What do you think?
Rate this book
The Memorandum: A True Story of Justice Forged from Fire
A Shocking Look at an Auto Giant's Deadly Cover-up and a Grieving Family's Fight for Justice
In The Memorandum, prominent Florida attorney Robert W. Kelley offers a gripping account of his years-long epic battle against one of the world's most powerful companies and his efforts to seek justice for a family forever devastated by its misconduct.
Part legal thriller, part personal memoir, part trial strategy, attorney Kelley's narrative brings to life one of the most important legal cases of the decade. A giant corporation, a secret memo exposing its reprehensible conduct, legions of lawyers blocking the truth, all brought to justice by Kelley and his relentless band of warriors.
A True Story of Justice Forged from Fire
In The Memorandum, prominent Florida attorney Robert W. Kelley offers a gripping account of his years-long epic battle against one of the world's most powerful companies and his efforts to seek justice for a family forever devastated by its misconduct.
Part legal thriller, part personal memoir, part trial strategy, attorney Kelley's narrative brings to life one of the most important legal cases of the decade. A giant corporation, a secret memo exposing its reprehensible conduct, legions of lawyers blocking the truth, all brought to justice by Kelley and his relentless band of warriors.
A True Story of Justice Forged from Fire
- GenresNonfiction
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2019
5 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Robert W. Kelley
2 books13 followersRobert W. Kelley is an award-winning American trial lawyer, author, and co-founder of one of the nation's premier catastrophic injury and wrongful death law firms. His professional life is focused on complex, high-profile trials where he battles for justice on behalf of people seriously injured by the negligence or misconduct of individuals and corporations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 22, 2020
‘A judicial finding of fraud, perjury, and obstruction of justice.’
Florida author Robert W Kelley steps into the literary circle with one of the more important books of the year and marks his book publishing debut with THE MEMORANDUM. He is an honored lawyer whose practice focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, and he is a frequent legal commentator on such venues as The Today Show, Anderson Cooper, and 60 Minutes. Robert is well known in the legal community for his trials defending families fighting for survival against corporate entities conspiring to escape liability. He is a humanitarian, environmental activist and a philanthropist, contributing his talents to help create a better, more just world.
Before sharing the merits of this impressive book, it is important to underline that this is a true case about a small law firm fighting for truth against General Motors and the accompanying band of unethical lawyers and executives that wrecked havoc against a family.
In his introduction Robert presents his book’s mission: ‘This book is based on real people and real events…After the jury reached its verdict, the CBS new program 60 Minutes aired a segment about this case entitled “Perjury and Obstruction of Justice?” In that segment, the journalists and producers at 60 Minutes did not pass judgment on the conduct of General Motors and its attorneys. Nor do the author or publisher of this book. But the evidence in this case raises many troubling questions. Did the world’s largest automaker put a price tag on human life? Did it knowingly put profits ahead of safety? Were GM’s lawyers involved in a decades-long nationwide conspiracy to cover up GM’s misconduct? Did they suborn perjury? Did they obstruct justice? It will be up to each reader to reach his or her own conclusion based on the evidence presented.’ In writing this series of thoughts Robert opens his book that, while reading like a suspenseful mystery, also places the reader in the jury box – a very activist technique to fully explore this case of injustice.
Meticulously opening this opus with a description of the fire-engulfed auto accident in which a child is severely burned due to a flaw on the GM manufacturer’s negligence to place shield the vehicle’s gas tank, Robert Kelley’s literary gifts are evident. And from that opener, the events flow, inextricably binding corporate error and human tragedy with legal process. This is a powerfully written account of a case that deserves our attention and knowledge. Very highly recommended.
Florida author Robert W Kelley steps into the literary circle with one of the more important books of the year and marks his book publishing debut with THE MEMORANDUM. He is an honored lawyer whose practice focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, and he is a frequent legal commentator on such venues as The Today Show, Anderson Cooper, and 60 Minutes. Robert is well known in the legal community for his trials defending families fighting for survival against corporate entities conspiring to escape liability. He is a humanitarian, environmental activist and a philanthropist, contributing his talents to help create a better, more just world.
