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The Litigators

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 22,902 ratings · 3,556 reviews

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to...more The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller.(less)

Hardcover, 385 pages

Published October 25th 2011 by Doubleday (first published 2011)

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Dec 26, 2011 Dimity rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, read-men-fiction, first-reads, reviewed, sold

I won this book as a First Reads giveaway. In high school, I loved John Grisham but haven’t returned to him since reading The King of Torts as a college sophomore. I couldn’t tell if my tastes had matured or his quality had diminished but I was not impressed at all and he’s fallen off my radar since then. (In fact, I didn’t realize he was back to writing legal fiction.) The Litigators started out rather promising; it lacked the intensity of earlier Grishams but it was also surprisingly hilarious...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

It's interesting that I'd read John Grisham's latest novel The Litigators just as the promotional blitz for the NBC series based on his first huge bestseller The Firm is kicking into gear. Based on what I recall of The Firm and having read the latest Grisham offering, I honestly think the premise of The Litigators has far more promise and potential as a weekly television series than The Firm does. (Of course, The Firm has name recognition and a Tom Cruise movie in its favor, so I can see why NBC...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

gave up on John Grisham about 10 years ago when I was appalled at how horrible The Summons was! What happened to the hard-hitting author who had me on the edge of my seat and questioning the ever-moving ethical line between right and wrong with his early novels? A Time to Kill. The Firm. The Rainmaker. I loved those books.

After a decade of abandonment, two things happened: 1) I met Mr. Grisham several times and determined he needed another chance and 2) I heard that The Litigators was a return...more gave up on John Grisham about 10 years ago when I was appalled at how horrible The Summons was! What happened to the hard-hitting author who had me on the edge of my seat and questioning the ever-moving ethical line between right and wrong with his early novels? A Time to Kill. The Firm. The Rainmaker. I loved those books.

After a decade of abandonment, two things happened: 1) I met Mr. Grisham several times and determined he needed another chance and 2) I heard that The Litigators was a return to his roots. I disagree with "return to his roots" but the book was enjoyable.

The law firm of Finley & Figg is not glamorous. The two man shop chances ambulances, convinced uncontested divorces to fight, and barely eek out a living in Chicago. David Zinc is billing $500 an hour buried in the basement of a megafirm doing grunt work and couldn't hate it more. When these two universes merge over a litigation suit against a big drug company, they quickly realize they are in over their heads.

The storyline was fine. It was a bit predictable and I enjoyed the crazy characters of Oscar Finley and Wally Figg much more than the straight-laced and ever golden David Zinc, but it was entertaining. However, it lacked the intensity of Mr. Grisham's classics. He switched from questioning the ethics of big name companies and their deceptive CEOs to questioning the ethics of average people living in near poverty who were too anxious to make a quick buck. Everyone likes to beat up on the rich unethical CEO, but picking on Average Joe - or below-Average Joe in this case - wasn't as easy. However, in typical Grisham fashion, he did make me think about the motivations behind actions.

For me, the most glaring short fall was that this took place in Chicago. CHICAGO?! I have come to association Grisham with sweltering heat, slow drawls, and the courtesies of the South. Having his roots in Mississippi always brought a touch of authenticity to the setting of his books and I missed that connection. There was no specific Chicago culture to spice up this books and it could have been identically placed in any number of big cities.

All in all, I did enjoy the book. It was a fast paced, enjoyable read, that was the perfect start of summer read. However, I think I need to come to grips with the fact that Mr. Grisham's early works were simply outstanding and a hard bar to meet again.(less)

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Jul 02, 2012 Patricia Kurz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: light-fiction

Poor showing for JG.. I disliked it and I believe that JG did not write this.. some student or apprentice did. There is a touch of the real JG in the main courtroom scene, but it is thin and too short. I can't believe this is him. that's all I can say. I had the Audible version - not the text. Here is my "Audible.com review"

Please let me rant: Until the big courtroom scene, I do not believe the words of this book were written by JG. I believe it was either a student's effort at mimicry or a form...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Gaylen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not sure why I bothered except it came in off the hold list at the library and I wanted a change of pace. I held on to the end because I knew there would be some sort of redemption, but mostly it was insufferable stuff about the short-sighted greed of, in this case, plaintiffs' personal injury lawyers. Now on to Bernie Madoff and The Wizard of Lies. No nonfiction for the greediness there!

