has forgiven you for your confession of your sins. Now he is waiting for you: will you forgive him his sin?

There is no need to specify 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 painted for the jury hard life client, forcing her to take such a step. The prosecutor even stressed that the criminal causes pity, not resentment. But, gentlemen, private property is sacred, the world order is based on this principle, so if you justify this grandmother, then you and the revolutionaries should logically be justified. The jurors nodded their heads in agreement, and then Plevako began his speech. He said: “Russia has had to endure many troubles, many trials for more than a thousand years of existence. Pechenegs tormented her, Polovtsy, Tatars, Poles. Twelve languages ​​fell upon her, they took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, only grew stronger and grew from trials. But now... The old woman stole an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, will not withstand this, it will perish irrevocably from this ... "

The old woman was acquitted.

I took off my shoes!

In addition to the history of famous lawyer Plevako. He defends a man whom a prostitute has accused of rape and is trying to get a significant amount from him in court for the injury. Facts of the case: the plaintiff alleges that the defendant lured her into a hotel room and raped her there. The man also declares that everything was in good agreement. The last word for Plevako.

"Gentlemen of the jury," he says. "If you award my client 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: "That's not true! I took off my shoes!"

Laughter in the hall. The defendant is acquitted.

"The Omen"

The great Russian lawyer F.N. Plevako is credited with the frequent use of the religious mood of jurors in the interests of clients. Once, speaking in the provincial district court, he agreed with the bell-ringer of the local church that he would begin the evangelization for mass with special precision.

Speech 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 that!

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

The Georgian case.

The present case was considered by the Ostrogozhsky District Court on September 29-30, 1883. Prince G.I. Gruzinsky was accused of premeditated murder of the former tutor of his children, 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 stop all relations as a tutor, very quickly becomes close to his wife with a tutor, and fired him himself, the wife declared that it was impossible to continue living with Gruzinsky and demanded the allocation of part of her property. Having settled in the estate allotted to her, she invited E.F. Schmidt. After the partition, two of Gruzinsky's 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, children were told a lot of compromising things about Gruzinsky. As a result, being constantly in a tense nervous state when meeting with Schmidt and with the children, Gruzinsky, during one of these meetings, killed Schmidt by 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 feelings of the prince at the time of the crime, on his relationship with his wife, on love for 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 the bed, had to experience terrible grief. Since he hears - the patients are so sensitive - in the next room, the conversation of Schmidt and his wife: they, apparently, perekoresh; but their quarrel is so strange: it’s like they are scolding, and not strangers, then again peaceful speeches ... uncomfortable ... The prince gets up, gathers strength ..., goes when no one expected him, when they thought that he was bedridden ... And well. not good together...

The prince fainted and lay on the floor all night. Those who were caught fled, not even guessing to send help to the sick man. The prince could not kill the enemy, destroy him, he was weak ... He only accepted misfortune in an open heart, so that he would never know separation from him "

Plevako claims that he would not have dared to blame the princess and Schmidt, to doom them to the sacrifice of the prince, if they had left, had not boasted of their love, had not insulted him, had not extorted money from him, that this "would be 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 the unthinkable happens. “Schmidt, taking advantage of the fact that children’s underwear is in the princess’s house where he lives, rejects the demand with a curse and sends an answer that without 300 rubles a deposit he will not give the prince two shirts and two pants for children. and children, and dares to call him a man capable of wasting children's underwear, takes care of the children, and demands a 300 ruble deposit from the father. The next morning, the prince saw children in crumpled shirts. "My father's heart sank. He turned away from these talking eyes and - which father's 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, shirts for his children " .

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

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 him. 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, and his honor, and all the interests of his children are sacrificed to the animal voluptuousness of a swindler.Here it is - a place where not only was his present taken away, his past happiness was taken away, poisoning him with suspicions ...

God forbid to experience such moments!

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

He is not allowed. The footman speaks of the order not to accept.

The prince conveys that he needs nothing but linen.

But instead of doing it legal requirement, instead of, finally, a polite refusal, he hears scolding, scolding from the lips of his wife's lover, directed towards him, who does not do any insult on his part.

You have heard about this curse: "Let the scoundrel leave, don't you dare knock, this is my house! Get out, I'll shoot."

The whole being of the prince was indignant. The enemy stood close and laughed so brazenly. The fact that he was armed, the prince could know from his family, who heard from Tsybulin. And the fact that he is capable of all evil - the prince could not help but believe.

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 legitimate, these are for them" and sacredness. It is not a vicious feeling of malice that rises in their souls, but a righteous feeling of revenge and protection of the violated right. It is legal, it is holy; do not rise it, they are contemptible people, pimps, blasphemers!"

Finishing 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 strength of oppression over him by the pictures of his family misfortune that disturbed the soul, you would admit that he cannot be blamed for the accusation that is being raised, and his defender is all around guilty of insufficient ability to fulfill the task he has assumed ... "

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

Get started!

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

You just win my case. I'll pay what you said, and I'll give you pleasure.

What is the 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, at ten o'clock in the morning, I'll pick you up, let's go.

Where so early?

Look, you'll see.

It's Sunday. The merchant followed me. We are going to Zamoskvorechye. I wonder where he's taking me. There are no restaurants here, no gypsies. Yes, this is not the right time for this. Let's go down some lanes. There are no residential buildings around, only barns and warehouses. We drove up to a warehouse. A man is standing at the gate. Not a watchman, not an artel worker. Got down.

Kupchina asks the man:

That's right, your degree.

I'm going to the yard. The little man opened a door. Came in, look and do not understand anything. A huge room, on the walls of the shelves, on the shelves of dishes.

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

Get started.

What to start?

Like what? Dishes to beat!

Why beat her? The merchant smiled.

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

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

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako

Fedor Plevako was born on April 13 (25), 1842 in the city of Troitsk, Orenburg province.

According to some reports, F.N. Plevako was the son of a nobleman and a serf. Father - court adviser Vasily Ivanovich Plevak, mother - Ekaterina Stepanova. The parents were not in an official church marriage, so their two children - Fedor and Dormidont - were considered illegitimate.

In 1851, the Plevakov family moved to Moscow. In the fall, the brothers were sent to the Commercial School on Ostozhenka. The brothers studied well, especially Fedor became famous for his mathematical abilities. By the end of the first year of study, their names were listed on the “golden board” of the school, but six months later Fyodor and Dormidont were expelled as illegitimate. In the autumn of 1853, thanks to the efforts of their father, they were admitted to the 1st Moscow Gymnasium on Prechistenka - immediately into the 3rd grade.

In 1864, Fedor Plevako graduated from the course at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, receiving the degree of Candidate of Law.

Engaged and scientific work- translated into Russian and published in 1874 a course on Roman civil law by the German lawyer G.F. Pukhty.

In 1870, Plevako entered the class of attorneys at law in the district of the Moscow Court of Justice and soon became known as one of the best lawyers in Moscow, often not only helping the poor for free, but sometimes paying for the unforeseen expenses of poor clients.

Plevako's career took place in Moscow, which left its mark on him. The religious mood of the Moscow population and the eventful past of the city found a response in the lawyer's court speeches. They abound with texts of Holy Scripture and references to the teachings of the holy fathers. Nature endowed Plevako with a rare gift of a heartfelt, persuasive word, which he did not refuse to people seeking protection from injustice.

Examples of judicial eloquence were Plevako's speeches in the case of Abbess Mitrofania, who participated in forgery, fraud and embezzlement of other people's property (Plevako acted as a civil plaintiff), in defense of Bartenev in the case of the murder of the artist Visnovskaya (this case served as the basis for I. A. Bunin's story "The Cornet Case Yelagin"), in defense of Kachka, a 19-year-old girl suspected of killing a student Bayroshevsky, with whom she was in love. Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako spoke on cases of peasant unrest, factory riots (about a strike at the factory of the Partnership of S. Morozov), in defense of workers accused of resisting the authorities and destroying factory property.

Since 1907, he was a deputy of the 3rd State Duma from the Octobrist Party. He was a member of the party "Union of October 17" ("Octobrists") - a right-liberal political association.

