No comments about On Equal Footing: A Memoir.

No comments about Public Opinion and the Rehnquist Court.

No comments about The Memoirs of Chief Justice Earl Warren.

2 comments about Bus Ride to Justice.

1. Fred Gray isn't just a Civil Rights Lawyer, he's THE Civil Rights lawyer. This man represented Rosa Parks in the Bus Boycott, MLK Jr in the Selma March, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and desegregation lawsuits for Alabama public schools. In a world where the word 'lawyer' holds a negative connotation, Fred Gray's story is about what a lawyer ought to be doing. This isn't the movie of the week, it's the real thing by the man who did it.



2. Fred Gray knew how. Mr. Gray defended some of the movements biggest names, you should read some of the things he accomplished.Mr Gray did make every effort to destroy seregation where ever he found it. And he was good at it.

No comments about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

5 comments about Fairy Tales Can Come True: How a Driven Woman Changed Her Destiny.

1. Harvard Law School celebrates its 50th year of admitting women with a three day program, featuring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Attorney General Janet Reno.

   We begin our 30th year of practicing law today -- we have no idea where the time went. It really flew.

   Our law school class had some 200 students, 11 of whom were women. Women now make up 50% or more of law school classes around the country.

   We'd like to see more women criminal defense lawyers in private practice -- this field remains very much male-dominated.

   To get a real inside glimpse of the hurdles women defense lawyers face -- and the degree of determination needed to suceed, we highly recommend defense lawyer-turned Court TV anchor Rikki Klieman's new book, Fairy Tales Can Come True: How a Driven Woman Changed Her Destiny.

   We describe the book on CrimeLynx as "a riveting, brutally honest memoir by celebrated criminal trial attorney and Court TV Anchor Rikki Klieman, in which she details not only her triumphs as a pioneer in the male-dominated arena of criminal defense, but the price she paid for success -- and the toll it took on her personal life and physical health. The book becomes filled with spirit and joy, however, as Rikki describes falling in love in middle age and learning that she can have it all."




2. In this book I found an enlightening story about the struggle to get to the top. A great description of the amount of dedication and self-sacrifice necessary to overcome obstacles, define (and redefine) goals, and to never stop moving forward. For any young woman looking to see what it takes to get to the top of her respective field, this is a wonderful story-if it is taken with a grain of salt. Even though Mrs. Klieman seems to find strength in her struggle in a man's world, she digresses to hypocrisy and to being just like a man more than she gives herself credit for.
   You can call her a slut, or a liberated woman (that's the way it was in the 70s according to her). You can call her driven, or you can call her obsessed to a fault. You can say she is focused, or you can say that she ignores what fails to progress her theme-she is a good lawyer after all.
   She writes that she never wanted to be placed ahead because she was a woman. But in one part of the book she calls a judge who also happened to be her ex (they dated while she was CLERKING!!)so that he could get her an interview with someone she otherwise would have had to wait months to see. This is just one example of many sordid situations. She is appalled when she is passed up for a judgeship because, according to her, she was too pretty. Yet there is clear evidence that she uses her looks just as much as she uses her brains. She also seems to think she is a super good-looking lady. She mentions it so, so, so many times it starts to get ridiculous!!! (is it just me, or is she not really that hot?)
   In the book she was an alcoholic, a workaholic, vomited involuntarily on a weekly basis, was someone who couldn't carry on a relationship, never had kids, and basically admits to cheating on her husband (and wonders why he didn't want to have anything to do with the book). She had no life outside of the law. The best years of her life went to her clients. I thought the point was work to live, not live to work. She does the latter, incessantly. If she were a man, her life wouldn't be that remarkable. She had a part to play in every major obstacle she faced in life-she did it to herself. So many people throughout the book helped her that it's hard to believe she is self-made in the true sense. But the biggest gripe is the fact that she did not find happiness until AFTER she stopped practicing law. Her life during her years of practice totally sucked-I'm not sure what message that is supposed to send. If this is how you want to get to the top, be my guest.



3. Rikki Klieman is not much of a writer and less of a person. There is nothing here of interest or value.



4. I recently picked up a paperback copy of FAIRY TALES CAN COME TRUE: How a Driven Woman Changed Her Destiny, and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished the last page of the Epilogue! This driven woman's life reads like a novel, complete with suspense, intrigue, boldface names, steamy encounters, emotional meltdowns, and (which isn't giving anything away given the book's title) picking up the pieces all over again to create something even better. If you're a professional woman (or aspire to become one), in the legal profession in any capacity, or just enjoy getting inside the head and life of successful people, I think you'd enjoy this candid memoir. It's a perfect summer read!



5. Rikki Klieman's story is a bright reminder of the effort (not struggle) required to achieve your goals. Rikki's story is colorful and exciting. It is an exciting read.

No comments about The Rehnquist Legacy.

5 comments about Civil Warrior: Memoirs of a Civil Rights Attorney.

1. A must read for anyone facing a fork in the road of life...to travel the safe, well paved road society has laid for us or to venture out onto a path all you own? Guy Saperstein's "The Civil Warrior" tells the story of one attorney who blazed his own trail in social causes and made the journey for women and minorites a little easier.



2. It's an interesting window into the life of a slacker-turned-lawyer who got drafted into class action work at a time when it was a no-money business for legal aid organizations. Love or hate plaintiffs' lawyers, it's interesting to see how he latched onto State Farm and didn't let go until they made huge changes and paid him and the people he represented a whole lot of money.
   The dates and case cites are spotty in here, so don't go into it looking to do historical or legal research. For that reason, it's easy to lose track of the cases' place in time, and alarming when you realize he's writing about companies were getting away with blatant discrimination in the '80s and even into the '90s.
   For a lawyer, his writing's pretty clear and concise. And the stories about him growing up and skating through school and law school in the 1960s are kind of charming.
   One really good point about it is that he waited a decade to write up his story, so there's a maturity and perspective in there that would've been missing had he decided to cash in by writing a book during his rock-star days.
   It's not the most exciting or revealing memoir you'll ever read, but it is a nice little story of how one of this country's most famous trial lawyers made his way in the profession.



3. It's a rare treat to read a book that challenges you to become a leader in your chosen craft while imparting specific useful information on its subject matter. If you enjoyed reading the Buffalo Creek Disaster, you'll love this book. Saperstein weaves a personal story within a narrative that you've already heard about in the news. This is the story that you haven't heard. Next time you hear people speak against class action attorneys, pull out your copy of this book and remember the great good that this one attorney has wrought through his craft.



4. Although Guy Saperstein probably wrote A CIVIL WARRIOR for a broad based audience, it is very worthwhile reading for attorneys, especially civil litigators. The book begins with a description of Guy Saperstein's childhood days in Southern California, continues with stories of his law school days and the beginnings of his public interest law career. Eventually, we learn of the historic employment discrimination cases he handled. The book is inspirational. Obviously, we are richer for the results Saperstein and and his colleagues obtained through the massive class action employment discrimination cases he launched. However, A CIVIL WARRIOR also gives encouragement and inspiration to the practicing attorney to go "the extra mile" for clients. Many practioners, I believe, would likely have settled much earlier in the various litigations in which Saperstein was involved. Saperstein's description of how his cases were screened, prepared and either tried or settled are completely engrossing.



5. Saperstein says lawyers work hard. I just finished this book and I am exhausted! It is amazing, and a credit to Saperstein, what one person can do when trained, unleashed and licensed to practice law. What we see is a young, intelligent, and questioning person, confronted with injustice, accept as seemingly his fate, personal responsibility to overcome it. And-- I recall an article about him some years ago in The California Lawyer, entitled "Rich Guy" Saperstein-- he is unapologetic that his work in the public interest has brought him wealth.

   It gave me chills to read again of those days of the 60s and law students and lawyers like Guy. Some might suggest one of my characters in my novel. "The Lawyers: Class of '69" was based upon Guy Saperstein. No. I could not even begin to create in fiction the very real life Guy Saperstein has led, as a member of that class of 1969 at Boalt Hall, and one of the most influential lawyers in America. An excellent read.

No comments about Sir Matthew Hale, 1609-1676: Law, Religion and Natural Philosophy (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History).

2 comments about My Life As a Radical Lawyer.

1. I have read many autobiographies of lawyers and am a collector of books relating to real life court drama. Mr. Kunstler's (affectionally also known as Bill)autobiography is one of the best I've read. As a lawyer myself, I truly felt inspired by his actions in court. I can only wish in my lifetime as an advocate that I can be at least half of a court room lawyer he was. I highly recommend this book to all advocates and aspiring trial lawyers. This book is as good as Louis Nizer's "My Life In Court".



2. This book should be required reading for two sets of readers: All trial lawyers facing monstrous odds and all readers interested in the history of the United States from about 1956 to the present. The first time I read this book (five years ago, while in law school) I picked up very specific lessons regarding the practice of criminal defense law. The second time through (2002), I picked up very specific historical lessons about turbulent times in our nation's history (civil rights litigation in the 1960s, the counter-culture of the late 1960s, and the American Indian Movement).

   Of particular interest is the section on Mr. Kunstler's representation of a defendant in the 1993 WTC attacks.