Conflicting Accounts

In this fascinating and in-depth depiction of corporate greed and the politics of power, go behind-the-scenes of the ugly and bitter feud in an industry that is supposed to know the steep price for image run amok. On December 16, 1994, a bloodletting took place in the stylish boardroom at Saatchi & Saatchi, once the world’s largest advertising agency. The cofounders of the company, Maurice and Charles Saatchi, were fired after threats by the firm’s shareholders but less than a month later, Maurice Saatchi started a rival ad agency and quickly and viciously snapped up former Saatchi & Saatchi clients. With expansive research and eye-opening interviews, Kevin Goldman effortlessly explores this dramatic saga from the early, audacious start of the firm to the meteoritic rise of the Saatchi brothers and their ultimate fall. From the glitzy and extravagant lifestyle of the advertising industry of the 1970s and 1980s to the dramatic mergers and takeovers that altered Madison Avenue and London forever, Conflicting Accounts is an unputdownable and masterful work, perfect for fans of Mad Men and The Smartest Guys in the Room.

This volume presents a combination of practical, empirical research data and theoretical reflection to provide a comparative view of language and discourse in the courtroom. The work explores how the various disciplines of law and linguistics can help us understand the nature of "Power and Control" - both oral and written - and how it might be clarified to unravel linguistic representation of legal reality. It presents and examines the most recent research and theories at national and international levels. The book represents a valuable contribution to the study and analysis of courtroom discourse and courtroom cultures more generally. It will be of interest to students and researchers working in the areas of language and law, legal theory, interpretation, and semiotics of law.