Drinker began working for what became Drinker Biddle & Reath in 1904, becoming a partner in 1918. The firm became one of the most prominent in Philadelphia. In 1976, Drinker's record was harshly criticized by historian Jerold Auerbach of Wellesley College, who claimed that Drinker personified the elitism of the bar in the early twentieth century. Auerbach quotes Drinker as having referred in a 1929 speech to "Russian Jew boys" who came "up out of the gutter" as the subject of a disproportionate number of ethical complaints against lawyers. A solution to the problem of immigrant lawyers who had not absorbed the professional norms of the American legal profession, Drinker argued, would be to require at least two years of college prior to admission to the Bar. As Chair of the ABA Committee on Professional Ethics, Drinker authored what is generally considered the definitive mid-twentieth century American treatise on lawyers' professional ethics, Legal Ethics.
Music work
Though he was a successful lawyer, Drinker spent every minute of his spare time playing music, a passionate hobby that was as important to him as his real profession. Apart from active music-making, he devoted himself to the translation of the German text of vocal compositions of great composers into English. Among them are Schubert's songs and Haydn's Creation, and a variety of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, among others, the Christmas Oratorio, the St. John Passion and the St. Matthew Passion. From 1912 to 1920, Drinker served as President of the Board of Managers of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. All of his children had daily music lessons, and the whole family sat down together regularly to sing. They often visited musical events such as concerts, opera performances and music festivals, and were for 25 years subscribers to the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1928, the Drinkers built a new house, which contained a large music room where they regularly organized singing evenings, and sometimes they used the premises of the American Musicological Society for their gatherings. Most well-known were their exclusive singing parties that were invitation only, and involved a dinner prepared by the Drinker household staff with group song and music before and after. Oftentimes these evenings involved the accompaniment of musicians invited from prestigious institutions, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and Curtis Institute. During World War II, Drinker intervened on behalf of the von Trapp family when they were detained at Ellis Island due to visa issues. He sponsored the family, providing them with housing and financial support for their first three years in the United States.
Legacy
Drinker's papers are in the University of PennsylvaniaLaw School archives. The Drinker House at Haverford College was renamed in his honor in 1961, when it was converted into the music department building and library. It is now used for student housing.
