Book Description
Chicago was the nation's deadliest city in 2001, recording 666 homicides. For lawyers in the Cook County Public Defender's Office Murder Task Force, that meant a steady flow of new clients. Eight out of ten people arrested for murder in Chicago are represented by public defenders. They're assigned the most challenging and seemingly hopeless cases, yet they always fight to win.
One of those lawyers is Marijane Placek, a snakeskin boot-wearing, Shakespeare-quoting nonconformist whose courtroom bravado and sharp legal skills have made her a well-known figure around the courthouse. When an ex-convict was arrested on charges of killing a Chicago police officer that deadly year, Placek got the high-profile case, and her defense forms the hub around which the book's narrative revolves.
Veteran journalist Kevin Davis reveals the compelling true story of a team of battle-scarred lawyers fighting against all odds. Unflinching, gripping, and full of surprises, Defending the Damned is an unforgettable human story and engaging courtroom drama where life and death hang in the balance. Davis explores the motives that compel these lawyers to come to work in this dark corner of the criminal justice system and exposes their insular and often misunderstood world.
This groundbreaking work comes at a time when the country has seen how wrongful convictions have slipped through the system, that innocent people have been sent to death row, and that some police have lied or coerced suspects into confessing to crimes they did not commit. Such flaws drive these public defenders even harder to do their jobs, providing scrutiny to a long ignored and often broken system.
Davis's reporting offers an unvarnished account of public defenders as never seen before. A powerful melding of courtroom drama and penetrating truecrime journalism, Defending the Damned is narrative nonfiction at its finest.
Customer Reviews:
Good writer,didn't like the book though.......2007-08-05
I usually don't go for this kind of reading.Meaning I love true crime books,police books,etc.I don't have much sympathy for child murdering,violent evil people and defense attorneys trying to represent them and paint them in a better light with excuses.I know that is the job of a defense lawyer,I know everyone has a right to representation.Midway through the book,even though it is very well written.It just seemed to me nothing but excuses for the horrible criminals in the book.After the half way point,I threw the book out.
what could be worse than being convicted of a crime you didn't commit?.......2007-07-18
"Defending the Damned" takes dead aim on a problem that plagues the American criminal justice system - the conviction of the innocent.
Sometimes, defendants are convicted because they don't have the resources to mount a complete defense.
Even worse, however, they are sometimes convicted because the prosecutor has hidden evidence which would lead to a not guilty verdict.
There is significant documentation of such improper convictions, in a series by the Chicago Tribune, in a study by Columbia Law School, and especially in the marvelous work of Barry Scheck and his colleagues in the Innocence Project (see Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make it Right).
It is a serious blemish on the American criminal justice system that too many prosecutors abuse their power, and get away with it.
My second novel,A Good Conviction, tells the story of a young man wrongfully convicted in a high profile Central Park murder, brought about by a prosecutor who knew the defendant was actually innocent and hid the exculpatory evidence that would have led to a not guilty verdict.
Several prosecutors and appeals attorneys helped me with the legal aspects of a Brady appeal in New York State, and all of them agreed that what I portrayed was both realistic and all too possible.
Readers have found it to be fast paced, exciting, and heartbreaking.
Dan Slepian, network producer of many crime and legal news shows, says ... "Having spent countless hours working with detectives, courts, attorneys, and wrongly convicted inmates I was most impressed with how well researched and accurate your narrative was. You really nailed it. In addition, it was a great read."
Judge (ret.) Leslie Crocker Snyder, former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, first sex crimes prosecutor in the U.S., (see 25 to Life: The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth) says ... "A Good Conviction is a well written, well paced, and fascinating tale of prosecutorial abuse in the Manhattan DA's office. Makes one wonder how many other times something like this has occurred and just how high the abuse is actually sanctioned."
Michael Radelet, one of the authors of In Spite Of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases, a study of over 400 cases of persons wrongly convicted of crimes carrying the death penalty says ... "A Good Conviction is an unusually gripping story of an erroneous conviction and the passionate fight to correct that injustice. Weinstein's account of what a bad prosecutor does to Joshua Blake provides a frightening and realistic parallel to many of the true life cases we documented in our study."
LEW WEINSTEIN
Fast read... with some gory details.......2007-07-08
Kevin Davis presents a side to the justice system - and of society - that does not generally receive positive public attention. I think he relates the facts fairly, and paints an almost comprehensive view of the characters who work at the CCPDO. I cannot claim a lack of bias and / or prejudice (since I work there as well), but overall I think the lawyers who work on Homocide Task Force are some of the best in the country, and I am proud to call them my colleagues. Best of all, they are great storytellers, humanists, and try to make a broken system work as best it can.
