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I had to buy this book for a class in law school and turned out to really enjoy it. It not only is a great plot, but is able to provide helpful lessons about the law. Note, the book is far better than the movie so it is worth a read.
I am a personal injury lawyer. This is perhaps the best legal book I've ever read. I highly recommend it for lawyers and non-lawyers. The book is much better than the movie.
The narrative is tight. Every lawyer and every lawyer's client ultimately must confront a fundamental truth of economic analysis--a lesson learned from well drilling. 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. The pace is intense and worthy of a movie (I haven't seen it). 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. The temptation is to be emotionally invested, economically irrational because of your previous investment.
The emotional weight is just bearable. 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. Legal complexities are understandable. 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. 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. A Civil Action should remain required reading for lawyers but another group of people must learn the theory of sunk legal costs: our clients.
A Civil Action was a good book to read in my opinion. However, some parts of the story were a little long winded. Overall a good read.
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. It wasn't about money and I think Anne should have realized that eventually. Woburn had no idea of the damage until it was too late. I am almost done.
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. I would love somebody like Jan Schlictmann who pushed costs and expense aside to find out the truth in this investigation. It's amazingly detailed, researched, and thoroughly a fascinating read. 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 can't imagine losing a child and the book clearly explains the details of how the families struggled, fought, and searched for answers. Something she wanted like the other families, nobody could have imagined the expense and costs of proving the case in court to a jury. There are many victims and villains in this case. I admired the lawyers who despite the case's heavy costs kept going when the money was running low or out. 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.
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 the families' quest for the truth. I never thought Jan treated the families with a patronizing habit. He kept pushing for an admittance of guilt. He was going after the companies at a heavy cost of financial burden. The book is excellent in detailing how the contamination started with a weird smell, taste in the water, and expands. The movie had done justice to this incredible story of greed, indifference, and violations against a community scarred forever.
This book is a keeper on my shelf. I was surprised that some of the victims like Anne Anderson who lost her beloved son, Jimmy, didn't give Jan much credit. His partners wanted a settlement to end this but Jan kept going like the energizger bunny. The families weren't looking for money. This book is truly awe-inspiring in finding justice.
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