Before sharing the merits of this impressive book, it is important to underline that this is a true case about a small law firm fighting for truth against General Motors and the accompanying band of unethical lawyers and executives that wrecked havoc against a family.
In his introduction Robert presents his book’s mission: ‘This book is based on real people and real events…After the jury reached its verdict, the CBS new program 60 Minutes aired a segment about this case entitled “Perjury and Obstruction of Justice?” In that segment, the journalists and producers at 60 Minutes did not pass judgment on the conduct of General Motors and its attorneys. Nor do the author or publisher of this book. But the evidence in this case raises many troubling questions. Did the world’s largest automaker put a price tag on human life? Did it knowingly put profits ahead of safety? Were GM’s lawyers involved in a decades-long nationwide conspiracy to cover up GM’s misconduct? Did they suborn perjury? Did they obstruct justice? It will be up to each reader to reach his or her own conclusion based on the evidence presented.’ In writing this series of thoughts Robert opens his book that, while reading like a suspenseful mystery, also places the reader in the jury box – a very activist technique to fully explore this case of injustice.
Meticulously opening this opus with a description of the fire-engulfed auto accident in which a child is severely burned due to a flaw on the GM manufacturer’s negligence to place shield the vehicle’s gas tank, Robert Kelley’s literary gifts are evident. And from that opener, the events flow, inextricably binding corporate error and human tragedy with legal process. This is a powerfully written account of a case that deserves our attention and knowledge. Very highly recommended.
January 22, 2020
Good real life lawyer book!
March 10, 2021
While I wouldn't say that this is book is a "legal thriller" in the sense of a whodunit, it is definitely a great read for those interested or trained in the law. It is also an excellent primer for following a complex legal case from beginning to end, as well as the effect it has on the life of a lawyer and the lawyer's team, all against the backdrop of a true tragic case. It raises issues of legal procedure and trial practice, as well as ethics and professionalism. The reality of trial practice portrayed -- with its too often present unethical conduct -- may well give the reader a disappointing taste of the American civil legal system. There are a few digressions that seem to be page-fillers, particularly in the area of the author's home life and outside interests, such as boating and diving. It is written in a simplistic style that may put off those interested in classic literature. But overall, a worthwhile read primarily for law students and lawyers.
May 12, 2020
This is an "I love me" book detailing how the author does something wonderful. Its saving grace is that it is written in clear, direct language that strikes an emotional blow that continues all the way to the end. The beginning captures an image of a 13 year old boy burning to death in an unlikely accident. The specter of the mortally-injured boy haunts the reader through the narrative as the lawyer discovers and eventually proves that GM knew of the potential for an accident-fueled fire and chose to save a small amount of money on each car rather than fix the problem. This is a true story with much detail on the legal process, yet it is totally engrossing and impossible to put down.
February 5, 2020
Great read! This book not only serves as a crash course in trial work but also is a page-turning, nonfiction thriller for the lay reader with no legal background. I would recommend far and wide!
April 22, 2020
Simple: Riveting, compelling... a must read!
Read this book and know that, occasionally, honesty, truth and justice do prevail, when fought for by warriors such as Mr. Kelly
Read this book and know that, occasionally, honesty, truth and justice do prevail, when fought for by warriors such as Mr. Kelly
August 17, 2020
I won this book in the giveaway! I love this book by Robert Kelley. If you're interested in a modern day hero's story, this is the book for you!
March 18, 2021
Complete review will be on Reader's View in the near future
October 15, 2020
This is the first book I've read by Robert Kelley and was thrilled with it. This has greed, tragic accident and will have you feeling so many emotions. This well written storyline kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The characters were amazing and this true story is a definite must read. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews