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Nomen est omen

The law at the King’s Gate

How Lex Mordecai got its name, and why it is a story of conscience and service, not a creed.

I

LexThe Law

Lex is the Latin word for law. It brings with it the discipline of the old Roman jurists: rules written down, applied to everyone alike, and answerable to reason. We wanted a name that began with law itself, because law is a craft before it is a career.

Our work is done under Indian law: the Constitution, the statutes, the courts and the tribunals. The word is simply a reminder of what we are here to practise.

II

MordecaiThe Man at the Gate

Mordecai appears in the Book of Esther, among the oldest and most widely read stories of the ancient world. He is not a king or a general. He is an ordinary man who sits at the king’s gate, day after day, watching and listening. Esther 2:19

From that seat he does three things we admire. He raises Esther, his orphaned cousin, as his own child. He learns of a plot against the king and reports it, and the deed is written in the royal record. Esther 2:21–23 And when a powerful official demands that all bow before him, Mordecai will not give up his conscience, and later he speaks up for his people at real personal risk. Esther 3–4

He is remembered as one who sought the good of his people and spoke peace to all. Esther 10:3

Scholars still debate the origin of the name itself. We rest nothing on it. We took the name for the man and his story.

III

The GateWhere Justice Was Heard

In the ancient world, the city gate was far more than a doorway. It was where the elders sat, where disputes were settled and where witnesses were heard. In the Book of Ruth, a family and property matter is decided at the gate before ten elders of the town. Ruth 4 It was justice in the open, where anyone could come.

A lawyer’s task is much the same today: to sit at the gate between a person and the institutions of power, to listen, and to help the matter be heard properly.

IV

What the Name Asks of UsFour Promises

A name is easy to choose. It is harder to live up to. These are the four things we take from the man at the gate.

Listen firstHe watched and listened before he acted. We begin every matter by hearing you out.
Speak for those who need a voiceHe spoke when his people could not. Advocacy is speaking for another person with care and accuracy.
Hold your groundHe would not bow against his conscience. We give honest advice, even when it is not the advice you hoped for.
Seek the good of allHe is remembered for seeking the good of his people and speaking peace. We settle matters where that serves you, and fight them where it must be done.

V

A Name, Not a CreedFor Everyone Who Comes

We chose Mordecai for the character of the man and the shape of his story, not for a faith. The story is read by people of many traditions, and as literature it speaks to anyone who has ever needed someone to stand with them.

Lex Mordecai serves every person who comes to us, whatever their religion, community, language or belief. The Constitution of India guarantees equality before the law (Article 14) and freedom of conscience (Article 25), and these are the standards our practice holds itself to.

VI

Reading the EmblemAs We See It

12345
  1. 1The starConscience, the fixed point that guides a lawyer when the path is unclear.
  2. 2The archThe gate itself, the place where a matter is brought to be heard.
  3. 3The speaking figureThe advocate, who stands between a person and the seat of authority.
  4. 4The small figureThe person who came for help, and for whom the gate is opened.
  5. 5The seat beyondThe authority a matter is addressed to: the court, the tribunal, the law.
LEX MORDECAI * ADVOCATES & SOLICITORS *

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Book your CalendarWho we are

References to the Book of Esther and the Book of Ruth are made only to explain the origin of our name, and no religious claim is made. This page is for general information and is not legal advice or an advertisement or solicitation.