Lawyers and Thieves - Hardcover

Written by one of America's trial lawyers, this book examines legal shenanigans, courtroom scandal and the endless hunt for money. Roy Grutman has represented Bob Guccione, Jerry Falwell and Jackie Collins among other celebrity clients and has gone up against (and beaten) most of his fellow legal gunslingers, from Edward Bennett Williams to Louis Nizer. The author gives a behind-the-scenes tour of American law - and a scathing indictment of its frequent excesses. Using some of his own cases as examples, he examines every facet of today's legal trench warfare, including libel ("mudslinging"), personal injury ("crying wolf") and malpractice. Along the way, he traces the explosive growth of legal greed, from sporadic ambulance chasing in the 1950s to today's sophisticated and relentless search for "collectible" clients.