Abraham Lincoln was the most experienced trial lawyer Americans have ever placed in the White House. While more than half of the United State's presidents have been attorneys, none possessed Lincoln's extensive courtroom experience: approximately 3,800 known cases, litigated during a quarter century at the Illinois bar. However, the law's influence on Lincoln extended far beyond the mere number of cases he litigated. It was his only steady source of income; it gave him important political contacts within the state's bench and bar; and it was the means by which he met an extraordinary number of his constituents. This article traces the life of Lincoln as an American lawyer. A teaching activity that allows students to draw tangible connections between the duties and dispositions of lawyers and presidents is presented. (Contains 3 resources and 16 notes.)