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Nov 11, 2011 Luanne Ollivier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, I had great plans to jot down some notes and quotes to share with you about John Grisham's newest book - The Litigators. Yeah, that didn't happen.... because it ended up being a non stop read for me - I picked it up on a Sunday morning and turned the last page late (late) that night.

I was hooked from the opening pages. David Zinc has toiled away at a prestigious law firm in relative obscurity for the last five years. Until the morning he realizes he can't do it anymore and walks away. And...more Well, I had great plans to jot down some notes and quotes to share with you about John Grisham's newest book - The Litigators. Yeah, that didn't happen.... because it ended up being a non stop read for me - I picked it up on a Sunday morning and turned the last page late (late) that night.

I was hooked from the opening pages. David Zinc has toiled away at a prestigious law firm in relative obscurity for the last five years. Until the morning he realizes he can't do it anymore and walks away. And lands at the firm of Finley & Figg - ambulance chasers, divorce court specialists and anything else they can make a buck at. Although Wally and Oscar refer to the office as a 'boutique firm', they are anything but - Wally has just placed an ad for the firm on local bingo hall cards.

When Wally gets wind of a potentially big case involving a big name cholesterol drug. It seems folks taking it are suffering heart damage and even death. If they can find a few cases of their own and ride on the coat tails of the big players in a mass claim action suit, they could all be rich. It seems simple enough......and that's enough of the plot given away.

What made The Litigators a non stop read? The characters for sure. Wally and Oscar's tactics are cringe worthy, their actions walk a fine line between working for the law and breaking it, but you just can't help rooting for them in this David and Goliath fight. David is eminently likable as well. He is sense and reason, but with a new found freedom since escaping the big firm drudgery.The personal storyline involving his wife Helen also added much to the book.

It seems like Grisham has a lot of fun writing The Litigators - there is a sly sense of humour underlying the entire book. I laughed out loud many times at the situations and dialogue. It was eye opening to see the legal maneuvering - much of the machinations involving the drug companies and lawyers gave me pause and made me wonder how much of it is fact. Quite frightening actually.

The Litigators is by far one of Grisham's best in my opinion (and I've read them all) An absolutely entertaining page turner that will be a well deserved best seller!

(less)

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Nov 07, 2011 Cheri rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was great....went through a bit of a ho-hum section, but the ending was fantastic...couldn't read it fast enough!!!!

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Jun 25, 2012 EParkinson rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the past, I have enjoyed John Grisham's novels, but The Litigators did not live up to the standards of Grisham's early novels like A Time to Kill or The Firm , even some of his more recent novels are better developed in plot, characters, and conflict than The Litigators .

At first The Litigators seems ridiculous, lawyers running after (or causing) car accidents, but then the story picks up when David Zinc begins to look into the lead poisoning of a young, Burmese boy (whose name escap...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Kerry Nietz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I haven’t touched a John Grisham novel since the summer of 2008. After a good stint where I read and enjoyed over a half dozen of his works, “The Appeal” stopped me cold. That book was so incredibly anti-corporation and its characters were so unbelievably stereotypical—with the valiant and poor lawyers fighting against those evil and selfish corporate overlords—I couldn’t make it through it. In fact, I didn’t want to believe Grisham wrote it. I couldn’t get rid of the book quick enough.

With that...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

While he has had a few 'less than stellar' books of late, Grisham delivers with a stong story steeped in legal jargon in this latest novel. I was hooked from page one and remain baffled at how he can write so fluidly about all sorts of legal topics.

