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My Life in Court
A famous lawyer recounts some of his significant civil and criminal cases.
Contents:
Prologue: Opening the green doors --
Reputation: The libel case of Quentin Reynolds vs. Westbrook Pegler --
Divorce: The 'war of the Roses' and others --
Talent: The case of the plagiarized song 'Rum and coca-cola' --
Honor: Issue of Nazism in America --
Life and limb: Two cases of negligence: I. Death in birth; II. The worth of a man --
Proxy battle: The struggle over Lowe's.
Contents:
Prologue: Opening the green doors --
Reputation: The libel case of Quentin Reynolds vs. Westbrook Pegler --
Divorce: The 'war of the Roses' and others --
Talent: The case of the plagiarized song 'Rum and coca-cola' --
Honor: Issue of Nazism in America --
Life and limb: Two cases of negligence: I. Death in birth; II. The worth of a man --
Proxy battle: The struggle over Lowe's.
607 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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855 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 28, 2017
What makes this book, written over 50 years ago, still relevant today is not so much the career of this lawyer, but rather what the book tells us about our western society and in particular about America. In a word, the terms "fake news" and "alternative facts" may be quite new but the phenomena they signify have been with us for as long as the printed word has existed and likely before that as well. Outrageous barefaced lies have always been powerful weapons and have always been a favorite tool of bullies and charlatans of all stripes.
Of course, any book which runs to more than 600 pages is sure to have its flat spots; and Mr. Nizer does like to strut more than enough. Despite that, much of the book held my attention, especially where he demonstrates the critical importance and often underappreciated value of the rule of law and the precious protection offered by a regime of courts, juries and judges who cannot easily be suborned, threatened or bought off by criminals and demagogues. In the end, that regime is likely to be the only real protection we have as citizens, especially in a time when politicians, the media and the business community cannot be trusted to play fair and tell the truth.
Of course, any book which runs to more than 600 pages is sure to have its flat spots; and Mr. Nizer does like to strut more than enough. Despite that, much of the book held my attention, especially where he demonstrates the critical importance and often underappreciated value of the rule of law and the precious protection offered by a regime of courts, juries and judges who cannot easily be suborned, threatened or bought off by criminals and demagogues. In the end, that regime is likely to be the only real protection we have as citizens, especially in a time when politicians, the media and the business community cannot be trusted to play fair and tell the truth.
January 21, 2010
Although dated, this book is an interesting and detailed recounting of a number of widely differing cases by the high profile old school attorney who tried them. I enjoyed reading the author's thought-processes, strategy and trial sequences despite some overlong sections. Nizer, through his work ethic, tenatiousness and creativity, seems to have earned the basis for his ego.
Currently reading
December 18, 2008Difficult read but great for those os us interested in how the litigatin lawyers frame their cases. With a lot of Supreme Court actual rulings, that somelawyers forget about today.
October 18, 2010
I found this paperback in my grandfather's basement, and am so glad I "borrowed" it. The photograph of the jacket cover is just like the copy I had.
January 24, 2015
The best book on trial practice I have ever read. Would have given it six stars if I could.
October 27, 2014
Shows that a first class lawyer has to also be both a psychologist, and talented writer and thespian. Very impressed with the in-depth knowledge of divorce and its effects. That chapter is a WOW; especially the guilty, grim fascination when he goes through the nauseating details of a woman seeking a divorce from a podophiliac.
My usual complaint is too many names, almost all who would be unknowns to a modern audience. The reader doesn't have to be introduced to every appellate judge, executive secretary, and CPA in the world. I'd rather try to keep track of the major heroes and villains.
My usual complaint is too many names, almost all who would be unknowns to a modern audience. The reader doesn't have to be introduced to every appellate judge, executive secretary, and CPA in the world. I'd rather try to keep track of the major heroes and villains.
February 9, 2019
As an attorney, the book was very interesting. He does an excellent job explaining the inner workings of an attorney's mind in an effort to represent his clients to the fullest extent possible. This books contains a lot of detail about our judicial system and the facts of the cases he writes about. Unfortunately, the detail will probably be boring and tiring to many readers.
August 30, 2009
!944! I'm surprised how well written this is. I read as a young man one or two of his books, so I was genuinely pleased how good the writting was. It has held up marvelously well. Nizer lived til 1994, no less, and worked as a lawyer til days before his death. I'd like to find a bio on him.
December 28, 2014
Nizer's account of his courtroom battles is somewhat stylized, but it is incredibly well-written and tautly plotted. Nizer has some important lessons about legal practice too-- the importance of moral intuition over legal technicality, and the necessity of meticulous preparation in the courtroom.
September 27, 2016
Fascinating look into real court cases.
The real cases covered in this book are more entertaining and more bizarre than anything I've read from Earl Stanley Gardener. Real life is stranger than fiction and people really do strange things when they get into court.
