The Litigators
Posted by Book Mavens on February 16th, 2012
Title: The Litigators
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday, New York 2011
Summary: If you love reading John Grisham, this one will not disappoint. Why would a Lawyer working for a large prestigious Law Firm billing Clients at $500.00 per hour suddenly find himself working as a Street Lawyer making $600.00 per month? As a young Lawyer with a very promising career, David Zinc finds himself burnt out from working 80+ hours per week. One day he gets off the elevator and can’t bring himself to go to his Office. He dives (literally) back into the elevator, walks out of the firm and goes on a drunken bender. He lands on the doorstep of a two man law firm where they spend their days chasing ambulances, handling quickie divorces and bickering over what little money they do have. They like to refer to themselves as a “boutique law firm”. These two guys keep waiting for their big break. When David wakes up the next day after his drinking binge, he is unemployed and not sure what to do. He finds himself going back to the two partners at Finley & Figg where he tests the waters as a street lawyer. He quickly realizes these two have never really practiced law and are clueless on how a real Law Office should operate. But David is happy. He has a new lease on life, he is working normal hours and spending time with his wife and enjoying himself for the first time in years. When the 3 Lawyers are suddenly faced with their first big case, they quickly realize they are in way over their head. Wally is looking for the quick buck and a fast settlement since he has never been inside the courtroom to try a case. Oscar who wants to appear as the professional lawyer wants nothing to do with the case until he learns of the potential for a very large settlement. He has never stepped in a courtroom to try a case. David gets pulled into the mess by the bumbling partners. The three Lawyers are preparing to take on a big drug company with the claim that one of their drugs on the market is unsafe and has resulted in numerous deaths. The drug company hires the best legal defense team, which happens to be David’s previous employer, the very impressive Law Firm that he walked away from. Since the three Lawyers believe this case will settle out of court, they do nothing to prepare for a trial. The big drug company, on the other hand, knows this law firm lacks any courtroom experience and can’t wait to go to trial to clear their name. What goes on behind the scenes has as much to do with what goes on in the courtroom, and how money can manipulate the system. This book moves along at a fast and entertaining pace. David shows us that there is more to life than the big money at a big law firm.
I have not read a book by John Grisham in a long time, but this one really grabbed my interest.
Who Will Like this? Fans of John Grisham – he has written 23 books. Anyone who likes legal thrillers and courtroom drama.
If you like this, try this: James Grippando, David Rosenfelt, Perri O’Shaughnessy, David Rosenfelt
Recommended by: Laura, Technical Services Assistant
For more informaton about the book and to place a hold, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog!