In America's Court: How a Civil Lawyer Who Likes to Settle Stumbled Into a Criminal Trial

Thomas Geoghegan has done a remarkable job showing both the triumphs and frustrations of a working case in the criminal justice system. The reader follows an appeal of a young man convicted in conspiracy during a robbery that had turned into murder. Geoghegan sits as the second chair (the support attorney) during the appeal. Geoghegan does a wonderful job of explaining that the convicts can actually be nice people and have remorse for their actions. The convicted shooter actually tries to help the young man during appeal by testifying for him, although he has nothing to gain. The reader learns that Geoghegan is surprised to find that the shooter is actually nice and well spoken. The reader follows through the appeal process and learns the law is very different depending what type the lawyer practices. Criminal is much different from civil in which Geoghegan practices. This book is split into two sections. The first part is the appeal and the second part is Geoghegan's views of what is wrong with the justice system and the legal profession in general. He provides a very liberal view on the death penalty, abortion, and against Republican views. He makes no bones about where his leanings are and this is actually a fresh perspective. He shows that attorneys are human with normal views of right and wrong. He openly wonders about the shortcomings of the system and if anything can be done about this. This book is an absolute must read and is very highly recomended.

I read this book from the not-so-disinterested perspective of a lawyer who applied to law school late in life (well, 32) and who is about to start his professional life. I was blown away. I strongly urge anyone considering law school to pick up this book. It's an effortless read because of Geoghegan's style -- it feels like you're listening to an audio tape -- and it's worth the money. The book is divided into two parts: The first (which seems to be the one that most readers and reviewers have focused on) recalls Geoghegan's experience assisting in a criminal case. The second is far more interesting: Geoghegan's thoughts on his life as a lawyer, on new sources of law, on the work lawyers do, on the problems facing the profession and on the potential of law as an agent of change. Because he readily admits his failings and his naivete in the first part, I trusted Geoghegan when he expounded on subjects in which he is well-versed -- in the second part. I won't distill the section's essence, but I will say that Geoghegan's invocation of a particular area of law as holding promise for social change definitely got me thinking about the direction my legal career would take. He also provides helpful warnings about life as a corporate lawyer. So, this is one of those life-changing books for me. Years ago, I read "Which Side Are You On?" At the time I was a reporter, and I felt more than a little smug about my ability to "make a difference." (That book, also highly recommended, is about Geoghegan's struggles as a labor lawyer.) I eventually enrolled in law school. Geoghegan's book is a great (and, for me, timely) reality-check of the expectations I can hope to fulfil in the law profession.

Everyone who believes that criminal defendants have a presumption of innocence when standing trial should read this book. Geoghegan is a talented writer who pulls the reader in with telling details. Geoghegan begins this brisk exploration of the criminal justice system telling us that as a civil attorney who handles complex litigation nearly all suits slowly move towards settlement instead of trial. After 20 years of mostly settling cases he sits as second chair to an experienced criminal defense attorney in a retrial. The first problem he encounters is locating the state criminal courts building in his hometown of Chicago because he's never been there. The fast pace of the book matches the fast action of the criminal justice system once court is in session. It features well drawn portraits of all the players.You should also ckeck out his first book about being a labor lawyer for small unions, "Which Side Are You On? Trying to Be for Labor When It's Flat on Its Back." Though written 10 years ago, it's still in print; and still pertinent.

As entertaining as it is sophisticated and thoughtful, this book first delights by its author's unassuming account of himself and his contributions to the case at hand. The book works as both an insider's account of a trial, replete with offbeat descriptions of circumstances and characters that a lesser eye might not even notice, and as an indictment of our justice system, which all too often is a crap shoot with the dice loaded against the poor, the young, and the dispossessed. Fortunately, the author doesn't stop there, as most such books do--this isn't a screed but a prescription for progress that we would be well advised to heed a sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, but always colorful story of how our courts work.

As a criminal defense attorney for 20 plus years, I found this to be a brilliant look into the workings of a big-city criminal court, the attorneys and the differences between civil and criminal practitioners. It's a marvelous true story told with humor and erudition.