Editorial Review

Much like the Delany sisters of Brooklyn, Constance Baker Motley was one of the first black women to overcome the barriers of race and sex to become a leading figure in her field of expertise. In the mid '60s, Motley became the first black female senator, the first black woman elected to the office of Manhattan borough president, and the first woman appointed to the federal bench. Now a senior judge in a U.S. District Court of New York, Motley looks back on a lifetime of unprecedented achievements and gives personal testimony to some of the greatest moments in the civil rights movement in her autobiography, Read more

Reviews (1)

Inspirationalpersonal history by American Legal Icon
The book was best when the Judge provides her perspective on events and personalities known to most of us only through news accounts. I enjoyed the book which was a quick read and left me hoping Judge Motely would writeanother book with greater detail of some of the very interesting episodesin her career.The author's career is remarkable and tracks the majorevents of the civil rights movement through the eyes of a women who appearsto be uneasy with the role model label.I had been looking for a book onJudge Motely after reading several books concerning the civil rightsmovement. It is remarkable that Judge Motely has not been the subject ofbiographers. Her story is unique.The book would be useful for lawyers,legal buffs and those searching for true role models.It avoids legaleaseand is written in a manner which made it a very easy read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-American judges    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. Judges    7. Lawyers & Judges    8. New York (State)    9. People of Color    10. Social Science    11. Women    12. Women judges    13. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color   

Reviews (8)

Personal Autograph
Senator Bumpers' memoir is truly a great read.The Senator is very candid about politics, honest about his life, and philosophical without trying to justify his actions while in office.In a day where it seems every politician running for office feels the need to write a book, Senator Bumpers has taken the time to write one after leaving public office.
a cozy memoir with a folksy leader
Dale Bumpers might be seen as a mixture of one part Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), one part Jefferson Smith (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), and a half part Abe Lincoln (at least he got the self-deprecating part).
Great, vivid stories by great public servant
Great read by someone who knows how to paint pictures with words.Dale Bumpers is a true public servant, not a politician out for fame, ego, money, and sex.I first became aware of him in a lengthy newspaper article some decades ago that gave deep background coverage to his spoken eloquence and mastery of issues, beyond that even of most Senators.I have wanted him to run for President ever since, and I think his speech in defense of Bill Clinton shows what a loss we have endured in not having Dale Bumpers as a President, particularly in light of the actions of our current President.
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Subjects:  1. Arkansas    2. Arkansas - State Government    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Bumpers, Dale    8. Congress    9. Governors    10. Lawyers    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Legislators    13. Personal Memoirs    14. U.S. Senate    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Subjects:  1. Anti-Nazi movement    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe - Germany    6. Germany    7. Hirschberg, Max,    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Human Rights    11. Lawyers    12. Lawyers & Judges    13. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    14. b. 1883    15. European history: from c 1900 -    16. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    17. Law / Human Rights    18. Political control & influence   

Reviews (12)

Generation Xer says:"Good Read"
As a generation "Xer" this book intrigued me for one shallow purpose at the forthright.John F. Kennedy, Jr. was and will always remain in the public's eye as a sex symbol.I was glad that the author started out with something familiar when introducing her book.Beginning with the how and why of John's appointment to the sexiest man alive was something that I remembered and could identify with.Without any knowledge of the Kennedy "clan" as she terms them, and even less historical knowledge, I could identify with the placement ofJohn on the cover of People magazine.While I had heard of President Kennedy's allegedaffairs it came as a shock to see other members of the Kennedy family hold such little esteem for marriage vows. The author really brings Jackie Kennedy down to earth and sure makes me long for her happiness and admire the strength of such a delicate looking woman.She certainly isn't short on male companionship and some of her relationships leave you wondering why she didn't just go it alone.The details behind John's relationships are intriguing and the relationship with Madonna was particularly surprising to this reader. The author paints the picture of John being less than the smartest Kennedy but far outshining with his personality, athletic abilities, and Kennedy charisma.The well-known ending is tragic and left me with the same sinking feeling as I did watching the T.V. hoping his plane would be found or by some chance to find out he hadn't been on board at all.A good read for anyone wanting more information on the Kennedy family and most importantly on John Jr.

Gossip
this book is nothing but gossip.this lady prints facts people already know. dont waste your money

Not a good source for Carolyn Bessette information.
This back of the book cover led me to believe there would be interesting information on his wife, Carolyn. Ha! There was practically no information on his wife. I learned more about her in a single magazine article then from this book. It has the basic geographic info: born, lived, schooled. Boring. If you are a diehard JFK JR then go for it, otherwise there are much better books on him. If you are looking for Carolyn info, look elsewhere. Period. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (John Fitzgerald),    2. 1960-1999    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Business    8. Children of presidents    9. Family    10. Kennedy, John F.    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Presidents    13. Rich & Famous    14. United States   

Editorial Review

Poet, playwright, and translator Daniel Mark Epstein certainly has the right background to understand and evaluate poet, playwright, and translator Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)--though Millay didn't write biographies. Readers of Epstein's Read more

Reviews (8)

A Poet's Life Unfurled
It's not easy being a poet, and Daniel Mark Epstein's biography of Edna St.Vincent Millay in What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, confirms this.From love affairs with men and women to excessive drinking, this book has it all.
The best so far
This is simply a great biography.
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed.....
Mr. Epstein's passion for his subject was the first attractor for me upon reading this well written, intriguing biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, specifically focusing on her very tumultuous love life and the poetry which was birthed due to her romantic and [physical relations].Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. History    7. History and criticism    8. Lawyers & Judges    9. Literary    10. Love poetry, American    11. Poets, American    12. United States    13. Women    14. Women and literature   

Subjects:  1. 1924-2005    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Courts - Supreme Court    5. General    6. Judges    7. Law    8. Lawyers & Judges    9. Legal History    10. Rehnquist, William H.,    11. Supreme Court    12. United States    13. United States.    14. Constitutional & administrative law    15. Jurisprudence & General Issues    16. Law / Jurisprudence    17. USA   

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. General    3. Lawyers & Judges    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    6. Sociology    7. Constitution: government & the state    8. Constitutional & administrative law    9. FREEDOM OF SPEECH    10. HOLMES, OLIVER WENDELL, 1841-1935    11. Human rights    12. JUDICIAL PROCESS    13. Political Science / Civil Rights    14. UNITED STATES_SUPREME COURT    15. USA   

Reviews (12)

Out of the Abyss
In the Making of a Country Lawyer, Spence delivers what most of those who write autobiographies avoid -- a critical, honest and, at times, humorous account of his growth from an awkward youth, to married man, and ultimately to a truly mature man. He is so honest and witty and provides such rich descriptions of his teenage years, his law school "education," and his first few trials that I would be cringing one moment and laughing out loud the next. So emotionally lost was Spence at different times that it appeared he could never find his way out of the abyss, nevermind reclaim the mountain top. It is more than an autobiography, it is the story of man so tormented with guilt and feelings of inadequacy that he's desperate to escape his own skin . . . until he meets his soulmate. It's the best autobiography I've ever read and perhaps Spence's best book.

Excruciating
This book relates the details of the life of Gerry Spence, a well-known trial lawyer.From his earliest days of life through the beginnings of his second marriage, Spence reveals to us what his life was like, who his influences were, and how he reacted.The driving focus of the book is Spence's mother, who took her own life when he was a young man.At the time of her death, she and Spence had had a falling out, and Spence sees much of the rest of his life as trying to make peace with her.At the end of this book, some of Spence's famous cases and clients are mentioned in an epilogue; however, these topics are not discussed in the memoir section at all.
This century'sTom Paine
Next to "The Paper Chase",I found Gerry Spence's autobiography to be extremely inspirational, and yet, this time he offered wisdom for the rest of us who do not take up the law. One reviewer missed the point about "country lawyer"(the common man), trying to weaken Spence's building diatribe against corporate America. His vivid, meticulous storytelling ranges as wide as the landscape of his upbringing, where Horatio Alger meets Franklin and finishes with Thomas Paine.In other words, he offers hope for the little guy, the citizen, if men of his cloth would abandon their ways and the rest of us would stop acting like lemmings. This captivating, truth-telling journey to adulthood, runs from the depression to the consumptive new millenium. His many Lincolnian lessons throughout make it a deservedly classic manual for the under-taught. Spence proves Darwin wrong. It's not the fittest, the prepared truth-seekers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Country lawyers    6. Lawyers    7. Lawyers & Judges    8. People of Color    9. Spence, Gerry    10. Wyoming    11. Law / Legal Profession    12. Modern fiction   

Editorial Review

The author profiles her relatives with the same sensitivity she brought to biographies of Montgomery Clift and Diane Arbus. She pays tribute to the liberal idealism that led her father, Bartley C. Crum, to defend unpopular leftists at home and Jewish refugees desperate to get into Palestine abroad, even as she depicts his lengthy absences and financial carelessness wreaking havoc on his wife and children. Patricia Bosworth's portraits of her unhappy, adulterous mother and withdrawn, suicidal brother are equally nuanced. The subtitle says it all: "An American Family Story." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. California    6. Diplomats    7. Historical - General    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Lawyers    10. Lawyers & Judges    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / General    13. Biography: general   

Editorial Review

Baseball's first commissioner cast such a long and powerful shadow over the game, it's often hard to untangle his contribution from his personality, and his life from his lasting myth. The truth that emerges from this exhaustive and engaging biography of Judge Landis has no problem matching the outsized legend stride for stride. Landis moved into the public spotlight to clean up the national pastime after the disgrace of the 1919 World Series, but there was much more to this complex man and his complex career. Read more

Reviews (9)

readers will cringe
Pietrusza's portrait of the Squire is not without its flaws. Typos are too frequent. Some words, like soon and merely, are used repetitiously; Hampton L. Carson is represented as "Hampton L. Carlson." Pietrusza also commits redundancies and is too enamored of stilted adverbial phrases. In addition, some readers will cringe at Pietrusza's space allocation: large sections are given over to explanations and clarifications of cases and issues where Landis's name fails to be mentioned, and substantial sections also deal with characters only peripherally associated with Landis.
Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: Judge and Jury
I rated this book a 5 because it captured the flavor of the Anabaptist spirit.His Mennonite heritage was outlined in the first part of the book.His character certainly was played out, as he mentioned the Landis Familyis in the book of "Martyrs Mirror".This man definitely knew nocompromise.It was evident that he was willing to help theunderpriviledged.For anyone who knows Mennonite Philosophy he fits theticket.I am not a baseball fan, but I did enjoy reading and seeing hischaracter played out.Definitely worth reading.

A Thorough Biography
Someone once described Branch Rickey as a man of many facets, and they are all turned on.Much the same could describe baseball's first commissioner. Landis, being a baseball fan, appeared to make decisions which wouldbenefit the game.An example would be delaying the Federal League courtdecision which could have changed the game radically.Rather than make adecision he didn't want to make, he delayed untila settlement could bemade with the major leagues.He banned Shufflin' Phil Douglas when Douglassaid he would go fishing rather than pitch a game for the Giants he wouldprobably win.This was to get back at his manager, John McGraw, who gavehim a vicious tongue lashing and had him given a so-called harsh drying outfrom alcohol abuse without his wife's knowledge as to his whereabouts. When asked by Landis his side of the story, Douglas didn't defend himselfagainst McGraw's actions and just hung his head.Gambling wasn't abanishable offense prior to the Cobb/Speaker incident in 1927, and Landisseemed to let these two superstars off easy, whereas he was especially hardon Rogers Hornsby.The Rajah, who enjoyed attending the racetrack, stoodup to Landis and said his wagering money at the racetrack was no differentthan Landis losing money in the stockmarket.An unfortunate character inthe story is Jimmy O'Connell of the Giants.O'Connell, naively approachedHeinie Sand of the Phillies about making it worth his while to lose a gameagainst the Giants during the last week of the season.Sand, knowing whathappened to Buck Weaver of the White Sox, reported the incident, and thisled to O'Connell's banishment from the game.The sad part of this story isthat O'Connell's teammates, Frank Frisch and Ross Youngs played a prank onO'Connell and Jimmy took it seriously.Frisch and Youngs, both Hall ofFamers, were never punished.Landis's treatment of the eight Black Soxplayers would never be upheld today.His beginning statement,"Regardless of the verdict of juries..." tells it all.Landiswould do what he wanted.He would never get away with that with either theACLU or the players' union if they had one at that time.The authorappears to defend Landis for his lack of action towards allowing blacks toplay in the major leagues.Landis said he feared riots in ball parks ifblacks were admitted.Maybe it was true that the time was not right, buthe hid behind the tired response stating there was no rule prohibitingblacks from playing in the major leagues.Maybe not, but there was a"gentleman's agreement" that none would be signed.Somegentlemen!Landis was hired by the owners, but he didn't appear to respectthem.He claimed to be a player's commissioner, and one way he showed thatwas in releasing players from the minor leagues that he felt covered uppreventing their advancement.You really never knew what Landis' reactionwould be to something.He could be very unpredictable with what he woulddo regarding an issue, and he seemed to play favorites regarding players. He didn't care for Branch Rickey, who he may have felt was hypocritical byplaying the part of a preacher while doing things that Landis felt wereself-serving.The Judge had his fights with J. G. Taylor Spink, thepublisher of The Sporting News because a Saturday Evening Post articlereferred to Spink as Mr. Baseball and the conscience of baseball.Thereare some strong willed personalities in this book and the author does anexcellent job of bringing this part of baseball and American history tolife. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1866-1944    2. Baseball    3. Baseball - General    4. Baseball commissioners    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. General    8. Judges    9. Landis, Kenesaw Mountain,    10. Law    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Legal Profession    13. Practice Of Law    14. Sports - Baseball    15. United States    16. Landis, Kenesaw Mountain    17. Sports & Outdoor Recreation    18. Sports & Recreation / General   

Subjects:  1. (Benjamin Lawson),    2. 1925-    3. African American civil rights workers    4. African American lawyers    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Civil Rights    8. Hooks, Benjamin L    9. Hooks, Benjamin L.    10. Law    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. People of Color    13. Religious    14. Law / Civil Rights   

Reviews (8)

Inside the world of a controversial Justice
No Supreme Court Nominee's hearings have been more controversial than Clarence Thomas's were.And, we see from this biography, no life has been more interesting on the Supreme Court than Clarence Thomas.From his poor upbringing by his grandfather in rural Georgia, to Yale Law School, to his difficulty in finding a job after graduation to his contentious Supreme Court battle, Thomas's story almost seems ready made for a drama.This book is fascinating, and will make you feel for Justice Thomas.All the pain he has gone through in his life is reflected in Foskett's words.One of the most interesting biographies I have ever read.

Pay no attention to the left-wing wacko reviews............
such as "For a different view than the first four I see here, November 16, 2004 Reviewer: Felix (Silicon Valley).....see the review by Randall Kennedy for the Washington Post"
I still done know Judge Thomas
I was left wanting more.I felt the book was written to achieve a certain number of pages instead of providing me information about Judge Thomas.The book often provides far to much information about the people passing through his life.I was not interested in reading so much informatin about the people who employ him or the people he met on his life journey.
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Subjects:  1. 1948-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Courts - Supreme Court    7. Judges    8. Lawyers & Judges    9. Officials and employees    10. People of Color    11. Political    12. Selection and appointment    13. Supreme Court    14. Thomas, Clarence,    15. United States    16. United States.    17. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Reviews (1)

A stirring portrayal and highly recommended reading
A Song Of Faith And Hope: The Life Of Frankie Muse Freeman is the fascinating memoir of a most remarkable African-American woman, who grew up in the Jim Crow era South and, upset at the injustice that surrounded her every day, became an effective St. Louis civil rights attorney who dedicated her personal and professional life to improving justice and equality for all, and which eventually earned her the distinction of being the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights. A stirring portrayal and highly recommended reading, A Song Of Faith And Hope is an invaluable contribution to personal and academic Black Studies collections. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1916-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Civil rights    7. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    8. Freeman, Frankie Muse,    9. History    10. Lawyers    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. People of Color    13. Personal Memoirs    14. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Blacks    15. United States    16. Women    17. Biography: general    18. Freeman, Frankie Muse    19. Human rights    20. USA   

Reviews (3)

Well Written History
This book does a superb job of placing the legal decisions of the Civil War era within the complex and exciting times in which they took place. Samuel Freeman Miller is a fascinating and important figure.

A splendid biography
The appointment of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller by President Lincoln was perhaps his best decision before the Civil War.Miller's life story is well written by Dr. Ross and perhaps will be the definitive study of the man for generations to come.
More than a biography of Miller
Justice of Shattered Dreams is a well-balanced blend of history, law, economics and biography.The author provides a succinct and well-written summary of such topics as popular sovereignty, the tension over the Kansas/Nebraska issue, the recalcitrance of the South during Reconstruction, and the legal battles between capitalist bondholders and small town populists. Ross, who has a J.D. from Duke, provides insightful legal summaries of Dred Scott, Ex Parte Merryman, the Prize cases, Ex parte Milligan, the Legal Tender cases, as well as the Slaughterhouse cases for which Miller is most remembered.Ross's analysis of Ex Parte Milligan resonates today vis-a-vis the legal arguments over the status of the internees at Guantanamo Bay. There is just enough legal analysis to explain the theory of the decisions without overpowering the non-lawyer reader, and just enough facts to convey the essence of the case and its background.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Historical - U.S.    3. History    4. History: American    5. Lawyers & Judges    6. United States - Civil War    7. United States - General    8. United States - State & Local - General    9. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    10. Biography: historical    11. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    12. USA    13. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (9)

An Intriguing Picture...
...of the L.A. justice system.I won't repeat the other reviews,but two or three things deserve note.First, Johnnie Cochran wrote the introduction...high praise indeed.Second, the appendix - "Twenty-five rules for giving effective testimony" - is interesting reading in itself.Overall, the book is not compelling reading, not forcing you to read it in one sitting, but it's interesting and varied.I consumed it in three sittings if memory serves.The pace is generally good, although I felt the Buddhism dragged a bit, but that was only a couple of instances.So - recommended - *especially* if you are a fan of mysteries set in Los Angeles!I await Marissa Batt's next work with more than a little interest.

Awesome True Crime Book
What makes this book so compelling is that you get to hear the perspective of the actual prosecutor in the cases described.Through Marissa Batt's words, you get a virtual tour of the way the Los Angeles legal system works, or in some cases doesn't work.You are introduced to characters that actually inhabit Los Angeles, who actually went through the situations described - cases that are so intense and bizarre, they seem unbelievable.Through it all, you get a comprehensive version of the legal system mirroring human lives and decisions, as seen through the eyes of a person who does their job with integrity, intensity, and strength of character.READ THIS BOOK!It is a thorougly enjoyable read though shocking and extremely upsetting at times.

Compelling, compassionate, committed
Marissa is erudite, quick, fun, funny, committed to social justice and truth, and and an acute observer of human behavior. Her friend Johnnie Cochran describes her (in the introduction!) as "a prosecutor's prosecutor. She is full of zeal for her profession and possesses an insider's knowledge of the criminal justice system."She's also devoted herself to Buddhism for over 30 years, as well as to the mastery of the culinary arts.All of these elements figure in her very unusual book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Batt, Marissa N    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. California    7. Criminal justice, Administration of    8. General    9. Lawyers & Judges    10. Los Angeles    11. Public prosecutors    12. Women    13. True Crime / General   

Reviews (4)

This book is a gem...
This book is a gem for anyone interested in the Supreme Court or in this era in particular.It is unlike anything else I have read about the Justices who were part of the Constitutional Revolution of 1937.John Knox's memoir provides a glimpse of people rather than historical figures, and that glimpse explains a lot.His style is conversational and easy to read.And the book is hard to put down.

Sheerly fascinating
This book is a delight to read, and throws light on the Supreme Court in the momentous court year of 1936-37 when the Court was saved by Justice Roberts breaking away from the conservative wing of the Court and upholding New Deal laws which, if they had been held unconstitutional, might well have resulted in changes to the Supreme Court such as FDR had requested.The account by John Knox of how he came to be Justice McReynolds' law clerk and the odd life had to lead as such clerk is of much interest.I have seldom read a memoir of greater interest than is this one.Knox himself is a most unusual person, having a effrontery which amazes one looking at it from the viewpoint of history.The book is magnificently edited, with citations which enable one in this computer age to look up the cases mentioned and live the time with Knox.Knox's subsequent career is also of interest, and poignant.This book is a winner, and anyone interested in Supreme Court history will find reading this book extremely rewarding

The more things change...
From the dying days of Russia's Tsarist courts in which the young Kafka sharpened his perception of the absurd, here, similarly is the prophetic voice of a clerk in the blossoming federal judiciary.

