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The pace is intense and worthy of a movie (I haven't seen it). The lesson follows and is a bit of a plot spoiler, so if you haven't heard what happens in this fairly famous non-fiction, go read "A Civil Action" and come back. It makes me feel old to have graduated form law school before this book became required reading for future lawyers but I like the trend. The emotional weight is just bearable. A Civil Action should remain required reading for lawyers but another group of people must learn the theory of sunk legal costs: our clients. Here's the lesson:If it costs $10,000 to drill another 100 feet of well, you must decide whether to spend the money based on how likely it is to hit water (or oil) during the exploration without regard to the amount of money already spent. An old adage advises us not to throw good money after bad and this is exactly what the talented protagonist did in the Woburn case.
The narrative is tight. Every client who has a divorce settlement that is "almost" fair or a personal injury offer they consider "nearly" enough should carefully count the cost of transforming the good into the perfect. Every lawyer and every lawyer's client ultimately must confront a fundamental truth of economic analysis--a lesson learned from well drilling. The temptation is to be emotionally invested, economically irrational because of your previous investment. Legal complexities are understandable.
However, some parts of the story were a little long winded. A Civil Action was a good book to read in my opinion. Overall a good read.
The case was not just about the loss of children and even adults to acute leukemia but the book details the story further about the permanent effects of the chemical poisoning that affected the wells in the small community. They were looking for somebody to admit their guilt in the loss of their children's lives and hoped that action would include cleaning up the contaminated wells that impacted so many of the residents' lives. It wasn't about money and I think Anne should have realized that eventually. I admire the families' quest for the truth. I was surprised that some of the victims like Anne Anderson who lost her beloved son, Jimmy, didn't give Jan much credit. He kept pushing for an admittance of guilt.
He used and hired every possible expert, tests, and experiments in studying the land, soil, water, the victims and their families that costs millions of dollars. I admired the lawyers who despite the case's heavy costs kept going when the money was running low or out. Woburn had no idea of the damage until it was too late. It's amazingly detailed, researched, and thoroughly a fascinating read. I can't imagine losing a child and the book clearly explains the details of how the families struggled, fought, and searched for answers. I never thought Jan treated the families with a patronizing habit.
I would love somebody like Jan Schlictmann who pushed costs and expense aside to find out the truth in this investigation. The movie had done justice to this incredible story of greed, indifference, and violations against a community scarred forever. The families weren't looking for money. Something she wanted like the other families, nobody could have imagined the expense and costs of proving the case in court to a jury. The book is excellent in detailing how the contamination started with a weird smell, taste in the water, and expands. He was going after the companies at a heavy cost of financial burden.
I am almost done. There are many victims and villains in this case. His partners wanted a settlement to end this but Jan kept going like the energizger bunny. This book is truly awe-inspiring in finding justice. This book is a keeper on my shelf. After watching the movie a couple of times, I was glued to the story and was so thankful that somebody donated a book to the thrift shop so I can read it.
I admire Jan Schlictmann who went broke trying this case. He kept them informed everyday with daily transcripts copied and sent by courier to the involved families at another expensive cost.
The plaintiff families allege that toxic waste has been dumped by two large chemical plants and has leaked into their wells, poisoning people. It deals with the legal proceedings on an environmental pollution case. What he finds is that how much money you have, where each lawyer went to school and who uses more stall tactics to obscure justice prevail. it is about the obsessive two-edged sword that passion is and its complete hold on us as we descend into its depths and darkness or we ascend with it up to the heavens. This book is a brilliant analysis of the people involved in the legal system, the process of litigation and the real truth that underlies the facade of our justice system. In Woburn, Massachusetts, children are dying of leukemia in an epidemiological cluster.
His total dedication to the case becomes obsession and he loses everything but his own inegrity and fragile grip on life at the end. Steven Sondheim wrote a musical play entitled 'Passion'. So it is with the protagonist in this book, Jan Schlictman, an attorney.This book is a real page-turner and reads like the most readable of novels. Jan Schlictman, the plaintiff's attorney, enters the case as a high-spending, idealistic attorney who believes that right and truth will prevail.
I purchased the book at a great price and it arrived within a few days.
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