No comments about Beyond the Big Firm: Profiles of Lawyers Who Want Something More.

No comments about Top Secret Missions.

2 comments about Closing Argument: Defending (and Befriending) John Gotti, and Other Legal Battles I Have Waged.

1. The cure for everyone tired of slick lawyers whose business cards should say "Have Word Processor, Will Travel." Cutler is the Method Actor of the Bar. He tries cases from the inside out, with no cynicism, no patronization of the jury, and no distaste for the client hidden under a barrel of glib professionalism. Cutler lays his thoughts and feelings bare in this book, and it's an inspiration. If you're in law school, reading it may remind you why you bothered. If you're in practice, it will inspire you to try cases. If you're a gangster, it will make you check your address book to see if you have Cutler's number. For everyone else, a hugely entertaining, edifying book about America, the legal system, the System, and a guy who has the b--ls to buck it and often win.



2. Bruce Cutler is a self serving loud mouth who spends an entire book telling us what a great lawyer he is. Given the allegations of jury tampering (which was the reason he was banned from representing Gotti a third time and may be the reason Gotti was acquitted the first two times) and his pitiful track record anywhere else where the true practice of law is required, it is no wonder he wrote a book - no one who values their rights and their freedom would hire this guy.

1 comments about An Honest Calling: The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln.

1. In An Honest Calling attorney Mark E. Steiner makes good use of his professional training and years spent in helping to compile Lincoln's legal papers.
   
   Study of Lincoln's law career has long been hampered by the scattered nature of Lincoln's court documents throughout Illinois and the Midwest. Now they are gathered together, and Steiner has made a fine presentation of what they reveal about Lincoln's "day job," which may have consumed as much of his time as politics did. Steiner deals with Lincoln's law practice in general and with some individual cases revealing Lincoln's handling of particular issues (including slavery and railroad corporations). Civil and criminal practices are covered.
   
   This is an excellent introduction to Lincoln's law practice, and will also interest persons seeking information about the influence of attorneys on the Western frontier.

5 comments about Born Again (Colson, Charles).

1. It's been 30 years since the events of Watergate started making history. A whole generation has grown up largely unaware, I suspect, of the significance of those events. I've followed Chuck Colson's work and writing almost since the beginning of Prison Fellowship and have developed a tremendous respect for the man. But only recently have I bothered to go back and read this book which tells how it all got started. I should not have waited so long.

   This is the very inspiring and honest story of Colson's early career as chief counsel, confidant and friend to President Richard Nixon. As an insider, he gives his own account of the Watergate scandal and an honest confession of his own wrongdoings. This is also the story about how God can change the life of a man caught up in the corrupting influence of political power and bring great good out of evil. Since he was not directly involved in the Watergate doings, Colson probably could have easily avoided being convicted and sent to prison. But his encounter with Jesus Christ and conversion to Christianity strengthened his conscience and led him to plead guilty to an unrelated crime that he did commit. He went to prison and saw a different side of the "law and order" society that the Nixon Administration sought to promote. Even through the fear and despair of those times, the power of God became even more evident to Chuck Colson while in prison.

   This is an amazing account of how a life submitted to Jesus Christ can reconcile enemies, create strong bonds of friendship, and heal terrible wounds in the hearts of both the rich and powerful and the poor and helpless. It's wonderful to read. If this book has an impact on you, then you will also want to read its sequel, "Life Sentence".




2. Colson's version of what happened during Watergate is a self-serving, sanctimonious whitewash of what he did and what he was responsible for. As the self-syled " Go-to guy" when something needed to be done. As Howard Hunt's boss, it defies belief that he was ignorant of what went on. He managed to get away without any responsibility for what he was surely guilty of and plead guilty to a crime of his choosing, which he hoped not to serve any time for.Surely to be "Born Again" he needs to tell the whole truth rather than this sanitized version.



3. . . . as readers of my reviews have probably figured out. I have been familiar with this book for many years, but only recently have I taken the time to sit down and read it through.
   
   "Born Again" is an honest and forthright admission of sinfulness and forgiveness, tracing Mr. Colson's path through Watergate and prison to the freedom in Christ he now enjoys.
   
