In the 60s of the 19th century, Alexander II carried out a number of liberal reforms, one of which was judicial. An important innovation was the openness of jury trials and the right of any defendant to defense. Thus, by the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s in St. Petersburg and Moscow, a separate group of lawyers began to stand out among lawyers, many of whom were real stars, and high-profile trials with their participation began to attract hundreds of spectators, competing with theatrical performances.
Fyodor Plevako was one of the most prominent heroes of that time. In addition to his outstanding oratorical talent and natural ingenuity, he had another important feature that distinguished him from other lawyers - he was from the people. Being illegitimate himself, Plevako perfectly understood ordinary people and truly wanted to help them, which made him a people's favorite