Focus Too Narrow.......2007-06-21
I'm an incoming law school student this fall after a few years teaching elementary school and I'm considering entering the fray of public defender work after I put in my three years of academic time. Hence, I eagerly bought this book hoping it would give me some insight to this sector of the profession because I am attending school in Illinois and assume I'll practice within the state someday.
However, I was saddened to learn that the book focuses merely on Cook County's "Murder Task Force." Essentially, this is a group of public defenders who defend those indigents charged with murder--a high percentage of whom are worthless trash... those speedily deserved of painful executions.
The author should have instead focused on the work of public defenders who do misdemeanor and lower class felony defense--the attorneys who have an actual shot at saving lives worth living.
Subhuman cop killers do indeed deserve a superb defense at trial. However, after conviction they are lost causes in my opinion. Public defenders that can play social worker as well as attorney and give people a second shot at life are the real heroes.
Attorneys who defend indigents who dismember and deep fry their infant children are not.
The author focused on the "Murder Task Force" because murder is a sexy topic. He chose this writing path because he wanted ultimately to sell a book. In the process, he gave up the opportunity to show what it is really like on the inside of the Cook County Public Defender's Office.
Technically speaking--the book isn't poorly written. However, the progression of events in the book is haphazard and includes mention of several smaller cases mixed in with the one big case on which he chose to focus the book. It seemed to me like the author wanted to really write a book about the cop killer case and threw in some extra jibbrish about other cases just to beef up the book he ended up with.
I recommend this book for anyone considering PD work, just don't get your hopes up concerning the insight you'll receive from such.
Totally riveting: the story of those who defend society's worst - and the rest of us.......2007-06-17
Few people leave any lasting mark on the world, their lives soon forgotten. Kevin Davis, with this singular book, will be remembered long after his life is over. It may seem overwrought to compare "Defending The Damned" with, say, "All Quiet On The Western Front", but after you've read Davis's book, you'll see the comparison is very apt.
Davis takes us deep into a world that the vast majority of us will thankfully never have the opportunity to experience directly. It is the world of those who labor on the Murder Task Force of the Cook County [Illinois] Public Defender's Office. Here a small group of men and women, lawyers investigators and others, daily protect the legal rights of some of the foulest creatures to walk the face of the earrh. A mother who cuts up the corpse of her freshly murdered infant and deep-fries the parts. A man who gets his natural daughter pregnant and than beats her to death.
As one of the lawyers asks "How do you come home and explain that you just saved the life of a serial killer who smoked crack and murdered three women?"
Kevin Davis does an incredible job of explaining just that. He profiles several of the lawyers and their helpers who fighr every day to protect the legal rights of the accused - - - an incredibly important job that few people appreciate - - - and then try to keep the state from executing those of their clients who are found guilty of murder.
I am a proponent of capital punishment: those who murder deserve to die in return. It is only just. But I have a caveat: capital punishment should only be imposed when the accused has received a truly full and impartial trial, represented by highly competent counsel and provided with all the resources so readily available to the state, such as expert witnesses. Effectively this means capital punishment, in my opinion, is rarely acceptable.
There either been a spate of books lately on the criminal justice system or I've simply been reading more of what's available. Davis's work ties for a mythical first place with David Feige's "Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey into the Inferno of American Justice". Davis's book provides an overview of life in the public defender's office, while Feige provides first-hand perspective from a former public defender. Both are to be read by anyone interested in the criminal justice system.
John Grisham provides a terrifying narrative of whar happens when the criminal justice system fails in "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town".
Finally, the old-time liberal view of blame the victim and society is on display in Steve Bogira's "Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse".
Davis doesn't bring an axe to grind. He reports on the everyday work of public defenders like Marijane Placek, who comes across as an eccentric who is absolutely dedicated to the ideals of Americsn justice. Davis also give fair hearings to the prosecutors, judges, victims and their families and the murderers themselves. It is truly a tour de force rarely seen these days. The objective reporter telling the story.
There isn't a page in the book that isn't in some way compelling. Kevin Davis need never write another book: his reputation is made with "Defending The Damned".
