The Vow: Ted Born's Last Trial

Ted Born #2

by Thad G. Long

This is the second of a series of “Ted Born” novels involving a fictitious lawyer who happens to attract very challenging lawsuits, a sequel to the other recently released Ted Born novel, “The Impossible Mock Orange Trial,” this time set some fifteen years later than the events of that first release. Ted finds himself a defendant against claims that could ruin him financially and destroy his personal and professional reputation, involving his succeeding the deceased brother of his impaired but wealthy philanthropist client, Alexander Carr, as manager of the client’s affairs. A judge who seems likely to preside over the upcoming trial seems skeptical of Born’s position, and possibly hostile. To complicate matters further, Born’s own law firm, and his Firm’s malpractice insurance carrier, are unhappy with this messy situation and want Born to get out of the case. With the client’s family seemingly united against Born, his own law firm pressuring him to get out of the case, and facing a trial before an unfavorable judge, Born has to decide what course to take in accordance with his own values and ethics. This case raises questions about professional responsibility and basic right and wrong in the context of the vulnerable population of older persons whose longstanding estate planning efforts are in jeopardy due to members of their own families who are intent on scuttling the wishes and plans of the testator and substituting their own ideas. The book takes the reader through contentious trial preparations and the trial itself, with the aftermath effect on Born and on the members of the Carr family, attorneys and others involved in the case.

308 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2021

About the author

Thad Long is a versatile attorney, with decades of practice handling difficult trials and other matters for defendants and plaintiffs in a changing litigious environment. His recent novel, The Impossible Mock Orange Trial, has garnered 5-Star ratings from a wide field of readers. In a sequel novel, The Vow: Ted Born’s Last Trial, to be released shortly, Ted Born, attempting to fulfill his commitments to a wealthy philanthropist client, finds himself the defendant in litigation in which the client’s family members seek to take over the philanthropist’s financial affairs and sue Born for resisting their efforts wrongly for personal gain – threatening Born with financial ruin and destruction of his personal and professional reputation in the concluding years of Born’s law practice. It is a thoughtful study of the challenge of protecting older persons from the consequences of their own mental and physical decline. Mr. Long took his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his law degree from the University of Virginia where he served as Comments & Projects Editor of the Virginia Law Review and was tapped for Order of the Coif, the Raven Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. He has consistently been listed in Best Lawyers in America for more than thirty years, recognizing him in an extraordinary nine different areas of expertise, and is an elected Life Member of the prestigious American Law Institute. He has also recently been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis’ Who’s Who in America.

Reviews

[Mary O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Look Inside Probate

This extremely detailed view of the complexities of an estate and how it is handled was a fascinating read, with its honesty and sincerity of the author whose dedication to this case shone through, leaving no piece of it unnoticed. While it was dry at times, nevertheless the writer gave us readers a peak at the various s themes attorneys use to win, sometimes with lies and innuendos. In this case, the painstaking work of our hero Ted Born and his confidence in the judicial system were the keystone of his hopefulness and successes. Good read overall.

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel had an intriguing plot concept but there was too much telling what's going to happen, what's happening, and then rehashing what happened. This, along with a number of proofreading misses, made the book more tedious than interesting to read.

[Judy Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too slow.

Too drawn out and repetitive. Needed severe editing to keep the pace moving and eliminate some of the many repeated narratives.