Plevako's circle of friends and acquaintances included writers, actors and artists: Mikhail Vrubel, Konstantin Korovin, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vasily Surikov, Fedor Chaliapin, Maria Yermolova, Leonid Sobinov.

Plevako Career Facts- well-known political processes:

• The Case of the Luthoric Peasants (1880)
• The Case of the Sevsk Peasants (1905)
• The case of the strike of factory workers of the Association of S. Morozov (1886) and others.
• Bartenev case
• Gruzinsky case
• Case of Lukashevich
• Case Maksimenko
• The case of the workers of the Konshinsky factory
• Zamyatnin case
• Case Zasulich (attributed to Plevako, in fact, the defender was P. A. Alexandrov)

Other Interesting Facts:

• F.N. Plevako had two sons (from different wives), who were named the same - Sergey Fedorovich. Later, both Sergei Fedorovich Plevako became lawyers and practiced in Moscow, which often caused confusion.

• According to an alternative biography, described, for example, in V. Pikul's short story "Not from Nettle Seed", the father of F. N. Plevako was an exiled Polish revolutionary.

He died on December 23, 1908 (January 5, 1909), at the age of 67, in Moscow. The famous lawyer was buried in the cemetery of the Sorrowful Monastery. In 1929, it was decided to close the monastery cemetery, and organize a playground in its place. The remains of Plevako, by decision of the relatives, were reburied at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

AT this moment existsNon-commercial partnership "Foundation of Historical and cultural heritage of national jurisprudence named after F.N. Plevako.

The main goal of the Partnership is to preserve and popularize the historical and cultural heritage of the bar of the outstanding Russian lawyer F.N. Plevako, as well as assistance to members of the Partnership in the implementation of activities aimed at achieving the above goal.

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Many court speeches by Plevako during the life of the great lawyer became anecdotes and even parables, passed from mouth to mouth. And a modern lawyer will not will, 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 aspirations, and this man climbs on a 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, other people's sins, it is indignant in the name of the moral rules in which it believes, by which it 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, lack of love for the fallen, but guilt is more excusable than the first, for the act is due not to weakness, not pride, but to a jealous love for truth and justice.

Jokes about court cases with the participation of Fedor 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 compensation for damage. The woman claimed that the defendant dragged her into a hotel room and raped her. The male
in response, he retorted that their love exercise had taken place by mutual agreement. And now, the brilliant Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako is speaking to the jury:
“Gentlemen of the jury,” he says. - If you award my client 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!
Laughter in the hall. The defendant is acquitted.

* Once Plevako defended an elderly priest accused of adultery and theft. By all appearances, the defendant had nothing to count on the favor of the jury. The prosecutor convincingly described the depth of the fall of the clergyman, mired in sins. Finally, Plevako got up from his seat.
His speech was brief: “Gentlemen of the jury! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right about everything. The defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them himself. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. Before you sits a man who for thirty years has forgiven you for your confession of your sins. Now he is waiting for you: will you forgive him his sin?
There is no need to specify that the priest was acquitted.

* The court considered 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 hard life of the client, which forced her to take such a step. The prosecutor even stressed that the criminal arouses pity, not indignation: “But, gentlemen, private property is sacred, the world order is based on this principle, so if you justify this grandmother, then you and the revolutionaries should logically be justified.”
The jurors nodded their heads in agreement, and then Plevako began his speech.
He said: “Russia has had to endure many troubles, many trials for more than a thousand years of existence. Pechenegs tormented her, Polovtsy, Tatars, Poles. Twelve languages ​​fell upon her, they took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, only grew stronger and grew from trials. But now... An old woman has stolen an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, will not withstand this, it will perish irrevocably from this ... "
The old woman was acquitted.

