"The Litigators" by John Grisham
Finley & Figg is a two-bit operation run only by two people, referring to themselves as a "boutique law firm", although they are clearly far from that.
While the partners spend their time looking for the big break in the business, they mainly handle DUIs and divorce papers, and sometimes even car wrecks which at their level of business is somewhat of a jackpot.
For more than twenty years, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg manage to keep their heads above the water and make a decent living from their seedy office in Chicago.However, one day a man by the name of David Zinc walks in, explaining himself to be somewhat of a burned-out attorney, although still relatively young.
Having fallen from the top of his profession, David now finds himself at the door of Finley & Figg, and deciding that he can’t be picky about his job chooses to work for them.This is where the big case finally lands in their lap as several patients who have been taking a drug known as Krayoxx have suffered a heart attack.
Naturally, Oscar and Wally can smell the money in such a situation, and everything really seems too good to be true as all they need to do is find those who have had the heart attacks and convince them to join the class action against the company, making everyone rich.
However, it’s at this point that Wally, Oscar and David discover that nothing is ever simple, especially when taking on a corporation that makes $25 billion dollars annually.
While the partners spend their time looking for the big break in the business, they mainly handle DUIs and divorce papers, and sometimes even car wrecks which at their level of business is somewhat of a jackpot.
For more than twenty years, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg manage to keep their heads above the water and make a decent living from their seedy office in Chicago.However, one day a man by the name of David Zinc walks in, explaining himself to be somewhat of a burned-out attorney, although still relatively young.
Naturally, Oscar and Wally can smell the money in such a situation, and everything really seems too good to be true as all they need to do is find those who have had the heart attacks and convince them to join the class action against the company, making everyone rich.
However, it’s at this point that Wally, Oscar and David discover that nothing is ever simple, especially when taking on a corporation that makes $25 billion dollars annually.
 | John GrishamPersonal site John Grisham is an American lawyer, politician and author whose works have always been largely centered around the legal world. Many of his novels have been adapted into films, including The Firm, The Rainmaker and A Time to Kill. In 2005, he was the recipient of the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. |
I've read them all, some with great enthusiasm and some with disappointment, and I believe that this could be the best of the lot. The perfect mix of serious and fun with characters you can really get behind. Grisham manages to tell a story about the bottom-feeders of law practice (divorces , DUIs and advertising on bus stop benches) while bringing the lightheartedness of some of his best novels. The string of bad luck is reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen and left me laughing at several points. Very enjoyable.
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