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Courts - Supreme Court    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Lawyers & Judges    7. Legal History    8. Courts & procedure    9. Law / General   

Reviews (1)

The Most Underrated Supreme Court Justice in History
Tinsley Yarbrough does a great justice to Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan with this work. Read more

Subjects:  1. (John Marshall),    2. 1899-1971    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Harlan, John M    7. Harlan, John M.    8. Harlan, John Marshall    9. Historical - U.S.    10. Judges    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. U.S. Supreme Court    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Lawyers & Judges    15. Biography: general    16. Constitutional & administrative law    17. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    18. Law | Legal History    19. USA    20. c 1945 to c 1960    21. c 1960 to c 1970    22. c 1970 to c 1980   

Reviews (1)

The remarkable true story of the first female United States Supreme Court justice
The second volume of the "Women's Biography" series, Sandra Day O'Connor: Justice In The Balance is the remarkable true story of the first female United States Supreme Court justice. From her humble beginnings on a cattle ranch, where she learned important lessons about hard work, self-reliance, and the greatness of the outdoors, to her studies at Stanford University, her struggle to find a job as a lawyer in an era when law firms did not want to hire women, the responsibility of juggling her career with marriage, politics, three children, and breast cancer, and her nomination to her judicial post of prestige by President Ronald Regan. A solid biography of the "quiet feminist", written for readers of all backgrounds, and especially recommended for school and public library collections.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Judges    6. Lawyers & Judges    7. Legal System    8. Political    9. United States    10. Women    11. Women judges    12. Biography & Autobiography / Women    13. Biography: general    14. Courts & procedure    15. Legal profession    16. USA   

Reviews (6)

Great lawyer, okay book.
Law students who have just taken a course in professional repsonsibility may characterize Joe Jamail as a bad man, as unscrupulouas, as a jerk.That is probably true.But, argumentum ad hominem.Just because the man is bad, his work may not be.The facts are that Jamail is one of the most successful American lawyers of all time; that he fights a tremendous fight for his clients.Read this book for what it is, an account of an outstanding lawyer and his interesting cases; not as an intro to legal ethics.

The Other Reviewers Are Obviously NOT from Texas!
Mr. Jamail's book is terrific.Yes he's a little full of himself but his results are real and he has accomplished a lot in his legal career.He's also had a few major financial scores that have put him in a very unique class of lawyer.This is a fun book with many stories about individual cases that made an impression on Joe and thus inspired him to fight for his client.

Enertaining
I found Joe's book entertaining and easy to read.His passion for his clients and job is a trait not held by most in the law profession. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Lawyers & Judges    5. Personal Memoirs    6. Rich & Famous    7. Torts   

Reviews (12)

Easy to Relate to (for me)
As a son of Irish immigrants who grew up in Sunnyside, Queens and made something more of myself, I can appreciate all the struggles, as well as all the characters Ed Hayes brings up in his book. It brings back a lot of good memories and makes me miss some of the action and strong hustiling personality types that my adopted hometown of Seattle is sore lacking.
BRILLIANT LAWYER STORY
Ed Hayes exposes himself and one might think that the machine gun style of the book is fantasy but it doesn't do justice to the man himself. His dedication to his clients is legendary and he spends every working moment thinking and working for them. Having shared some of his adventures but as a cop,I found that he loves cops. If it wasn't for the fact that he would not have been able to support his interesting lifestyle he would have been one.
Gripping tale of the City
Leave it to Ed Hayes to make a probate dispute unfold like a murder mystery. But he does that, and much more.
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Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Hayes, Edward,    8. Lawyers    9. Lawyers & Judges    10. New York    11. New York (State)    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Political    14. Practice Of Law    15. Biography & Autobiography / Lawyers & Judges