* Plevako had a habit of beginning his speech in court with the phrase: "Gentlemen, it could have been worse." And no matter what case the lawyer got, he did not change his phrase. Once Plevako undertook to defend a man who had raped his own daughter. The hall was packed, everyone was waiting for the lawyer to start his defense speech. Is it from your favorite phrase? Incredible. But Plevako stood up and calmly said: “Gentlemen, it could have been worse.”
And then the judge himself could not stand it. “What,” he cried, “tell me, what could be worse than this abomination?” “Your honor,” Plevako asked, “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. By chance, she stopped in the rooms of "Montenegro" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, the famous refuge of vices, not knowing herself where the cab had brought her from the station. And at night, drunken revelers began to break into her. When the doors were already crackling and the girl realized what was being harassed from her, she threw herself out the window from the third floor. Fortunately, she fell into a snowdrift, but her arm was broken. Rosy dreams of musical education perished.
The prosecutor took the stupidest position in this process:
- I don't understand: what are you so afraid of, throwing yourself out the window? After all, you, mademoiselle, could have crashed to death!
His doubts were resolved by an angry Plevako.
- Do not understand? So I'll explain to you, he said. - In the Siberian taiga there is an ermine animal, which nature has awarded with fur of the purest whiteness. When he flees from persecution, and on his way there is a muddy puddle, the ermine prefers to accept death, but not get dirty in the mud! .. "

* Once Plevako got a case about the murder of his wife by one peasant. The lawyer came to court as usual, calm and confident of success, and without any papers and cribs. And so, when the turn came to the defense, Plevako stood up and said:

The noise in the hall began to subside. Plevako 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 in the hall swept the discontented rumble of the long-awaited long-awaited spectacle of the people. And Plevako again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Something incredible has begun. The hall roared along with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. And finally, Plevako raised his hand, urging the people to calm down.
- Well, gentlemen, you could not stand even 15 minutes of my experiment. And what was it like for this unfortunate peasant to listen for 15 years to unfair reproaches and irritated itching of his grumpy woman over every insignificant trifle?!
The hall froze, then burst into admiring applause. The man was acquitted.

* In Kaluga, the district court dealt with the bankruptcy case of a local merchant. F.N. Plevako. Imagine the then Kaluga of the second half of the 19th century. This is a Russian patriarchal city with a great influence of the Old Believer population. The jurors in the hall are merchants with long beards, philistines in chuykas and intellectuals of a kind, Christian disposition. 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 bar”.
Fyodor Nikiforovich, having studied the case, seriously prepared for a defense speech, but "for some reason" he was not given the floor. Finally, at about 5 pm, the President of the Court announced:
- The word belongs to the sworn attorney Feodor Nikiforovich Plevako.
Leisurely the lawyer takes up his podium, when suddenly at that moment in the cathedral there was a blow to big bell- to 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, the spirit of idleness ... do not give me. The spirit of chastity ... grant me ... and do not condemn my brother ... ".
As if something had pierced everyone present. Everyone stood up for the jury. They stood up and listened to the prayer and the judicial ranks. Quietly, almost in a whisper, as if in a church, Fyodor Nikolayevich delivered a short speech, not at all the one he was preparing: “Now the priest has left the altar and, bowing to the earth, reads a prayer that the Lord would give us the strength “not to condemn his brother” . And at this moment we have 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 whether your brother, whom you are judging, is guilty? The voice of God through your Christian conscience will tell you of his innocence. Give him a fair verdict."
The jury deliberated for five minutes, no more. They returned to the hall, and the foreman announced their decision:
- No, not guilty.

* Plevako's defense lawyer is very famous for 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 it was supposed to, on the eve of some religious holiday. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 o'clock. The court left 10 minutes late. Everyone was there, except for the defender - Plevako. The chairman of the court ordered to find Plevako. After 10 minutes, Plevako, without hurrying, entered the hall, calmly sat down at the place of protection and opened the briefcase. The chairman of the court reprimanded him for being late. Then Plevako pulled out his watch, looked at it and declared that it was only five past ten on his watch. The chairman pointed out to him that it was already 20 past ten on the wall clock. Plevako asked the chairman: - And how much is on your watch, Your Excellency? The chairman looked and replied:
- At my fifteen minutes past eleven. Plevako turned to the prosecutor:
- And on your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?
The prosecutor, obviously wishing to cause trouble for the defense counsel, replied with a sly smile:
- It's already twenty-five past ten on my watch.
He could not know what kind of trap Plevako set up for him and how much he, the prosecutor, helped the defense.
The trial ended very quickly. Witnesses confirmed that the defendant closed the shop 20 minutes late. The prosecutor asked that the defendant be found guilty. The floor was given to Plevako. The speech lasted two minutes. He declared:
- The defendant was indeed 20 minutes late. But, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, she is an old woman, illiterate, and does not know much about watches. We are literate and intelligent people. How are you doing with your watch? When the wall clock shows 20 minutes, the chairman has 15 minutes, and the prosecutor's clock has 25 minutes. Of course, Mr. Prosecutor has the most faithful watch. So my watch was 20 minutes behind, which is why I was 20 minutes late. And I always considered my watch very accurate, because I have gold, Moser. So if Mr. Chairman, according to the prosecutor’s clock, opened the session 15 minutes late, and the defense counsel appeared 20 minutes later, then how can you demand that an illiterate saleswoman have better hours and better understand the time than the prosecutor and I?”
The jury deliberated for one minute and acquitted the defendant.

Plevako especially liked to protect women. Once he stood up for a modest girl who came from the provinces to enter the conservatory in the piano class. The cab driver brought her to the rooms of "Montenegro" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, a well-known refuge of vices, but she thought that this was an ordinary hotel.
At night, drunken revelers began to break into her, and the girl, hearing the crack of breaking doors, and realizing that she was being harassed, rushed out the window from the third floor. Fortunately, she did not crash to death, as she fell into a snowdrift, but she broke her arm, and she had to part with her dreams of musical education.

The prosecutor in this process expressed a malicious doubt: “I don’t understand,” he said, turning to the girl, “what were you so afraid of, throwing yourself out the window? After all, you, mademoiselle, could have been killed to death! To this, the enraged Plevako immediately replied: “Don’t you understand? So I will explain to you now! In Siberia, in the taiga, there is an ermine animal, which is awarded by nature with the purest whiteness of fur. When he runs from pursuit, and a mud puddle comes across his way, the stoat prefers to die, but not get dirty in the mud!

The name of the lawyer has become a household name far beyond Russian Empire. Fedor Plevako became famous not only for his professionalism and deep knowledge of the laws, but also for his virtuoso command of the word and oratorical talent. People came to court sessions with his participation as a spectacular event, exciting and arousing emotions.

“Metropolitan of the Bar”, “Pushkin in jurisprudence”, “genius of the word” - as soon as Plevako was not called by colleagues and the common people, which Fyodor Nikolayevich often defended for free. The imagery and richness of speech, the skillful construction of sentences, the composition of the text and the emotional coloring attached to it were admired by another genius of the word -.

“Dictation climbs into the very soul, fire looks out of the eyes ... No matter how much Plevako speaks, you can always listen to him without boredom ...”, the writer said.

Childhood and youth

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

Biographers continue to argue about the family and parents of the famous lawyer. If in relation to the father they came to a common denominator, calling him an exiled Polish nobleman with the rank of court adviser, then the nationality of the mother is still not known for certain today. Some sources call her a Kalmyk, others - a Kyrgyz, 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 advocacy his name was Vasily Plevak (later the lawyer added the letter “o” at the end for euphony, emphasizing it).

Parents lived in civil marriage, not consecrated by the church and official seals. Four offspring appeared in the family, of which two sons survived - Fedor and Dormidont. The children were illegitimate, which later affected the biography. They received their patronymic 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 in commercial and technical universities in Russia. In the very first year of study, the names of the Plevak brothers adorned the honor roll, 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 the children into the 1st Moscow gymnasium, which was located on Prechistenka. Following the results of the exams, the boys were immediately assigned to the 3rd grade.

After graduating from high school, Fedor Plevak became a student at Moscow University, choosing law. The diploma of the graduate already had a new surname, by which the lawyer is known today.

Jurisprudence

After graduating from the university, Plevako's professional career developed rapidly. In 1964, a young lawyer with a Ph.D. in law trained for six months in the metropolitan district court, waiting for a suitable vacancy.