   To the best of my recollection, this is the first book to be published by one of the "Watergate figures". Magruder's book came out shortly afterward, and Haldeman wrote two (contradictory) books on the subject. I wonder if the Charles Colson of 2005 would view the events of 1972-1974 as the Charles Colson of 1976 did. I wonder if he would have made some of the same choices now as he did as a brand-new Christian (with a great deal of guilt on his conscience).
   
   Regardless, both as an "insider's account" of the Nixon White House, and as a testimony of how Christ can change a life, "Born Again" is definitely worth a read.



4. "Born Again" is the story of Chuck Colson's life from the Nixon presidency to his release from the Maxwell AFB prison facility with some comments on his early life.
   
   The first 250 or so pages deal with his time serving Nixon and of the circumstances that led to his accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. The book's last 100 pages or so deal with his relationships with other prisoners in the Maxwell facility.
   
   Indeed, some skeptics question whether Colson had a true conversion and is using the book to promote himself. If so, then why does Colson mention a positive change in relationships with his political enemies after becoming a Christian? Indeed, one of his strongest supporters (Harold Hughes) was a Democratic senator from Iowa (Colson was a Republican). Oh well!
   
   The book flows freely and is intensely interesting. "Born Again" reflects the popularity and enjoyable reading of other Colson books. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat (sorry political junkies, God is neither!), a Colson supporter or hater, a Nixon supporter or hater, you will enjoy Colson's "Born Again".
   
   Colson's prison experience was not wasted. God used this time to burden Colson with the need to minister to prisoners today through the worldwide Prison Fellowship ministry. Yet again, God can take something good out of something bad.
   
   Read and enjoy the book and be challenged to realize that despite your background, God can work great and mighty things through a person who is surrendered to Him!
   
   Highly recommended.



5. Charles Colson resembles the adulterous minister in the Scarlet Letter. Before his parishioners, Arthur Dimmesdale confesses error freely but gives no specifics. Colson too confesses overweening pride, but gives no, or few, specifics. And where he gives specifics, he confesses no error. He denies involvement in Watergate but acknowledges defaming Daniel Ellsberg, an action that he alleges is no crime. In fact, he says he had to convince the judge to allow him to plead guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with the Ellsberg matter even though technically he broke no law. Colson did nothing, saw nothing, said nothing. He is a great sinner in the abstract but not in the concrete.
   
   His conversion seems to be genuine but limited. He went from being the grandest political operative to being the grandest sinner. After he found Christ, rather than going home, falling to his knees, opening his heart, and closing his mouth, he went to White House prayer breakfasts and discussed his conversion on "60 Minutes." He surrendered all but the spotlight.
   
   An interesting autobiography still. The portion in which he writes about his prison experience sounds authentic.

1 comments about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: Law and the Inner Self.

1. Two apsects strike me in reading about Holmes. First is his life. What a great subject. Holmes is almost as exciting to read about as Lincoln. The second is his jurisprudence. White does a fine job covering both. I like White's style. Somewhat loose but never inaccurate, his biography is very readable.

   Two chapters: The Supreme Court of Massachusetts and the "Progressive Judge" are so wonderfully written that they deserve to be read twice.

   I read the book over a period of four months which is something I rarely do. This is because the subject and content are so important that the philosophy of Holmes takes some time to perculate. White's description of Holmes influenced my perspective greatly.

   I would recommend the book to any person interested in law or simply about America.

4 comments about Skadden: Power, Money, and the Rise of a Legal Empire.

1. Mr. Caplan has gracefully provided readers with an exquisite portrait of the life and times of a twentieth century law firm. Compelling and balanced, the book joyfully tracks the highs and lows of a group of "young turks" who have defined what it means to be a lawyer in corporate America. I am grateful to Mr. Caplan for the time he put into this project, as it gives tremendous insight to law students as to how a law firm operates and what the culture of a law firm embodies. This book is worth reading, worth printing and well worth recommending. Caplan's Tenth Justice, his recording of the Office of Solicitor General is brilliant as well. Joe Flom and Sheila Birnbaum and the rest of the Skadden crew can rest easy as the bard who records their triumphs and tribulations does so with zest and intelligence.



2. There's usually something important to be learned by the absent minded habits of the great and powerful. This book includes one about Joe Flom: He likes to fill the margins of his notes with tightly wound, intricate geometric patters that are uniquely his own design. The author doesn't read much more into it, but there's no reason we readers can't. According the author, Mr. Flom can also be a little brusque in private.

