Mr. Edward Delatte was the lawyer Abigail hired to handle her divorce from John Tolliver. She also asked him to conduct a complete inventory of the Howland estate. She wanted to choose a lawyer that was not local and would not be biased. She recalled that one of her college friends had a younger brother who practiced law. Following the inventory, he helped her manage her finances and carried out her business wishes, including those that essentially collapsed the economy of Wade County.