The Life O'Reilly

A man phones a lawyer and asks, "How much would you charge for just answering three simple questions?" The lawyer replies, "A thousand dollars." "A thousand dollars!" exclaims the man. "That's very expensive, isn't it?" "It certainly is," says the lawyer. "Now, what's your third question?" Although I'm not a lawyer, I can get away with telling a lawyer joke because my husband is an attorney. He often tells lawyer jokes at the beginning of speaking engagements, to loosen up the crowd. His sense of humor extends to his profession, and since he's hard-working and dedicated, his jokes are well received. Because I'm familiar with the legal profession through association, I thought it might be interesting to read a novel written by a lawyer about a lawyer. Published in 2009, The Life O'Reilly is the first novel by lawyer Brian Cohen. It's the story of Nick O'Reilly, an attorney at Williams Gardner and Schmidt, a prestigious law firm on Wall St. in NYC. In an attempt to help bolster their image, Will, the managing partner, has decided that the firm needs to devote some time to pro bono cases, and Nick is assigned the first case. He's asked to represent a domestic violence victim, Dawn Nelson, who's fighting to gain custody of her three-year-old son, Jordan. Soon after their initial meeting, Nick begins to develop strong romantic feelings for Dawn (uh-oh!), and also starts to question what he's doing with his life. "What was I doing with myself? I couldn't help but think about my unsavory corporate clients, off in their weekend cottages and vacation homes, water-skiing behind yachts and diving in Grand Cayman, basking in comfort by directors and officers liability insurance, boasting about how royally they screwed their own shareholders. Ha, ha, ha, fraud, schmaud! And then I thought about Dawn and drifted off on my office couch for a while until the phone rang." ~The Life O'Reilly, Brian Cohen As Nick's story unfolds, unexpected twists and turns keep it exciting. The Life O'Reilly is written with the precision and clarity of a lawyer, but it also has heart. This novel exudes warmth (his mother is called "Mom", as if that's her name)--and humor. In Chapter 9, Nick and Dawn meet to review an affidavit and go to a "Chinese restaurant" in the village, and what occurs there is absolutely hilarious. Having grown up in NYC, I could imagine such a scenario really happening. What's the verdict on this novel? I enjoyed reading this book, which is a modern day love story and more. It made me smile, laugh, and cry. Emotionally moving, The Life O'Reilly is about what makes life worth living, about love and sacrifice and commitment, about being at peace with yourself. It makes you think about what you will leave behind, about your legacy. Last night, I recommended this book to my husband. And now I recommend it to you.

From the moment I picked up this book I could not put it down. The characters were believable and the emotion intense. I did not want it to end and would recommend this book highly for a book club to read. It really made me stop and think as to how we tend to delay happiness and assume there be always be tomorrow.

Because of the media brouhaha over bringing in millions and doing nothing for the community, Wall St law firm, Williams, Gardner & Schmidt decide to do some Pro Bono cases. They choose NYS Bar Associate Trial Lawyers Section Chairman and company junior partner Nicholas O'Reilly to handle their first case. His client is twenty-six year old Dawn Nelson, a mother of not quite three year old Jordan. She wants a divorce and a restraining order to keep her abusive spouse Jimmy, a stockbroker, away from them. Nicholas meets mother and son at the offices of the NYC Legal Services. Though his expertise is corporate law and not family law, Nicholas pledges to do what is best for his client. At their first meeting, he gives Jordan a Thomas truck to play with, which Dawn appreciates. As they work close together, Dawn reminds Nick what matters in life as he finds no satisfaction helping odious fat cats get off from situations they earned. Instead he finds himself working so much harder with so much satisfaction for the indigent mother and child. The Life of O'Reilly is a deep character driven legal thriller starring a man who learns what life is all about when he takes on his first pro bono case as he has a client with a human face as opposed to a corporate mask (recent Supreme Court decision aside). The story line focuses on the changing attitude of Nick who begins to question is that all there is once he realizes how beautiful a person Dawn is and how precious Jordan is. Readers will appreciate the gift the Nelsons give Nick when they replace his cynicism with hopeful idealism. Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (12/09) What an incredible read! How many times have we all been in a job where the money is more important than the people we serve? Where politics play an important part of who you are? When do we decide that we can't take the BS anymore and go looking for what is really important? Brian Cohen has put all of us into this read. His ability to put you in the events and characters' minds is haunting as it makes you look at who you are and how jobs can control one in every aspect. Nick O'Reilly is what readers would call perfect in every aspect. He has a great job with a prestigious law firm, makes good money and thinks he is doing what he should do. However, due to the competition of other law firms, his firm decides to take on pro-bono cases and he gets the first one. Dawn Nelson and her son Jordan are victims of domestic violence. Nick's job is to help her get finances and help set her life up in a good way. However, what Nick didn't realize was that he was falling for Dawn personally. This is a big no-no in our corporate world. He has crossed the line. He has a boss that looks at his dedication to the firm, his bringing in money and that he can't do any wrong, until another lawyer starts putting negatives into the boss's mind. This co-worker is jealous, vengeful and jealous. Finally Nick decides that what he is doing is not worth the grief he takes. He finds that his relationship with Dawn is more important than money or being prestigious. When you buck the system what happens? You will need to read "The Life O'Reilly" by Brian Cohen to find out - it will make you question what you really want out of life. You will fall in love with Nick, hate his firm and find that we all can make the same decision.

Brian Cohen's first novel is an affecting and haunting story that captures the attention of the reader and holds it throughout, lingering long after the final page is turned. As a partner in an affluent law firm, Nick O'Reilly is at the top of his game, but what Nick does not realize is that the rules are about to change. When the high profile attorney is assigned to a pro bono case, his focus is shifted from that of his wealthy clients on Wall Street to a young wife and mother, Dawn Nelson, seeking asylum (along with sole custody of her little boy) from her violently abusive husband. Nick is drawn to Dawn both emotionally and physically. After listening to her heartrending account of life with her sadistic spouse, Nick becomes determined to win Dawn and Jordan's freedom. In the process of building his case, Nick's inappropriate attorney/client relations with Dawn results in devastating consequences to his career that will change his life forever. Cohen has a fluidic writing style. His story is well paced and his characters have dimension and distinctive personalities. It is inspiring to watch Nick's heroic battle for survival as he evolves into the kind of man (and life) that will leave a lasting and impressionable legacy. It is not often that a work of fiction leaves the reader contemplating his or her personal outlook on life, but the trials that Nick endures are easily applicable to reality. His story gives us pause to think, leaving us grateful for having made Nick's acquaintance.