attorneys

John T. Pratt  (John Teele Pratt) (1873-1927) was a son of Charles Pratt (1830-1891) and his second wife Helen Richardson (Mary Helen Richardson) (1839-1907).  He graduated from Amherst College and Harvard Law School.

He was an industrialist with Standard Oil Co. and a philanthropist. In 1917, perhaps the time this photo was in the news, Mr. Pratt went to Washington and established the National Budget Commission. He urged a national budget system before the House Appropriations Committee who adopted it.
During the later part of 1918, he served as a Major in the American Red Cross at Paris.

He married Ruth Sears Baker (1877-1965). Mrs. Ruth Baker Pratt was the first woman to represent New York City on the Board of Alderman and later the first woman to represent New York in Congress (17th Congressional District 1929-33.)

They had three daughters and two sons: Mrs. Virginia Thayer (1905-1979),  Mrs. Sally Jackson (Sally Sears Pratt) (1908-1973),  Mrs. Phyllis Nitze (1912-1987),  Edwin Baker Pratt (Edwin Howard Baker Pratt) (1913-1975), and John T. Pratt, Jr. (John Teele Pratt, Jr.) (1903-1969)   [1] [2] [3] [4]

                Major John T. Pratt (4th from left) with the staff of the Army and Navy Department, American Red Cross, in front of the Gambetta statue, Paris, Nov. 1918.  LOC

The photographer of John T. Pratt's portrait, Joseph G. Gessford (Joseph Gaylord Gessford) (1866-1942) began his career at age seventeen with the Prince Studios in Washington, DC.  He came to New York in 1892 and established a studio in Union Square, and later moved to Fifth Avenue at Thirty-fifth Street. Gessford photographed New York's elite, and had a branch studio in the Berkshires (Lee, Massachusetts) where he photographed the elite at play. He took well-known photographs of Andrew Carnegie, George Westinghouse, Mark Twain, Buffalo Bill (Cody) and Theodore Roosevelt (view Roosevelt at The Library of Congress here.) There's an interesting back story about Mark Twain not wanting to pay the photographer as, after all, Twain had allowed Gessford to photograph him. (sigh) some things never change ;)   [1] [2]     LOC - add Gessford as creator/contributor?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Teele_Pratt

Looksl like Wikipedia also has an overview of the trial:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleary-Newman_murder

Dream team of defense lawyers for William V. Cleary, town clerk of Haverstraw, NY, and local political boss who killed the 18 year-old man who had impregnated and secretly married his daughter. The surprise verdict declaring Cleary innocent by virtue of insanity, was rendered on December 19, 1914.
query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E03E1DF103EE7...

Comesky, in a wild and impassioned closing argument, concluded with "Gentlemen, acquit that man. Acquit him for the love of your homes. Acquit him for the love you have for your daughters. Acquit him for the memory of your mothers. Gentlemen, send this man back to his home. Unite his family and when the Christmas joy comes on next week let William Cleary be with his family, in his home. Put yourself in his place. I ask you to judge William Cleary as you expect God to judge you."

Biographical sketches of Comesky and Wyre from a 1902 publication. Each had been Rockland County District Attorneys before becoming criminal defense lawyers :

George W. Wickersham en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wickersham and ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Sheehan

In 1914, the date of this photo, Wikersham was President of the New York Bar Association, and Sheehan was a prominent New York attorney.

Thank you victuallers2 and buckeye616 for the additional information on these men. We will add some of it to the record for this image when we update.