Philadelphia lawyer
noun informal
A very shrewd lawyer expert in the exploitation of legal technicalities.The consequence was a labyrinthine system of bonus points and calculating the draw which a Philadelphia lawyer might well have struggled to understand....
- It doesn't take a Philadelphia lawyer to figure that one out.
- With that deal he demonstrated there is a career for him as a Philadelphia lawyer once he hangs up his boots.
Origin
With reference to Andrew Hamilton of Philadelphia, who successfully defended John Zenger (1735), an American journalist and publisher, from libel charges.