While we have seen Grisham delve into the litigious side of the law in past thrillers, this one takes on a new angle. Introduce the young, wet behind the ears, lawyer out to make the world his oyster. Add some legal issue that begs for notice and just...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Will Saunders rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first began reading John Grisham’s The Litigators I was immediately drawn into it. It's a must-read book, if you enjoy the snappy witty charm of a young black woman keeping her older bosses together.

It begins with the plot centering on Wally, Oscar, and Rochelle – then a short time later David – who’s personalities are as different as night and day. Oscar, the senior partner in Finley and Figg law offices situated on the West Side of Chicago, is a conservative jaded attorney who prides h...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, thriller

I like to think that when it comes to reading, everyone has a guilty pleasure, whether it's a genre, a series, or an author. Mine might be John Grisham books. I actually really like Grisham books, I have for just about as long as I've liked books at all. Aside from having an identifiable writing style and having created a genre (legal thrillers), I actually think that Grisham is a pretty good writer. My best evidence of this would be some of his more recent efforts, like Playing for Pizza (a was...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a John Grisham fan , I was surprised to hear some early criticism of his latest book. However, as I got deeper and deeper into the story, I am starting to understand. This story has much more humor in it than many of his previous books ......and that's good not bad.
One can't help but chuckle at the law firm of Finley & Figg. They are the epitome of the storefront, ambulance chasing,divorces and DUI small time lawyers. They have never been very successful and they are just about able to...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Ankit Gindoria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Litigators by John Grisham.
The Legal Thriller is my favorite genre. There is nothing more interesting than watching lawyers battling and out witting each other in the court room or sometimes outside court room. It is better than war fought with weapons. It is the battle where words are used as weapons. I have been long-term Grisham fan since he specializes in Legal thrillers. Well actually not thrillers. When I read his Novels I always felt that theme Thriller always lacks in his novels. His...more The Litigators by John Grisham.
The Legal Thriller is my favorite genre. There is nothing more interesting than watching lawyers battling and out witting each other in the court room or sometimes outside court room. It is better than war fought with weapons. It is the battle where words are used as weapons. I have been long-term Grisham fan since he specializes in Legal thrillers. Well actually not thrillers. When I read his Novels I always felt that theme Thriller always lacks in his novels. His novel stands more as matter of fact tone. He wrote story involving the legal battle without much twist and turns that we normally expect from thrillers. That’s really what I actually love in his novels. We feel as if the case is happening in real world and Grisham is doing the job of reporting to us. It has become his trade mark. The Litigators falls in same genre with same trade mark writing.
The Litigators is the story of Law firm Finley & Figg. It is about their partners Oscar Finley & Wally Figg. It is about America’s law system, but mainly it is the story of David Zinc and his journey as street Lawyer. The Harvard Graduate has audacity to snub the one of the country’s biggest law firm Rogan Rothberg job. The high paying job brought some anxiety attacks on David which made him realize that leaving the job is the best thing he can do. After few drinks in bar he comically reached the firm of Finley & Figg and demanded opportunity to work with them. The firm was mostly involved in low paying divorce cases or DUI cases or sometimes automobile accident.
They were struggling and no need of another employee, but David persuaded them by accepting low payment against opportunity to work with them. The firm would do better with educated lawyer, my personal thoughts. With this began the journey of David, as his early struggle to understand the working of Law system is shown. For David it was everything new. The working ways were new, the judge jokes shamelessly with Lawyers, where ethics and professionalism were least valued. The David soon found himself in situations where lawyer carries guns and have to lie greatly to get some work.
The Story continues with Figg getting new high-profile case against Varrick Labs. The character of Figg is very much like man who desperate to become entrepreneur but lacks necessary skills. He brings the cases which he thought would change their life. He always woke with the dream of being rich and finds shortcuts to become one. The case against Varrick labs is one of these cases. While the Character of Oscar Finley is somewhat opposite that of Figg. He is unhappily married person who is desperate for divorce but had no idea how to get one and the irony is that he is Divorce lawyer. He was tired of Figg’s occasional burst of ideas to become rich and which fade with bad ending. The case against Varrick gave same instincts to Finley but Figg was no listener and decides to use the case to become rich.
The case was pretty simple; Varrick produces the medicine Krayoxx which was prescribed to obese patients. Figg was of the view that Krayoxx is causing the death of people using it. So his big idea was to find the people who were using Krayoxx in the past and which are dead now. He was trying to correlate death with the Krayoxx but there was small problem to it. The problem was that there was no proof of such happening, that the drug is bad. The Figg never consider checking reliability of his sources or testing the medicine before filing the case. Figg and other big guns involved in the case were of the view that Varrick will try to settle the case outside the court and will make them milliner, but alas nothing such happens and case was lead to trail. Nobody in Finley & figg including David knew about facing the jury. They were as good as virgin in trials.
David is shown as good person and lovely husband. He pities the poor and fights some cases for them. The goodness in his nature brought David close to Burmese Immigrates, which leads him handling the case of lead poisoning brain damage. With two cases going parallel to each other we get the lot of legal battle to enjoy.
I have no idea how real Law system works but as far as I have seen Grisham do great job of mixing the legal battle with fiction. He has brought the real face of legal system as close as possible with his entertaining story and the Litigators is no exception. The novel is fast paced with lot of humor and legal battle to make it the complete page tuner. The other legal battles which come close to Grisham were in Novels of Sidney Sheldon or Jeffrey Archer’s.

