|
America's love affair with the legal profession is perhaps as old as our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Our citizens are obsessed with law to an extent unknown in any other country in the world. The reasons for this obsession, as well as the benefit or harm it causes, are subject for debate for another time and place. But no one can deny the importance of law in our social, economic and cultural life. Law is America's civic religion whose practice is portrayed regularly in our movie theaters, on television sets and in bookstores. Americans may hate lawyers, but they love the law and its depiction on stage, screen and in print.
It should come as no surprise that there is a wide range of ongoing legal discussion and exchange of information on the Internet. For years a website known as "Anonymous Lawyer" served as a vehicle for insights into the world of the large law firm. More than 100,000 individuals a month enjoyed reading and commenting on the exploits of a fictional law partner in a large Los Angeles, California law firm. In December 2004, an article in the New York Times revealed that Harvard law student Jeremy Blachman was the creator of the web page. The news of Anonymous Lawyer's true identity set literary agents and publishers into action. Blachman's web page became the foundation for ANONYMOUS LAWYER, a hilarious novel that takes readers inside the fictional Los Angeles firm during a summer of intrigue, back-biting and treachery, all presented in a manner consistent with outright merriment.
ANONYMOUS LAWYER is written in the form of a blog complete with entries listed by date, time and author. The main author is Anonymous Lawyer himself, the hiring partner of a major Los Angeles law firm. Anonymous is a man who readers will love and hate and often find impossible to fathom. How else can one attempt to characterize a man who says about the legal profession, "Kids waste too much time in law school thinking about justice and fairness and not enough time learning what's important." His obsession with billable hours manifests itself in his observation, "I understand if an associate wants an hour off on Thanksgiving to go home and carve a turkey, or a few minutes to open the presents on Christmas. But what are people celebrating on Memorial Day, and why can't they do it at work?" Any reader who has ever worked for an insensitive employer will find something in Anonymous's obsession with the company bottom line to remind them of that experience in their life.
In the fast-paced eight-week period that encompasses ANONYMOUS LAWYER, a battle is fought over who will be the heir apparent as chairman of the firm. Legal issues take a back seat to the battle over who has the larger office with the better view, who gets slighted at office functions and who can humiliate secretaries, paralegals and young associates. Anonymous is a master of those talents but on occasion he also can be an endearing fellow. Many of his email communications are directed to his niece, a young law student. It is clear that he cares for her and attempts to offer her helpful advice. At the same time, though, he does have ulterior motives for his counsel. Anonymous is a complex man and nothing he does is without motives.
ANONYMOUS LAWYER has many laugh-out-loud moments, though there are times when readers will shake their heads in sorrow or anger. If Anonymous was a real person, I don't know if my first reaction upon meeting him would be to punch him or to invite him out for a drink. But Anonymous would be an unforgettable character to meet. ANONYMOUS LAWYER promises to be a summer sensation for readers, regardless of whether or not they practice law. One thing for certain is that people will be talking about it on various legal web pages across the land. I don't think we have heard the last of Anonymous Lawyer or Jeremy Blachman, and I can hardly wait for either to return in print.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
 Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
Back to top.
|