There will be many people who find the work of Marijane Placek and her colleagues in the public defender's office to be reprehensible: their business is to defend some of the most vile people imaginable. The truth is that their work must not only be respected, but must be appreciated for these men and women are protecting the Constitutional rights of all of us when they vigorously defend the rights of these reprehensible people. Why they do it, what motivates them, what keeps them in the fray is what Kevin Davis describes so well. Never overtly stated, but always present is also the message that when these public defenders fight to protect the rights of the worst among us, they are also protecting our rights.
"Defending The Damned" is simply a must-read.
Jerry
Book Description
Readers immediately will be drawn into Fundamentals of Law Office Management by the introduction of a fictitious law firm and how the concepts addressed in each chapter play out in the firm's various scenarios. This story format amuses the reader and reinforces the concept of each chapter. Readers will welcome this book as a learning and reference tool because it fully examines law office practices involving fees, billing, technology, records and file management and the organization of the law library. The book also paints a picture of the parameters and policies of the business of law, and addresses such important topics as paralegal ethics, the legal team and client relations. The use of technology for efficient operation in all of these areas receives particular attention in the book. Finally, the use of photos, charts, sidebars and chapter summaries enhance the reader's comprehension of the wealth of the information presented.
Customer Reviews:
Very practical........2004-03-30
This is a good book for any vocational or practical oriented program in paralegal or legal assistant studies. It contains lots of helpful hints, guidelines, and explanations of common areas for law office management. Very useful for learning the "how-to" of docket control, billing, file and records management, and general law office operations.
I have used this book in teaching paralegal students now at two institutions of higher education. I currently use it at the university level. The straight forward language, easy explanations, and practical guides to each item are very helpful for beginning through mid-level students.
Customer Reviews:
The Law As Scalpel And Hammer.......2005-05-01
James B. Stewart's "The Prosecutors" is a worthy follow-up to his solid first book, "The Partners," another take on the real-life practice of American law in the 1980s that focuses this time on those the state relies on to penalize lawbreakers.
For readers in 2005, the most interesting aspect of the book is its early take on likely future presidential aspirant Rudolph Guiliani, called "Rudi" here as well as other less flattering things. Stewart doesn't do a hatchet job exactly, he offers Guiliani's side of the story, but as he is described in "The Prosecutors" Guiliani comes off as the boss from hell, undercutting his own prosecuting team to make nice with some corporate wrongdoers and writing off their subsequent complaints as the whining of "jerks." I wouldn't want the guy Stewart describes running my country, put it that way.
"There are ways of doing what Giuliani did gracefully," one unnamed member of his U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan claims. "We'd hear the rumors that somebody was out for weeks. By the time there was a memo or announcement it was an established fact. The person being fired was usually the last to know. Rudi's hatchet was bloody."
"The Prosecutors" is about more than Giuliani, though. It's a nice cross section of actual cases, from the somewhat humorous takedown of a Japanese corporate espionage ring operating in Silicon Valley to a taut murder mystery outside CBS News headquarters in New York that plays like a good "Law & Order" episode.
Stewart does provide sage analysis, and demonstrates a clear understanding of how the law operates which a careful reader will take much away from. The big negative is his writing style is somewhat flat and juiceless, not breaking out of the high-toned Wall Street Journal-form Stewart cultivated in his years of reporting for that publication. That and he doesn't offer much in the way of dates to help the reader figure out the chronology of the often-complex cases he relates.
But the six cases he relates are well chosen for the different views they give of prosecutors at work, sometimes succeeding, sometimes going down in flames. Unlike "The Partners," the book holds together as a single work, with a nice job from Stewart of tying the various stories into a narrative whole.
Most interestingly, Stewart delves into the psyches of the people who take on the role of prosecutors, and examines when its wise to press forward with a case when the wrongdoing isn't clear-cut and when its better to step back. He quotes Henry Singer, a Depression-era prosecutor, as saying: "Anyone who seeks to become a prosecutor should be disqualified on that ground alone."
Maybe that's overstating it a bit, but if you ever watched an episode of "Perry Mason" and ended up wondering about poor Hamilton Burger, this book should be plenty interesting.
Insider Prosecution.......2004-04-15
The Prosecutors is a good book. It is very insightful about the world of U.S. Attorneys--both the legal and political aspects--and their prosecution of white-collar crime. Stewart chose several good case studies to analyze how prosecutors work and also highlight the political reality of their position. The book paints an unflattering picture of the Reagan Administration's handling of crimes by large businesses, including the machinations of Rudy Guliani who is made out as a machiavellian up and comer. This is a good book for people interested in law and specifically prosecution, but hopefully it does not frighten people away from such a career path. It is also has some interesting history of the Reagan Administration and Guliani, but it is fairly dated information now and doesn't have the same impact it would have when the book was first published. All in all, I would recommend this book and encourage aspiring attorneys to read it.