Rating :- **** 4 /5(less)

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Feb 28, 2012 Patrick O'Neil rated it 3 of 5 stars

Yup. Another Grisham book. Lawyers doing crazy shit. Flawless writing - although with less edge than his earlier work. Still once I get into it, I go with his flow. Grisham = my secret guilty pleasure reading - although mostly on airplanes.

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Mar 29, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: legal-fiction

It has been a long time since I have read a really good John Grisham novel, most likely due to the fact that it's been so long since he's actually written a really good novel. I read his first four, became a devoted fan until somewhere around "The Brethren" and it's been a pretty steady downward spiral ever since. But "The Litigators" sounded and just felt more like his usual style. I loved, sometimes hated, the characters and was so glad that there was that redemptive quality at the end that wa...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Dara S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I would give this 3 1/2 stars. It was worth reading, but I did not love it. It was interesting. You tend to root for the underdogs.

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Jul 31, 2012 Everyday eBook rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Everyday by: Judy Jacoby

The John Grisham you’re used to is all legal, all business, all the time. He keeps you perched on the edge of your seat flipping pages in anticipation of the next thrilling moment. But in his latest novel, America's favorite storyteller throws a little humor into the mix, making The Litigators a guilty pleasure that is not to be missed.

Meet the “boutique” law firm of Finley & Figg, conveniently located next to a massage parlor in a distinctly low-rent district of Chicago. They lie. They chea...more

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May 27, 2012 Mary Beth Gibson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love John Grisham. I clear my calendar before reading page one of any of his books because I know I won't put it down until I've absorbed the last word. "The Litigators" proved to be no different. Grisham has a gift for page-turning tension and characters you're sure you know.

In this book, Grisham explores two sides to the potential lives of lawyers. One is the grueling days, weeks, years of corporate lawyers, well-paid but without soul. The other is the street lawyer who must grub for each pa...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Cj W rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Poor David.
A lawyer in his prime, working 60 hrs a week for a huge firm on the eighty-something floor of a chicago high-rise, can't even make it home to procreate with his wife, as HE is too tired and his falling asleep before she can even make a move.
One day, as he's going up to his office, he snaps, dives headfirst back into the descending elevator, and this is where the story begins.

