Leonard Swett, a famous American lawyer and for years Lincoln's intimate associate, says that "sometimes, after Lincoln entered upon a criminal case, the conviction that his client was guilty would affect him with a sort of panic. On one occasion he turned suddenly to me and said, 'Swett, this man is guilty; you defend him, I can't,' and so gave up his share of a large fee".
One another occasion, a man asked Lincoln to bring suit for two dollars and a half against a debtor who had not a cent with which to pay. He would not be put off in his passion for revenge. Lincoln, who discouraged unnecessary lawsuits, therefore demanded ten dollars as a retainer. Half of this he gave to the defendant, who thereupon confessed judgment and paid the $2.5, to the entire satisfaction of the angry creditor.
雷諾德．斯韋特是美國著名律師，曾和林肯合夥多年。他說「林肯有時辦理刑事案，覺得委託人其實有罪，幾乎就驚慌失措。有一次，他突然轉身對我說：『斯韋特，這個人是罪犯，你給他辯護吧，我辦不到。』他寧願不瓜分那一大筆律師費。」
又有一次，一個漢子為了兩塊半錢，請林肯控告不名一文無力還債者。他報復心重，不肯罷休，而林肯是反對無謂訴訟的，於是收取律師費十元，把五元交給被告。被告隨即接受裁決，償還兩塊半錢，那憤怒的債主也就心滿意足了。