If Alexander Gordon IV hadn’t become a lawyer, it’s easy to imagine him as a successful author and professional speaker.

He has written eight books — some of which are on their second and third editions — and numerous articles. He gives lectures on an endless circuit of legal gatherings.

Gordon characterizes the thousands of hours he has devoted to his writing and speaking engagements during the last two decades as a “labor of love.” It certainly wasn’t the money, as Gordon gives the lectures free of charge and donates the proceeds from book sales to the Maryland State Bar Association

“These are truly a public service — not one penny from royalties goes to my pocket,” he says.

In his foreclosure books, Gordon took on the painstaking task of reviewing every reported decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals and Court of Special Appeals dating to before 1835. He did a similarly thorough review of every reported opinion in his bankruptcy books.

In 1985 and 1996, the Maryland State Bar Association gave Gordon its Outstanding Contribution to the Bar Award, but he said just knowing that other lawyers have these materials and resources is its own reward.

“Plus, these books are helpful to people who can’t afford a lawyer — they can go to a library and access this information,” he said. “At the end of the day, you hope that there’s something useful you leave behind.”

There’s no risk of Gordon leaving the law for a career in literature, for Gordon says it’s in his blood to be a lawyer.

“When I was 8 years old, my father asked me what I wanted to be,” he recalled. “At the time, I liked watching ‘Perry Mason,’ so I told him I wanted to be a lawyer. My father said that was good because five generations before me had all been lawyers.”

In fact, Gordon’s great-great-grandfather and that man’s brother were the founders of the Baltimore City Bar Library.

When Gordon moved his practice from Baltimore to Easton in 1981, he paid for a demographic survey of the Eastern Shore.

The results found that of the 29,000 total population, 27,000 had incomes of less than $15,000, and the remaining 2,000 had incomes of $2 million a year, he said. “Looking at those numbers, I decided that I’d have a bigger audience if I offered services to the first group.”

Specializing in bankruptcy and foreclosure law, Gordon said the practice is positive rather than negative.

“This is about helping people who are losing sleep because they’re receiving more calls from creditors than from friends and finding some way for them to get on with their lives and be productive,” he said. “In terms of businesspeople, I’ve helped people decide whether it’s better to reorganize their companies or to close. It’s financial advice and counseling — I’m sort of the priest, the rabbi and the psychologist in these deals.”

Gordon also teaches programs through the Maryland Institute of Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers.

“The first time I taught a class, I was 29 years old and more scared than I’ve ever been in my life,” he said, chuckling at the memory. “There were 60-year-old lawyers in the class who had been practicing law before I was born.”

Through his classes and books, Gordon has met and kept in contact with about 20 young lawyers who call him on a monthly basis to discuss their cases and specific legal questions.

“I look forward to our talks because they are very interesting people,” he said. “Some are now three to four years out of law school and have gone on to become stars in their field. Soon, I’ll be asking them questions.”