Review : The Litigators

Assalamualaikumwarahmatullahiwabarakatuh.

Kita mulakan tahun baru ini dengan kembali mengejar ilmu di UiTM. Alhamdulillah sempat untuk blog biarpun kejap lagi je, saya ada test yang perlu dihadapi. InsyaAllah, Dia akan beri kemudahan.

So, setelah sekian lama, saya tak baca apa2 novel, saya mulakan review buku untuk 2012 ni dengan sebuah karya daripada penulis yang saya kagumi, John Grisham. His latest masterpiece is a book entitled The Litigators. As to many John Grisham fans out there, his books bring a new element of literature, something other authors didn't bother to portray in their writings. Truthfully, I might be a little bit bias, as he is really awesome in legal literature and through my opinion, he is number one in it and he lives up his reputation in each an every of his book.

Grisham's book exposed to the normal civilian like us, the true colours of the legal system that we trust. And this exposure is what the society craves for though it may be a fiction. His latest novel mainly focus on the issues of ethical code of a lawyer. How lawyers are supposed to carry out their duty and obligation? What do they have to sacrifice to become the best and how on earth does boutique firm can survive against those giant firm consisting hundreds of lawyers?

The Litigators focuses on three different counsel working in the same firm with different aims and personalities. Lets take a tour on this three main characters,

David Zinc : A former solicitor for a giant firm of Rogan Rothberg, but left the firm as he believed he can't stand working there even for another second. A Harvard graduate but never appear before the court. He was employed to work again at Finley & Figg after he bravely help them in some way. David is my favourite character so far as he is someone very knowledgeable but he never has the chance to apply it. Working at F&F revealed to him the truth of street lawyers. He learned step by step and never afraid to learn what he didn't know. Zinc give full commitment in everything and has the courage to go up against a big corporation in a litigation and prove to be beyond expectation for a novice. His compassion for the needy prove to be fruitful when he gained a huge settlement and without hesitation share the income with his other two associates though he done everything by himself.

Wally Figg : A junior counsel at F&F. A sober and obsessed with the idea of obtaining a huge settlement. He was so obsessed that he done everything legal and unethical to squeeze himself into the Krayoxx litigation. Figg is a character that I won't hire as my counsel. He depends on others to do the job for him and went M.I.A when he is needed. He does have the courage to try something new but he's to lazy to work for it and expect money to come rolling. And obviously out of his wits when his huge back up, Jerry Alisandros, surrender too early without a fight.

Oscar Finley : A senior counsel at F&F. And old man with lack of inspiration. His goal in his life is to ditch his wife and he is not the supportive type. He was like going with the flow. He got a heart attack during hi opening speech during the litigation. Finley is supposed to be full of experience but he failed to show it throughout the story. His only achievement is probably divorcing his wife and become a bachelor again.

This cover seems to be more breathtaking

Summary :
The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true. And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller. (From Amazon.com)

 All in all, I definitely recommend this novel and rate it 4 out of 5. It's really inspiring and I wish for more from John Grisham in the future.

Wassalam...