James Stewart knows how to tell a story.......2002-10-20
This is an excellent collection of true life vignettes about prosecutors and the cases they work on. The chapter discussing Rudy Giuliani's tenure in the justice department during the Reagan administration (written long before he became mayor of NYC) is particularly interesting because it portrays him in a very unflattering light. An entirely different perspective on the man the country has come to love after 9/11.
Anything by James Stewart is worth reading.
Book Description
Dominance is an integral aspect of strategy. Strategy, whether in war, sports or business, is about how one can place themselves in a competitive position that gives them an advantage over competitors. If that position can be made so overwhelming by one competitor that others are effectively taken out of effective competition, that competitor is dominant. Dominance wins. The game is over. Everyone else is playing for second place or lower. Creating Dominance describes how successful law firms have gone about dominating their marketplaces - be they a practice area, a city or an industry. The book begins by describing the characteristics that identify a dominant firm and the precise strategies law firms can use to put themselves in a position of dominance.
Customer Reviews:
This is a great topic and a great read!.......2005-04-13
While I thoroughly enjoyed Wesemann's earlier book on Management Myths, this is a fabulous. It is curious that no other publication (that I'm aware of) in the professional service sector has explored the topic of competitive dominance. This is a unique topic and extremely well presented.
Straight forward - straight talking, forward thinking.......2005-03-30
Ed Wesemann is one of my partners in Edge International, so I guess you may well think I am biased. But having recently reviewed a copy, I am delighted to recommend the book.
Ed needs no stars from me, but I truly feel he deserves five of them.
Ed is - as the headline suggests - straight forward. He tells you exactly what he thinks in plain language. His expertise as a law firm manager and consultant is a remarkable source for some very clever ideas and very wise recommendations. His experience on law firm strategic and growth issues is almost certainly second to none. He demonstrates these characterstics again in this, his second major book on law firm management.
When Ed says with Peter Drucker "If you cannot dominate your market, get out of it", most firms may disagree. Experience and history are on their side, though. And one of the best first steps law firm managers can take is to mine the book for its practical advice on how to become dominant in a legal market. And there is much to be found.
Book Description
Designed to save you time, money, frustration and, most importantly, reduce your risk of litigation and penalties, The Complete Book of Business and Legal Forms is the ultimate resource of practical business information and ready-to-use forms for your business. This single, comprehensive volume contains complete legal agreements, useful action letters and the most sought-after government forms in business today. It also includes tips to help you "think like a lawyer" and adapt the forms and agreements to your business.
This book contains what no other forms book has--a complete Legal Audit, including 98 questions in 7 critical categories designed to identify trouble spots and make your everyday operations safer and more productive.
Just a few of the valuable forms and letters in this book--
--Agreements: Articles of Incorporation, Corporate Bylaws, Partnership Agreement, Shareholders' Agreement, Confidentiality Agreement, Consulting Agreement, Independent Contractor Agreement
--Business & Collection Letters: Cease and Desist Letters, Credit and Collection, Contract and Sales Letters
--Employment Documents: Employee Handbook, At-Will Employment Agreement, Term Employment Agreement, Employment Application, Performance Evaluation Form, Exit Letter
--Government Forms: Copyright Forms, Trademark & Patent Applications, Fictitious Business Name Statement, Subchapter S Corporation Election, Federal Employer Identification Number, Independent Contractor Factors
Book Description
Effective Use of Courtroom Technology: A Lawyer's Guide to Pretrial and Trial is the first definitive how-to book for attorneys using evidence cameras, computers, digital projectors, screens, monitors, and video and audio displays in the courtroom. Written for lawyers who bring electronic equipment into the courtroom or use court-provided equipment for displaying or playing exhibits during trial, this book explains what the real issues are, provides a jargon-free description of the technology driving the issues, and suggests the considerations in making motions or responding to objections.
Effective Use of Courtroom Technology makes it easier for lawyers to benefit from courtroom technology from the initial phases of discovery through post-trial briefing. The book comes with a CD-ROM containing sample computer generated exhibits that illustrate a variety of templates, animations, color combinations, and transitions which are useful to attorneys wanting to bring technology in the courtroom. The CD also contains a copy of the Microsoft Appeal e-brief. This was provided to us by RealLegal.com.