   For law students in particular, this book is a good dose of reality if they are wondering what it's really like to work in a big firm. Interesting critique of the usefulness of this book: I recently asked a Skadden associate (not in their NY office) how he liked this book, and he had not read it. He had to look it up on the firm's website to determine what I was talking about. So this book can help the non-Skadden population understand the Skadden firm perhaps better than the firm understands itself. That would be the ultimate tribute to the author, and a Delphic oracle to Skadden's leadership.

   Since reading this, I cannot help thinking of Joe Flom whenever I'm trapped in some boring meeting, or sidelined in court, waiting for my case to be called. "Can I doodle as well as him?" I ask myself. Then the case is called, or the meeting accelerates, and--poof!--the evanescent reminder of old Joe Flom disappears along with it.




3. Skadden is an excellent history of both the rise of the modern law firms as well as one of those firms which epitomized that movement. Lincoln Caplan uses an indepth analysis of the practice, politics and people of Skadden Arps to analyze how and why law firms, which had traditionally been small parterships have since grown into businesses as large and competitive as many of the corporations they represent. The story is very well written and insightful and it is obvious that Caplan did extensive research both inside the firm and in legal libraries. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in legal history and it is a good insider's guide to people who do not have experience in a law firm, but are considering working in one or are simply curious what goes in them.



4. Ever wondered where the suit and tie brigade known as corporate lawyers originate their quirky self-image? Well look no further. Lincoln Caplan's "Skadden..." is undoubtedly a modern legal classic up there with Michael Stewarts "The Partners". Delving inside the history of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher and Flom LLP is congruent to understanding the changed corporate world. From Joe Flom's initial proxy battles and rivalry with Marty Lipton to multi-billion dollar, cross-border transactions to the evolution of the new breed of corporate law firm. Skadden's history is inseparable from that of Wall Street and business in the US since its post-World War II founding and as a consequence is a must for all those interested in business as well as those interested in a legal career. A great no holes barred look into the modern law firm.

5 comments about A Fool's Gold: A Story of Ancient Spanish Treasure, Two Pounds of Pot, and the Young Lawyer Almost Left Holding the Bag.

1. The introduction at the La Jolla bookstore said it all: cross between John Berendt and Ken Kesey, or carl Hiassen and Vince Bugliosi -- or as he put it, reminiscent of Mark Twain.



2. i have a couple of problems with this book.but we'll get to them later.
   
   there is an awful lot to like about this book. the characters are quirky and fun. the writing is breezy and entertaining. there are multiple twists and turns that are (usually) resolved in some outrageously funny way. and the ending was (to me)unexpected and intriguing.
   
   a really good read for an airport or beach.
   
   so what problems did i have? well, the first is minor. i found this book in the non-fiction section. it clearly is not that. there was an "author's note" on the copyright page that, if given a little more prominence, handled the issue. or publish as a work of fiction. either one.
   
   the other problem is much more serious.
   
   one anecdote intregal to the story is the "tale of the soldier who wouldn't make his bed." (strangely, it is important to the story).
   
   it is also plagarised. in 1956, leo rosten wrote "captain neuman m.d.". chapter seven is entitled "the happiest man in the world". and is the story of colby clay, a soldier who wouldn't make his bed. now,i'm not a lawyer. i don't even play one on tv.
   
   but i'm pretty certain that taking a chapter from someone else's work without attribution is considered a no-no in polite society.
   
   so if you just want an entertaining couple of hours, read this book. it's fun.
   
   if you think that plagarism is something that should be discouraged, i'd pass.



3. Bill Merritt has written a wonderfully entertaining fable about young lawyers learning the ropes, a delightful cast of society's castaways, buried treasure and even a little bit of science.
   
   Because Merritt casts himself as the central character, it is necessary to remember that this is fiction - or at least Merritt says so: "Author's note: This book isn't journalism. It is filled with made-up individuals, composite characters, and descriptions that do not match anything in the real world. If you think something in here is about you, it isn't. And, if you think you are going to make a big deal out of it, I've got plenty more on you that doesn't appear in the book, so think again."
   
   Within a few pages, of course, you'll have forgotten the warning, so compelling is Merritt's first-person narrative. The characters are compelling and believable.
   