This turned up in the spring of 1866. At that time, a jury advocacy appeared in Russia, and Fedor Plevako became one of the first in the capital who was taken 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 bar” lost the first case, and his client was exiled to Siberia. But the speech of the young lawyer made a strong impression on the judges. Fyodor Plevako demonstrated a virtuoso ability to work with the testimony of witnesses.

In the autumn of 1870, Plevako himself was already a juror at the Judicial Chamber of the Metropolitan District Court. From that moment on, “golden” pages began to appear one after another in the biography of the lawyer. The court speeches of the “genius of the word” were analyzed into quotations. But after 2 years brilliant career Plevako almost broke off: the human rights activist fell under the suspicion of the head of the provincial gendarmerie as an active member of a secret legal society. He was charged with propagating revolutionary ideas among students.

Fyodor Plevako's book "Selected Speeches"

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

A successful lawyer improved his financial situation and bought a house in Bolshoi Afanasevsky Lane. His fame thundered in Moscow and throughout the country, and among the admirers of the talent of a lawyer were all classes of citizens: Plevako defended both rich clients and the poor with equal zeal. FROM last money did not take and even paid the legal costs.

There were legends about the oratory of the master of law, and interesting biography facts and the most entertaining places court speeches passed from mouth to mouth. Later, Fedor Plevako published a book in which he published his most high-profile speeches at 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.

Once Fyodor Plevako had to speak out against the thieving abbess, who was accused of forgery and theft of money. The lawyer was not afraid of the wrath of the clergy and denounced the servant of the temple, pointing out the hypocrisy and bribery hidden under the nun's cassock.

Documentary"Three secrets of lawyer Plevako"

At the end of 1874, a high-profile trial took place in the district court of the capital, at which Fedor Nikiforovich defended a girl who arrived in Moscow and settled in a hotel. At night, a crowd of drunken men burst into the room of the unfortunate woman, fleeing from whom she jumped out of the window of the third floor. Fortunately, Plevako's client only broke her arm when she fell into a snowdrift.

The defenders of the criminal company insisted on the innocence of the wards, arguing that the men did not harm the girl, but she jumped out of the window herself.

Fyodor Plevako (center) with colleagues

Then Fedor Plevako resorted to an instructive analogy, talking about the behavior of an ermine fleeing a chase. If a dirty puddle happened on the way to salvation, the animal preferred to die, but not to stain the snow-white fur.

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

The judges punished the men by giving them a guilty verdict.

On account of Fyodor Plevako, over two hundred won trials, among which was the industrialist's case, which was heard in the summer of 1900. He was taken into custody for failing to return 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 construction contract came from the Russian government.

Mamontov spent all his savings, but they were not enough. Counting on the help of the government and the "financial" minister did not materialize.

The lawyer managed 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 oratory. 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 litigation.

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

The outbreak of romance forced Fedor and Maria to give a damn about conventions and settle under the same roof. Soon the couple had a daughter, Barbara. Behind her appeared a boy - the son of 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. Fedor Plevako had to register the children as abandoned, and then adopt them.

Both Sergeys became lawyers, like their father, but they failed to repeat his fame.

Death

The man died at the age of 66 in December 1908. The cause of death was a heart attack.

On his last journey, Fyodor Nikiforovich was led by a huge procession, in which people of different classes and wealth mixed up.

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

In the late 1920s, the cemetery was destroyed, and a playground for children was built on the burial site. The remains of Plevako were transferred to Vagankovskoye, hoisting a wooden cross on the lawyer's grave. Only in 2003, the Russian Bar Association raised money for a tombstone and a bas-relief with the face of Fyodor Plevako.

For 2019, the release of the detective-historical series "Winners" was announced, in which the role of "Pushkin in jurisprudence" went to.

Fedor Nikiforovich Plevako, one of the most famous Russian lawyers, whom his contemporaries called "Moscow Chrysostom".

Here are some examples of Plevako's famous eloquence.

"20 minutes"

The lawyer F.N. Plevako defended 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 it was supposed to, on the eve of some religious holiday. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 o'clock. The court left 10 minutes late. Everyone was there, except for the defender - Plevako. The chairman of the court ordered to find Plevako. After 10 minutes, Plevako, without hurrying, entered the hall, calmly sat down at the place of protection and opened the briefcase. The chairman of the court reprimanded him for being late. Then Plevako pulled out his watch, looked at it and declared that it was only five past ten on his watch. The chairman pointed out to him that it was already 20 past ten on the wall clock. Plevako asked the chairman: - And how much is on your watch, Your Excellency? The chairman looked and replied:

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

And on your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?

The prosecutor, obviously wishing to cause trouble for the defense counsel, replied with a sly smile:

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

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

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

The defendant was indeed 20 minutes late. But, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, she is an old woman, illiterate, and does not know much about watches. We are literate and intelligent people. How are you doing with your watch? When the wall clock shows 20 minutes, the chairman has 15 minutes, and the prosecutor's clock has 25 minutes. Of course, Mr. Prosecutor has the most faithful watch. So my watch was 20 minutes behind, which is why I was 20 minutes late. And I always considered my watch very accurate, because I have gold, Moser.

So if Mr. Chairman, according to the prosecutor's clock, opened the session 15 minutes late, and the defense counsel appeared 20 minutes later, then how can you demand that an illiterate saleswoman have better hours and better understand the time than the prosecutor and I?

The jury deliberated for one minute and acquitted the defendant.

"15 years of unfair reproach"

Once, Plevako got a case about the murder of his woman by one man. Plevako came to court as usual, calm and confident of success, and without any papers and cribs. And so, when the turn came to the defense, Plevako stood up and said:

The noise in the hall began to subside. Plevako 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 in the hall swept the discontented rumble of the long-awaited long-awaited spectacle of the people. And Plevako again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Here already the hall exploded with indignation, perceiving everything as a mockery of the respectable public. And from the podium again:

Gentlemen of the jury!

Something incredible has begun. The hall roared along with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. And finally, Plevako raised his hand, urging the people to calm down.

Well, gentlemen, you could not stand even 15 minutes of my experiment. And what was it like for this unfortunate peasant to listen for 15 years to unfair reproaches and irritated itching of his grumpy woman over every insignificant trifle?!

The hall froze, then burst into admiring applause.

The man was acquitted.

"Remission of Sins"

He once defended an elderly priest accused of adultery and theft. By all appearances, the defendant had nothing to count on the favor of the jury. The prosecutor convincingly described the depth of the fall of the clergyman, mired in sins. Finally, Plevako got up from his seat. His speech was brief: “Gentlemen of the jury! The matter is clear. The prosecutor is absolutely right about everything. The defendant committed all these crimes and confessed to them himself. What is there to argue about? But I draw your attention to this. Before you sits a man who for thirty years has forgiven you for your confession of your sins. Now he is waiting for you: will you forgive him his sin?

There is no need to specify 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 hard life of the client, which forced her to take such a step. The prosecutor even stressed that the criminal causes pity, not resentment. But, gentlemen, private property is sacred, the world order is based on this principle, so if you justify this grandmother, then you and the revolutionaries should logically be justified. The jurors nodded their heads in agreement, and then Plevako began his speech. He said: “Russia has had to endure many troubles, many trials for more than a thousand years of existence. Pechenegs tormented her, Polovtsy, Tatars, Poles. Twelve languages ​​fell upon her, they took Moscow. Russia endured everything, overcame everything, only grew stronger and grew from trials. But now... The old woman stole an old teapot worth 30 kopecks. Russia, of course, will not withstand this, it will perish irrevocably from this ... "

The old woman was acquitted.

I took off my shoes!

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

"Gentlemen of the jury," he says. "If you award my client 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: "That's not true! I took off my shoes!"

Laughter in the hall. The defendant is acquitted.

"The Omen"

The great Russian lawyer F.N. Plevako is credited with the frequent use of the religious mood of jurors in the interests of clients. Once, speaking in the provincial district court, he agreed with the bell-ringer of the local church that he would begin the evangelization for mass with special precision.

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 that!

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

The Georgian case.

The present case was considered by the Ostrogozhsky District Court on September 29-30, 1883. Prince G.I. Gruzinsky was accused of premeditated murder of the former tutor of his children, 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 stop all relations as a tutor, very quickly becomes close to his wife with a tutor, and fired him himself, the wife declared that it was impossible to continue living with Gruzinsky and demanded the allocation of part of her property. Having settled in the estate allotted to her, she invited E.F. Schmidt. After the partition, two of Gruzinsky's 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, children were told a lot of compromising things about Gruzinsky. As a result, being constantly in a tense nervous state when meeting with Schmidt and with the children, Gruzinsky, during one of these meetings, killed Schmidt by 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 feelings of the prince at the time of the crime, on his relationship with his wife, on love for 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 - "Tenderly loving father, husband wants to see his family."

“It was then that the prince, who had not yet left the bed, had to experience terrible grief. Since he hears - the patients are so sensitive - in the next room, the conversation of Schmidt and his wife: they, apparently, perekoresh; but their quarrel is so strange: it’s like they are scolding, and not strangers, then again peaceful speeches ... uncomfortable ... The prince gets up, gathers strength ..., goes when no one expected him, when they thought that he was bedridden ... And well. not good together...

The prince fainted and lay on the floor all night. Those who were caught fled, not even guessing to send help to the sick man. The prince could not kill the enemy, destroy him, he was weak ... He only accepted misfortune in an open heart, so that he would never know separation from him "

Plevako claims that he would not have dared to blame the princess and Schmidt, to doom them to the sacrifice of the prince, if they had left, had not boasted of their love, had not insulted him, had not extorted money from him, that this "would be 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 the unthinkable happens. “Schmidt, taking advantage of the fact that children’s underwear is in the princess’s house where he lives, rejects the demand with a curse and sends an answer that without 300 rubles a deposit he will not give the prince two shirts and two pants for children. and children, and dares to call him a man capable of wasting children's underwear, takes care of the children, and demands a 300 ruble deposit from the father. The next morning, the prince saw children in crumpled shirts. "My father's heart sank. He turned away from these talking eyes and - which father's 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, shirts for his children " .

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

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 him. 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, and his honor, and all the interests of his children are sacrificed to the animal voluptuousness of a swindler.Here it is - a place where not only was his present taken away, his past happiness was taken away, poisoning him with suspicions ...

God forbid to experience such moments!

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

He is not allowed. The footman speaks of the order not to accept.

The prince conveys that he needs nothing but linen.

But instead of fulfilling his legitimate demand, instead of, finally, a polite refusal, he hears scolding, scolding from the lips of his wife's lover, directed at him, who does not do any insult on his part.

You have heard about this curse: "Let the scoundrel leave, don't you dare knock, this is my house! Get out, I'll shoot."

The whole being of the prince was indignant. The enemy stood close and laughed so brazenly. The fact that he was armed, the prince could know from his family, who heard from Tsybulin. And the fact that he is capable of all evil - the prince could not help but believe.

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 legitimate, these are for them" and sacredness. It is not a vicious feeling of malice that rises in their souls, but a righteous feeling of revenge and protection of the violated right. It is legal, it is holy; do not rise it, they are contemptible people, pimps, blasphemers!"

Finishing 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 strength of oppression over him by the pictures of his family misfortune that disturbed the soul, you would admit that he cannot be blamed for the accusation that is being raised, and his defender is all around guilty of insufficient ability to fulfill the task he has assumed ... "

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

Get started!

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

You just win my case. I'll pay what you said, and I'll give you pleasure.

What is the 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, at ten o'clock in the morning, I'll pick you up, let's go.

Where so early?

Look, you'll see.

It's Sunday. The merchant followed me. We are going to Zamoskvorechye. I wonder where he's taking me. There are no restaurants here, no gypsies. Yes, this is not the right time for this. Let's go down some lanes. There are no residential buildings around, only barns and warehouses. We drove up to a warehouse. A man is standing at the gate. Not a watchman, not an artel worker. Got down.

Kupchina asks the man:

That's right, your degree.

I'm going to the yard. The little man opened a door. Came in, look and do not understand anything. A huge room, on the walls of the shelves, on the shelves of dishes.

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

Get started.

What to start?

Like what? Dishes to beat!

Why beat her? The merchant smiled.

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

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