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Vol. 72, No. 6, June 1999 |
Book Reviews
This Month's Featured Selections
Wisconsin's Historic Courthouses
Marv Balousek & L. Roger Turner
(Oregon, WI: Badger Books Inc., 1998).
Hardcover. 140 pgs. Retail $35.
Reviewed by Stacey A. Carlson
This book takes us back in time to allow us a glimpse of early
Wisconsin life and politics. L. Roger Turner does a wonderful
job of photographing these historic monuments to accompany Marv
Balousek's research on the history of Wisconsin's county
courthouses.
Wisconsin's Historic Courthouses is filled with
photographs of our state's architectural treasures and obscure
but scandalous details of towns pitted against one another in
the struggle over where to locate the county seats. The book
emits a faint wisp of the palm-greasing that surely was a necessary
evil in acquiring at least some of these magnificent structures.
While it is fast and interesting reading, this book is in
need of proofreading and editing. The book is arranged alphabetically
by county, with the result that time sequences are intermingled
chronologically causing the reader to constantly flip around
to see where things were when.
As L. Roger Turner's photographs show, styles of the
courthouses range from the elegant designs of the past to the
stoic designs of the modern day. From simple wooden structures
to grandiose Italian styles, the book provides a sample of the
architectural tastes of the period.
Marv Balousek has provided the reader with a time capsule
account of these magnificent courthouses, some of which exist
only in photographs today, and an extensive source appendix for
further reading.
This book serves as a worthy archive treasure in any library
and is an excellent guidebook to touring our state treasures
- Wisconsin's historic courthouses.
Stacey A. Carlson is a legal assistant
with Universal Foods Corp., Milwaukee.
Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal
Courts
152 litigators
(Eagan, MN: West Group and
American Bar Association, 1998).
Six vols., 6,690 pgs., two disks of forms/jury charges.
$480, 15% ABA member discount.
To order, call (800) 328-9352.
Reviewed by Troy D. Thompson
In an impressive undertaking sponsored by the American Bar
Association's Litigation Section, the 152 authors of this
six-volume, nearly 7,000-page set have created an extensive resource
for attorneys practicing in federal courts. The bound set includes
sections on practice and procedure, substantive law, and tactics
and techniques, and will be useful to both seasoned federal litigators
and attorneys with only a modicum of trial experience before
the federal bar.
The volumes contain chapters on 28 of the most common types
of commercial litigation in federal courts, including both substantive
law and litigation strategy in those types of actions. Each chapter
is practice-oriented and contains checklists, practice pointers,
narrative discussion of liability, defenses, and damages, as
well as case summaries, forms, jury charges, and other features
that make the information more accessible to the reader.
Although the publication includes sections on practice and
procedure, it is not a complete substitute to the seminal treatises
by either Wright and Miller or Moore. The publication should
be used in tandem with these resources as a necessary supplement.
I find that the real benefit of Business and Commercial Litigation
in the Federal Courts is conferred through its lengthy discussions
on pleadings tactics and discovery techniques. The authors go
beyond the normal rudimentary discussions and ultimately detail
and set forth sophisticated end-game strategies.
In addition to the six bound volumes, the set also includes
forms and jury instructions on two disks in WordPerfect format.
Numerous sample complaints, answers, and affirmative defenses,
and a host of instructions for various federal causes of action
are included. Retainer agreements and guidelines for investigators
are among the other miscellaneous, but practical, forms to be
found. They are easily accessed.
This publication lives up to its foreword, which promises
"a goldmine of insights and advice about the dynamics of
commercial litigation and how to apply expert lawyering skills
and techniques to the specific case at hand." Its authors,
acclaimed as "distinguished federal judges and the cream
of the commercial litigation bar," have created a thorough,
well-organized, and very relevant text that will serve as an
important reference tool. Its subject matter will be equally
applicable to many actions pending in state court. I highly recommend
this publication to individuals of all experience and skill levels
who practice before the federal bar.
Troy D. Thompson, Marquette 1998, is
an associate at Di Renzo & Bomier, Neenah. He practices in
general litigation, personal injury, Worker's Compensation,
and employment law.
How to Build and Manage a Personal Injury
Practice
By K. William Gibson
(Chicago, IL: ABA Law Practice Management Section, 1998).
Paperback. 176 pgs. Retail $43.96.
Reviewed by John Kornak
I was a little skeptical that this 154-page book, including
appendices and index, could possibly deliver what it advertises.
Upon reading, I was surprised to find a concise, general guide
for the novice attorney. Let me emphasize "general"
and "novice." While this book offers a very general
overview of some of the issues involved in a successful P.I.
practice, it falls short of its promise as a "how-to"
book.
The book is divided into eight substantive chapters, the topics
of which could each easily fill an entire book. An experienced
P.I. practitioner, Gibson offers helpful hints to those needing
some guidance, but only provides a thumbnail sketch of the important
issues facing the P.I. lawyer. More time needs to be spent on
marketing and managing the practice. Less time needs to be spent
on choosing office space and deciding whether to go solo or practice
with a partner.
The appendices contain some helpful information for the novice
practitioner, such as forms for the initial client interview,
and samples of letters to clients, insurance companies, and doctors.
Some of the appendix information regarding marketing analysis
and task assignments appears to be little more than filler.
If your goal is to read a book that guides you on how to build
and manage a personal injury practice, reading this book is not
a wise use of your time and money. If you need a point to begin
your research, this book is a reasonable choice.
John A. Kornak, Valparaiso 1986, is
an associate at Salvi & Schostok P.C., Waukegan, Ill. Licensed
to practice in Illinois and Wisconsin, he currently limits his
practice to catastrophic personal injury.
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