The Plaintiff S Lawyer

An Ayatollah grins at the successful launch of a new Kharramshar missile in the foothills of southern Iran. Downrange, the U.S. Navy’s newest warship tracks and recovers its two stages. In Quantico, Virginia, the FBI takes the missile apart. How did the Iranians produce the key rollover mechanism so that it mimicked an American component made by Nova Aerospace Company? Nova asks Robert Herrick, the famous “Lawyer for the Little Guy,” to find out. It’s way outside his usual practice. And a possible culprit, the shadowy company known as Dravos Corporation, hires a street fighter named Jimmy Coleman to defend it. He’s the head of litigation at the megafirm of Booker and Bayne, where an army of associates can crank out arguments supporting almost any position Mr. Coleman wants to take. Along the way, Robert comes across the eccentric genius who developed the basic design. There’s a street vagabond who saw something and said something. A soldier who visited Dravos Corporation. And Iranian agents out to kill Robert. He will have to fight with primitive energy to find justice for his client . . . and for his country . . . and to save his own life. Robert Herrick is The Plaintiff’s Lawyer.

This book compares the different perceptions of legal disputes during litigation and mediation processes. By examining case processing from the unique angle of juxtaposing all actors' understandings of the same issues in ongoing cases, the book provides a novel view of the diversity of lawyer-party realities. The findings reveal inherent problems with the core workings of the legal system.

Now, they share their secrets of trying complex cases to a jury, including bad faith cases. Friedman and Malone help you consider your theme and strategy for trial using his "Rules of the Road" technique, and then takes you from the pleading through discovery and trial.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • The true story of one man so determined to take down two of the nation's largest corporations accused of killing children from water contamination that he risks losing everything. "The legal thriller of the decade." —Cleveland Plain Dealer Described as “a page-turner filled with greed, duplicity, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship" by The New York Times, A Civil Action is the searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry—one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice. Yet it is also the story of how one man can ultimately make a difference. Representing the bereaved parents, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges: a young, flamboyant Porsche-driving lawyer who hopes to win millions of dollars and ends up nearly losing everything, including his sanity. With an unstoppable narrative power reminiscent of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, A Civil Action is an unforgettable reading experience that will leave the reader both shocked and enlightened. A Civil Action was made into a movie starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

A look at attorneys who give the legal system a good name recounts the development of the Equalizers, lawyers representing underdogs in civil suits, through stories of their landmark cases. In this age of lawyer-bashing, attorney/novelist Speiser (Superstock, 1982) offers an unusual--and shameless--paean to the plaintiff's bar--those lawyers who, in the author's view, fulfill the American Dream of righting wrongs while making themselves rich. Speiser begins by analyzing the law firm featured on L.A. Law, characterizing its attorneys as ``Equalizers''--lawyers who enrich themselves by representing underdog clients (Speiser draws a contrast between these entrepreneurs of equal justice and other types of attorneys, like civil-rights and some criminal-defense lawyers, who may do worthwhile public service but typically don't make a lot of money in the process). The author uses this pop paradigm as a framework for a series of fascinating stories- -dramatic tort cases in which individual victims of modest means achieved stunning victories against tycoons and huge corporations. He proudly recounts his own role as an Equalizer (many of the cases cited are his own), extolling punitive damages and other weapons of the plaintiff's lawyer and arguing that civil litigation enhances democracy, corporate responsibility, and even the economy. Speiser goes on to outline plans to make the civil-litigation system bigger, more accessible, and more lucrative. Predictably, he argues that Dan Quayle's plan to institute the English rule in American courts--the rule that the loser in a lawsuit pays for all costs (a regulation intended to deter litigation)--would be counterproductive and possibly even anti-American. Speiser concludes that democratic, market-oriented societies need a thriving plaintiff's bar, and he urges the development of this institution in other countries as well. Speiser tells some absorbing tales of success in court, but his reduction of the American Dream to a quest for riches is unworthy, and his self-serving tribute to the plaintiff's bar will have readers shaking their heads and smiling. Copyright 1999 Kirkus Reviews

Representing Plaintiffs in Personal Injury Cases provides an authoritative, insiders perspective on key strategies for representing and advising plaintiffs in personal injury disputes. Featuring experienced partners from law firms across the country, these authors guide the reader through the process of bringing a successful complaint, including utilizing experts, considering venue options, and presenting compelling evidence to the jury. These top lawyers offer advice on handling the discovery process, preparing witnesses for trial, and most importantly, proving negligence. From researching the complaint to managing expenses, these leaders stress the importance of creating open lines of communication with clients. This book also discusses the role of alternative dispute resolution in personal injury cases. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great legal minds of today, as these experienced lawyers offer up their thoughts around the keys to success within this ever-evolving field.

This report considers two central issues: whether Manitoba should adopt a class proceedings regime, and if so, what the defining features of that regime should be. After an introduction on the importance of class proceedings in improving access to justice, chapter 2 outlines the current Manitoba law on multi-party proceedings, provides a brief overview of class proceedings legislation in other jurisdictions, and describes the types of situations in which class proceedings have been used in those jurisdictions. Chapter 3 discusses reasons advanced for and against class proceedings, including access to justice, efficient use of judicial resources, windfalls for lawyers, and the effects on Manitobans of class proceedings in other jurisdictions. Chapter 4 proposes and discusses the features of a class proceedings regime, including general objectives, certification, class membership, costs and fees, and conduct of proceedings. The final chapter summarizes recommendations for reform and a proposed Class Proceedings Act is appended.