The real cases covered in this book are more entertaining and more bizarre than anything I've read from Earl Stanley Gardener. Real life is stranger than fiction and people really do strange things when they get into court.
May 29, 2017
An idealistic and enthusiastic account of the one man's experience in the handling high-profile cases.
December 14, 2012
Recommended by a long-time Crown prosecutor, subsequently appointed to the bench. Apparently full of examples of highly effective cross-examination.
March 19, 2019
At first glance, I thought this would be a dense, legal drama that would be frankly boring and hard to read. I was wrong. Nizer is a storyteller AND a fantastic advocate. Being a great storyteller probably player a part in his extraordinary legal jousts. I loved the legal education. I loved the American history lessons. I loved the glimpses into human philosophy and psychology from Nizer's perspective through these legal cases.
January 9, 2021
This is a fascinating book for anyone who is interested in civil law and courtroom drama. Nizer recounts his cases in the style of a true storyteller. He brings the participants to life so vividly that, although I read the book decades ago, I still remember the details of some of the cases, particularly the plagiarism suit over the authorship of the song “Rum and Coca-Cola.”
June 29, 2009
One of the handful of books that made me want to go to law school.
Want to read
August 26, 2016Thank you
April 23, 2017
I don't often read court lawyer memoirs, but this one recalls to me Triumph of Justice: Closing the Book on the Simpson Saga. In both cases, the authors strike me as sold on their own brilliance. Maybe to be successful in that work, one needs the self-confidence and even the brilliance. For this one, a compendium of many cases and case types, I enjoy most the mechanics of witness examination and the practical realities of psychology learned by the author. This ranged from technical aspect like the negative pregnant to his own Rule of Probability: "What was probable, probably happened." This was not so much a rule as a yardstick for testing the credibility of evidence. It calls upon the trial attorney to evaluate what his client is telling him had occurred and what his adversary presents as evidence against the attorney's own life experience and common sense.
It seems almost quaint the shock Nizer feels is evident in such things as private group nudism and in-home foot fethishists and cross-dressers. These apparently prurient topics for contemporary readers, with exception detail for the foot fetisher, arose in divorce cases described which include the more prosaic infidelities around that involving Eleanor Holm, American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. In 1954, she divorced Billy Rose—receiving $30,000 a month (worth $267,546 today) in alimony and a lump sum of $200,000 (worth $1,783,643 today).
Libel cases include that of Quentin Reynolds, journalist and embedded frontline World War II war correspondent for his libel suit against right-wing Hearst columnist Westbrook Pegler, who called him "yellow" and an "absentee war correspondent". Reynolds through Nizer, won $175,001 (approximately $1.5 million in 2014 dollars), at the time the largest libel judgment ever.
While it note make the back cover, the case of Victor Ridder, publisher of the New Yorkers Staats-Zeitung, unmasked as a Nazi agent after being a signatory to the “Christmas Declaration” in December 1942, which urged the German people to sue for peace. The concluding case of the Joseph Vogel MGM Presidency had promise of being a new topic due to the difference of venue: the press and proxy shareholder bouts, etc. However, it felt the most tedious and lacking any center of real interest in this day, dealing with significant corporate turmoil, including a takeover attempt in 1957 from former president Louis B. Mayer in association with two board members, Stanley Meyer and Joseph Tomlinson. Vogel managed to fight off the takeover attempt with Nizer's help...
It seems almost quaint the shock Nizer feels is evident in such things as private group nudism and in-home foot fethishists and cross-dressers. These apparently prurient topics for contemporary readers, with exception detail for the foot fetisher, arose in divorce cases described which include the more prosaic infidelities around that involving Eleanor Holm, American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. In 1954, she divorced Billy Rose—receiving $30,000 a month (worth $267,546 today) in alimony and a lump sum of $200,000 (worth $1,783,643 today).
Libel cases include that of Quentin Reynolds, journalist and embedded frontline World War II war correspondent for his libel suit against right-wing Hearst columnist Westbrook Pegler, who called him "yellow" and an "absentee war correspondent". Reynolds through Nizer, won $175,001 (approximately $1.5 million in 2014 dollars), at the time the largest libel judgment ever.
While it note make the back cover, the case of Victor Ridder, publisher of the New Yorkers Staats-Zeitung, unmasked as a Nazi agent after being a signatory to the “Christmas Declaration” in December 1942, which urged the German people to sue for peace. The concluding case of the Joseph Vogel MGM Presidency had promise of being a new topic due to the difference of venue: the press and proxy shareholder bouts, etc. However, it felt the most tedious and lacking any center of real interest in this day, dealing with significant corporate turmoil, including a takeover attempt in 1957 from former president Louis B. Mayer in association with two board members, Stanley Meyer and Joseph Tomlinson. Vogel managed to fight off the takeover attempt with Nizer's help...
April 1, 2017
Read if considering law school. This guy is the best storyteller-lawyer I've come across. The book reads like a set of Law & Order episodes, except they are real cases, way more interesting, and much better written.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews