The Legal Intelligencer
| Type | Daily legal newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | ALM |
| Founder(s) | Henry E. Wallace |
| Publisher | Hal Cohen |
| Editor | Hank Grezlak |
| Founded | December 12, 1843 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia |
| ISSN | 0277-495X |
| Website | www |
The Legal Intelligencer is the oldest daily law journal published in the United States, and serves the legal community of Philadelphia and surrounding areas. The paper was founded in 1843 by Philadelphia attorney Henry E. Wallace.
The newspaper is published Monday through Friday, and covers legal news, decisions, court calendars, and legislation, and provides analysis and insight in columns written by leading professionals. It is also the newspaper of record for legal notice filings, such as sheriff’s sales and incorporation notices, in Philadelphia County. The newspaper publishes a number of special issues, including its "PaLaw 100" rankings of Pennsylvania's 100 largest law firms.
In 1843, Philadelphia lawyer Henry E. Wallace had a goal of providing his fellow practitioners with current information on judicial and legal activities, and especially news of the auditors’ meetings through which much of the routine of the law was then conducted.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, 1843, to be exact, Wallace launched the first issue of The Legal Intelligencer. “Intended as a medium for all legal notices,” as the introduction for the first issue stated, the newspaper was designed "to remove an inconvenience which from the want of such a paper, has long been felt by the bar and suitors.”
The principles behind Wallace’s publication still stand – to provide the legal community and other interested parties with current information on judicial and legal activities that can’t be found in any other medium. Although the nature of law and publishing has changed, and The Legal Intelligencer has changed with it, the commitment of the paper to the bar is as strong as ever.
Henry E. Wallace, James H. Robbins, Edward P. Allinson and Walter E. Rauffenbart are just a few of the names of those who have guided The Legal from its first office at 117 Race Street to its current address at 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 1750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103. Henry Wallace was admitted to the bar in 1836, he had an active practice, but still found time to establish the Pennsylvania Law Journal in 1842.
Responding to a proclamation on Nov. 25, 1843, by the District Court for the City and County of Philadelphia that “it had been represented by the court by the petitioned of many members and the bar of this court that it would be more convenient and would give more certain notices to them of the proceedings before auditors appointed to distribute the proceeds of sales upon the process of this court if notices were given in The Legal Intelligencer.” Wallace established a weekly publication schedule on Saturday evening for the newspaper.
The District Court directed that whenever an auditor proceeding occurs then “advertisement be made twice successively in The Legal Intelligencer published in Philadelphia and also for 10 successive days in one paper in the city of Philadelphia.” Similar rules were promptly adopted by the Orphans’ Court and the Court of Common Pleas. Besides these notices, Wallace undertook to give an abstract of the real estate to be sold by the sheriff. In those days, sheriff’s sales were held at intervals of approximately two weeks at the Philadelphia Exchange, usually between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
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