   There's Thaddeus Silk, now deceased, who hires Merritt as an associate in his small, highly suspect law office. Silk's death from natural causes brings in the police, an aggressive DA, the bar association disciplinary committee and others. Thaddeus, it seems, had long been suspected of a variety of nefarious dealings, including fencing a long rumored Spanish treasure that had been buried on Oregon's cost.
   
   Merritt provides a fascinating recounting of the legends of Neahkahnie Mountain where, it is said, a treasure is buried. Along the way, Merritt also provides an unexpected explanation of trade winds and the history of Spanish trade a few centuries ago. Utterly unexpected, these facts provide both elements of the main plot and an unusual backstory. Good work, indeed.
   
   When Thaddeus Silk shuffles off the mortal coil, Merritt is left the task of picking up the pieces of his mentor's practice. There's Grady Jackson, seemingly a harmlessly befuddled treasure hunter who, in his youth, had been a heroic soldier. Jolene, the office receptionist, was hired by Thaddeus on a work-release program after Thaddeus had bungled her case. Her boyfriend Tail Pipe lives largely on another planet. Abby Birdsong is an aging hippy with a marijuana possession charge against her that just keeps getting bigger.
   
   Soon Merritt himself is facing indictment by an aggressive DA.
   
   The story has plenty of twists and turns as Merritt, still a young and inexperienced lawyer, makes his way through one predicament after another. In terms of handling humor, Merritt is an ace. His storytelling flows smoothly, anchoring your sympathy to Merritt as the subject and eliciting boos and catcalls for the evil guys (who really aren't all that evil: just kind of dumb).
   
   It would be unfair to detail the story to any extent. Take my word for it: there's not a dull page in the book. There's also no sex, no immediate gore, no cliffhangers: just out-of-the-ordinary situations with some pretty oddball characters.
   
   Summer's almost here; the weather's getting nicer: this is the perfect beach read.
   
   Jerry



4. Why was this book in the non-fiction section at the library? I can understand changing the names of people but counties? There is no Siletz County, Oregon. Why not make up the state too? As fiction there leaves a lot to be desired. The back jacket says"truth is stranger than fiction". Either write non-fiction with names changed to protect identities or write a compelling novel. This is neither.



5. About the time you realize that you don't have a clue about what will happen next (and you can't wait to find out), you realize the song playing in your head is "What a long strange trip it's been".

5 comments about The Last Mouthpiece: The Man Who Dared to Defend the Mob.

1. Robert "Bobby" Simone draws upon a 35 year career as a practicing criminal defense attorney to write a unique, informative, and at times alarming expose and anecdotal description of the criminal justice system in The Last Mouthpiece. This book reads more like a film noir script than a history of the law as we encounter "Phil "The Chicken man" Testa, Nick the Blade, Hunchback Harry, and a series of other real-life mob characters and their cadres. Here is a candid revelation of the mobsters, rats, set-ups, wires, bugs, double-crosses, strategies, judges, juries, and lawmen who were the daily elements of Simone's law practice. If you enjoy the fictional "The Sopranos" television series, then you will be fascinated by Bobby Simone's factual and real-life expose, The Last Mouthpiece.



2. Mr.Bob Simone tells his life story in great detail.The ups and downs of someone who believes in the rights of his clients.And will do everything legally in his power to help them.He tell how the government hates to lose and dose everything legal or not to get even.He knows the meaning of true friendship and payed the price for it!



3. Mr Simone keeps telling the readers how wonderful and friendly Nicky Scarfo and Phil Leonetti are. He just seems to forget that
   they are responsible for the deaths of many people. Of course they are entitled to the very best defense, but mr Simone seems
   to think that these guys were treated unfairly by the government
   and the judicial system. Furthermore, mr Simone contemptously describes Joseph Salerno as a no good rat, but forgets that his best buddy Phil Leonetti turned out to be just as despicable, even worse. So much for mob loyalty.
   I suggest that readers familiarize themselves with the book "Breaking the Mob" by Guinther and Friel to get a different view of many of the same incidents. I`m not claiming it to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but at least it gives you a good comparative read.
   Otherwise "The Last Mouthpiece" makes quite enjoyable reading.