Book Description
This popular book, the only legal office procedure book to receive a 5-star rating on Amazon.com, introduces readers to the career of a legal office assistant. It presents basic legal concepts and the various fields of the law and outlines the preparation of documents commonly used in these fields. It provides the information needed to select documents appropriate for a particular situation, identify the information necessary to complete the documents, and prepare the documents correctly.
Comprehensive coverage begins with an overview of the law office; then describes office duties; computers and office systems; legal correspondence; the history of law; the court structure; litigation procedures, including the preparation of legal documents, preparations for trial, and litigation and discovery procedures; family law; wills, trust, and probate; business organizations; real estate; criminal law; legal research; and careers in the law.
For legal secretaries, legal assistants, paralegals, and law office managers and staff.
Customer Reviews:
Joyce Morton.......2003-05-18
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is interesting, and helped me a lot when it came to my studies. It is something every office worker should have.
Review of Legal Office Procedures by Dr. Joyce Morton.......2003-03-17
These are just a few of the reasons students studying to become a legal secretary or paralegal continue to rave about this book.
1. It provides up-to-date procedures from the top legal firms represented.
2. It is organized in an easy-to-follow manner.
3. The author provides relevant samples that guide the student to successful completion of the end-of-chapter hands on exercises.
4. The pictures in the book show how professionally groomed people are who work in most legal offices.
5. Students say, "Dr. Morton really knows how to make difficult concepts understandable."
6. The book is ACCURATE.
7. The student files are perfect.
8. This book is written with the student in mind. It is written to help students gain confidence in their skills, and it allows ambitious students to build the speed and accuracy necessary to compete in today's legal offices. Entry level students build their skills and sometimes create the documents more than once to show their speed and accuracy have improved.
9. This book is perfect for the classroom, online, or self-study.
10. The instructor's materials are organized, clearly written, and correct.
Average Rating.......2002-02-10
This average book for the most part is good to use as a general reference. It is somewhat outdated and it uses California law for most of its examples so if you live in another state, you'll need to find out what the law is in YOUR state. The best parts of the book are the practice exercises at the end of each chapter in which you use the disk provided. This gives "hands-on" experience.
I found this book to be excellent!.......1999-02-08
This book is very useful for anyone who is interested in becoming a legal secretary. Not only does it cover all of the various legal documents that are prepared in a law office, but it also explains calendaring, telephone skills and billing systems. In addition, there are chapters on legal research and getting a job. This is a very thorough book and I highly recommend it!
Book Description
This step-by-step guide is the key to developing a tailor-made office procedures manual, containing everything from client data sheets and docket control systems, to employee benefits and file management policies. In addition, the entire text is included on CD-ROM fr easy customization.
Average customer rating:
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Legal Studies to Wit (Kk-Legal Office Procedures)
Wanda Roderick
Manufacturer: South-Western Educational Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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General
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Reference
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| Law Practice
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ASIN: 0538701048 |
Book Description
This instructional package familiarizes users with almost 800 commonly used legal terms. Designed for users with keyboarding and transcription experience. Features 15 audiocassette tapes (covering 30 lessons) and 8 evaluation tapes (15 evaluations).
Book Description
In 1998, the United States Department of Justice and state antitrust agencies charged that Microsoft was monopolizing the market for personal computer operating systems by suppressing a competitive threat from Netscape’s web browser and Sun Microsystems’ Java technologies. After a celebrated trial, the government won a partial victory,
and federal courts issued a series of important decisions that inspired scores of follow-on suits by consumers, rivals, and foreign enforcement agencies.
William H. Page and John E. Lopatka’s The Microsoft Case examines the implications of this momentous litigation from the perspective of consumer welfare. Tracing the development of the case from its conceptual origins through the trial and the key decisions on both liability and remedies, this book evaluates the defining antitrust litigation of our era. The authors argue that, at critical points, the legal system failed consumers by overrating government’s ability to influence outcomes in a dynamic market. This ambitious book is essential reading for business, law, and economics scholars as well as anyone else interested in the ways that technology, economics, and antitrust law have interacted in the digital age.
Books:
- Delivering Project Excellence With the Statement of Work
- Educational Administration: Theory, Research, and Practice
- Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (8th Edition)
- Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
- Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fifth Edition
- Employment Law for Business
- Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))
- Essentials of Introductory and Intermediate Algebra for College Students (Blitzer Hardback Series)
- Evaluating Professional Development (1-Off)
- Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism
Books Index
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