Dozens of New York lawyers have reached into their pockets to help President-elect Barack Obama help defray the cost of an inauguration that many think will be, in the words of one, “for the ages.”

Barry H. Berke, a partner at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, said he had personally donated $10,000 and collected $40,000 from others because Mr. Obama “has the potential to be a different kind of leader, a transformational leader who goes beyond ordinary politics.”