The Advocate's Devil

Rating:
Summary: Fiction from a lawyer?
Review: Alan Dershowitz is a well known figure both in a courtroom and classroom. As a professor at Harvard University's elite law school, Dershowitz has been known to defend clients from sensational cases in the public eye. Some of his more newsworthy clients have been have been Claus Von Bulow, OJ Simpson and Mike Tyson. And while Dershowitz may be in a position to write a legal brief or scholarly work about the law, after reading this book, I seriously questioned his ability to write a compelling piece of ficiton. While The Advocate's Devil moves along at a quick pace,it's as if Dershowitz lifted it from the front page of a newspaper describing a sensational rape or murder case. Either he tried hard to write a worthwhile book or possibly wrote this book to explain to an unkowing public how and why he as a lwayer could defend the clients he has in the past.

With a superior knowledge of both the actions of defense lawyers, prosecuting attorneys and the ins and outs of the court system itself, one would have expected a more worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Fiction from a lawyer?
Review: Alan Dershowitz is a well known figure both in a courtroom and classroom. As a professor at Harvard University's elite law school, Dershowitz has been known to defend clients from sensational cases in the public eye. Some of his more newsworthy clients have been have been Claus Von Bulow, OJ Simpson and Mike Tyson. And while Dershowitz may be in a position to write a legal brief or scholarly work about the law, after reading this book, I seriously questioned his ability to write a compelling piece of ficiton. While The Advocate's Devil moves along at a quick pace,it's as if Dershowitz lifted it from the front page of a newspaper describing a sensational rape or murder case. Either he tried hard to write a worthwhile book or possibly wrote this book to explain to an unkowing public how and why he as a lwayer could defend the clients he has in the past.

With a superior knowledge of both the actions of defense lawyers, prosecuting attorneys and the ins and outs of the court system itself, one would have expected a more worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: The Advocate's Novel
Review: I am so glad I decided to read this book. I read some of the ratings and was reluctant to do so. I picked it up last night, boy am I glad I did, and read the whole thing in one sitting!!! How could someone NOT like this book??? It is all so believable and educational. It helped me to understand why the law is so confusing to the average person with common sense and morals. Interpretations of the law are so very screwy and this book helps the layman to understand it a little.
The author's references to the Talmud and Jewish/Hebrew customs and practices were delightful. I will never forget the 3 responsibilities of a father to his children: Teach them the Torah (God's Laws), Teach them a trade (that they may contribute to the quality of life) and Teach the to "swim". If you want to know in more detail exactly what this means then pick up a copy and read and reflect on this "jewel" of a book.
Another fascinating part of the book was how he explains the perverse and immoral lifestyles of many NBA players and the groupies that are too available for their pleasure and subsequent debauchery.
I can't wait to pick up a copy of "Chutzpa". This book was thoroughly informative, exciting, and possesses great wisdom and knowledge for the reader. You will understand the dilemmas and moral challenges faced by attorneys and judges much better after reading this book. Shalom and Mazel Tav to all!!!

Rating:
Summary: "Oil Of Olay" This was a great book!!!
Review: I am so glad I decided to read this book. I read some of the ratings and was reluctant to do so. I picked it up last night, boy am I glad I did, and read the whole thing in one sitting!!! How could someone NOT like this book??? It is all so believable and educational. It helped me to understand why the law is so confusing to the average person with common sense and morals. Interpretations of the law are so very screwy and this book helps the layman to understand it a little.
The author's references to the Talmud and Jewish/Hebrew customs and practices were delightful. I will never forget the 3 responsibilities of a father to his children: Teach them the Torah (God's Laws), Teach them a trade (that they may contribute to the quality of life) and Teach the to "swim". If you want to know in more detail exactly what this means then pick up a copy and read and reflect on this "jewel" of a book.
Another fascinating part of the book was how he explains the perverse and immoral lifestyles of many NBA players and the groupies that are too available for their pleasure and subsequent debauchery.
I can't wait to pick up a copy of "Chutzpa". This book was thoroughly informative, exciting, and possesses great wisdom and knowledge for the reader. You will understand the dilemmas and moral challenges faced by attorneys and judges much better after reading this book. Shalom and Mazel Tav to all!!!

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I bought "The Advocate's Devil" after seeing Mr Dershowitz on the "Today Show" promoting his newest novel. I knew that he teaches law and did not know what to expect. The novel was a pleasant surprise. It was good to read and the topic was interesting. The characters appeared a little flat to me, and the frequent allusions to other (real?) cases and important court decisions were too much for me (not being a lawyer). It is a little early to compare Mr Dershowitz to John Grisham whose novels are a lot more entertaining to read (at least the early ones), but the book is okay, and I will definitely read his next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Sad, and poorly written
Review: I had to read this book for a class in Legal Ethics given by Professor Dershowitz (Dersh) at Harvard Law School. I threw it in the trash when I was done, and for good reason. The topic is interesting, but tired. How do you defend a guilty man? You don't. Unfortunately, Dersh (and, to be fair, many others also) does. The focus of the book is on the ostensibly proper division of a defense attorney between two personas: that of a person and that of an attorney. Dersh feels that a defense attorney leaves behind his personal ethical standards and morals when he takes a case and goes to the edge of the envelope in legal ethics to successfully defend his client. I don't think such a person has a personal morality. If it can be subjected to a second persona, it isn't morality. The worst part of the book is its writing. It is poorly written, poorly developed, and has a completely unbelievable "happy" ending. Dersh had to cater to his feminist viewpoints in the ending and that's unfortunate because it denies his central character (himself) the pain of truly feeling the results of his own amorality.

Rating:
Summary: lawyer trapped in his own casuistry
Review: part treatise, part novel on sexual misconduct.defense attorney spends more time analyzing his own moral sensibilities and the justifications for his actions than he does on the case itself. nonetheless, a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: lawyer trapped in his own casuistry
Review: part treatise, part novel on sexual misconduct.defense attorney spends more time analyzing his own moral sensibilities and the justifications for his actions than he does on the case itself. nonetheless, a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: The Advocate's Novel
Review: The Advocate's Devil is a well written piece of fiction that condenses several important legal issues and ethical conficts into one fast-paced narrative. Dershowitz occasionally challenges his readers' powers of logic as so many dilemmas present themeselves in fast succession, all with reasonable solutions, but that is one of the purposes of poetic license.
His female characters are not entirely believable, but they are addressing issues of equality and sexual politics that no one has resloved yet. Furthermore, Dershowitz's female characters are cerebral and independent which is more than one can say for many current authors. I enjoyed the story thoroughly and read it in a very short period of time.

Rating:
Summary: A very painful read. I was glad when it was done!
Review: This well-written novel examines the moral dilemma facing defense attorneys. The story is entertaining, and its treatment of the ethics question is superb. You may not agree with the author's viewpoint, but you will clearly understand it.