4. This was a really great account about the life and times of "mob lawyer" Robert Simone. The author does not pretend that the account is objective, and indeed it is not. It is, however, exciting and intriguing to follow Robert Simone's story - from the beginning of his career to the height of his success and through his ultimate downfall, incarceration and back to Philly and a career in law once again. I could not tear myself away from this book.



5. Bobby Simone was always a guy we in the press liked. As a newspaper reporter in Philadelphia in the 70s and later in New Jersey in the 80s and 90s, I frequently read about and heard about , and a few times actually met Bobby Simone. I covered the trial in Federal Court where he unsuccessfully defended Nicodemo Scarfo and I watched Bobby Simone successfully defend himself against income tax charges.(forget that old saw that a lawyer who defends himself has a fool for a client, Bobby won this case).
   Bobby was always friendly to reporters -- after all, we were his free advertising agency -- and he was always quotable. He was also always a strong advocate for his clients. But apparently he crossed the line between advocacy and participation once too often when the feds brought him down.
   But to hear him tell it, the feds went after him not because he broke the law, but because he represented unpopular clients. Yeah, right.
   I also heard Bobby Simone tell juries that the government was arresting guys like Nicky Scarfo only because the government was exercising some kind of prejudice against Italian-Americans. He actually used to say that to juries! I was there, I heard it. (Forget that many FBI case agents in the Organized Crime squads were Italian-Americans, many the best police officers who hated the mob had Italian names, and one of the most effective Assistant US Attorneys to prosecute the Scarfo case was himself an Italian-American who was very proud of his heritage.)
   The book isn't much better. Some of it is self-serving claptrap. But if you can put that aside, it is the story by an entertaining story teller talking about an exciting career. And besides, Bobby Simone is a nice guy, most people who meet him like him, and that comes through in the book, too.

1 comments about Harry A. Blackmun: The Outsider Justice.

1. The author has written extensively on the Supreme Court, including biographies of Harlan I and II, and especially his fine book on Justice Souter (also reviewed on Amazon), as well as one of the ABC-CLIO Supreme Court handbooks on the Burger Court where Justice Blackmun served most of his tenure on the Court. The book is typical Yarbrough: comprehensive research; clarity of analysis; some suggestive insights into the subject. The book begins with Blackmun's formative years, follows him to Harvard and Harvard Law, his early friendship with Warren Burger, the critical clerkship with Judge Sanborn of the 8th Circuit;his career as a Minnesota lawyer (especially resident counsel at Mayo Clinic during 1950-1959) and his appointment to the Eighth Circuit and his service thereupon. So, by the time Blackmun makes it to the big Court, which is at the 141 page mark, readers can really feels they have a good grasp of Blackmun, his character, strengths, and weaknesses. Thereby, the author avoids a mistake frequently encountered in judicial biographies of rushing through the pre-Court career to concentrate on the years as a Justice.
   
   I found the chapter on chamber procedures especially interesting. The author discusses Blackmun's preference for clerks writing first drafts of opinions, a practice he initiated on the Circuit, and raises always the key question re Blackmun: was he the author or editor of his opinions? He analyzes the firestorm that emerged when various articles and Linda Greenhouse's biography of Blackmun, based upon his papers, disclosed his heavy reliance upon clerks. Also, of course, of great interest is his discussion of Blackmun's deteriorating relationship with Burger. The book also discusses Blackmun's key decisions, including "Roe v. Wade," although I think more attention could have been devoted to the prolonged drafting torment Blackmun endured while working on the opinion at Mayo.
   
   Blackmun emerges as somewhat a solid but not brilliant Justice, inclined to be conservative in his judgments, but willing to modify his positions (such as on the death penalty) over time. The author finds him always to have been a somewhat insecure individual, unsure of his own talents, but always a very hard worker. In the final chapters, the author returns to the issue of who "sculpted" Blackmun's jurisprudence, he or his clerks, since more studies based on his paper have emerged. The oral history interviews with former clerk Harold Koh of Yale Law School are discussed and afford some valuable insights. My only concern with the book is that the author almost totally ignores Linda Greenhouse's fine book on Blackmun, perhaps because he is upset that she was granted exclusive early access to this treasurehouse of information by Blackmun's family (see p. 341). This is most puzzling given the author's otherwise impeccable research. This is, however, but a tiny blemish--the book is a major achievement and adds substantially to our understanding of Blackmun the man and Justice and his role on the Court.