... Folks, in John Grishams recent book, The Litigators, he does NOT disappoint!

It's interesting how John h...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: legal-fiction

Finally, a John Grisham novel I am not ashamed to have read. "The Litigators" is funny--Grisham pokes fun at the good, the bad, and the ugly in the legal profession and tort law in particular. Without spoiling the plot, I'll mention that you know his comedic hand is first rate within the first chapters. When the main character meets his new employers, the scene is hilarious. And I don't normally laugh at the results of excessive drinking.

Over time, I began to recognize a Dickensian hand in his c...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Joanna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: rws-2011-winter, 2012-read

John Grisham is always a fast read, but usually an unsatisfying one for me. I'm reminded of why I stopped reading his books way back around the time of The Firm or The Client. Grisham just doesn't really care if he gets the law right as long as it makes the courtroom story interesting, which is sort of distracting when I know what it should be. His underdog characters are also so unrelentingly pure of heart as to be sort of boring to read. And the ending of this book was far too neat and tidy fo...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just started reading this on Monday afternoon (thank you PJ!) and wow, have not been able to put it down! Story takes you right in and oh my that world of lawyering and big litigation, the corruption, the mind sets, the audacity! LOL Fabulous story! Hats of to Grisham for another great one.... should be finishing it pretty soon!

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Jul 22, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent book with great characters, interesting story and lots of Grisham style dry humor. Loved the start, the ending and every word in between. A pleasure to read

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Apr 28, 2012 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Finley and Figg get their clients by listening for the sirens of ambulance and police outside their offices and run out to find any victims they can convince to sue. They have been partners for many years but are so inept that they have never made enough money to live the lavish lifestyle that that they want. David Zinc works for a high stress law firm but never sees the light of day. He can't stand it anymore even though he makes a very good salary and goes off the 'deep' end after spending a d...more

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May 02, 2013 Nurul Shuhada rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years...more The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.
And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender, and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our boutique firm. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he’s suddenly unemployed, any job—even one with Finley & Figg—looks okay to him.

With their new associate on board, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx, the number one cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.
A little online research confirms Wally’s suspicions—a huge plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg has to do is find a handful of people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won’t even have to enter a courtroom!
It almost seems too good to be true.
And it is.

The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense that have made John Grisham America’s favorite storyteller.

It is great to read this book...
A lot of adventure and of course very INTERESTING !!
:) :)(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Kim Tong Lim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Harvard-trained lawyer, David Zinc, worked as a senior associate in a big law firm that charged US$500 an hour. He was feeling the strain of his work and one morning on reaching the office building he “snapped”. He felt ill and nauseous, unable to face his boss and a particular client of his firm. Those of us who worked under stress and strain over a long period of time would empathise with David. He scooted and left the office as quickly as he arrived. This began a year-long series of events...more A Harvard-trained lawyer, David Zinc, worked as a senior associate in a big law firm that charged US$500 an hour. He was feeling the strain of his work and one morning on reaching the office building he “snapped”. He felt ill and nauseous, unable to face his boss and a particular client of his firm. Those of us who worked under stress and strain over a long period of time would empathise with David. He scooted and left the office as quickly as he arrived. This began a year-long series of events that took the readers through the world of legal profession and courtroom scenes in the area of tort.

David stumbled into a smaller law outfit, Finley & Figg, which had only two partners and a clerical support staff and he took up a job with the firm through a twist of fate. The difference between the large and small law firms became painfully obvious. Finley & Figg survived with minor work in divorce proceedings and they chased after accident injury cases to represent them in claiming damages. They had near zero experience in trials and they often preferred settlement than litigation.

The story revolved around a big pharmaceutical firm, Varrik Labs, which had a drug that reduced cholesterol but was suspected to cause heart attack or stroke. Though this was not proven, but the mass tort lawyers in the States were rushing into it hoping to get a piece of settlements from Varrik Labs for their clients who had taken the drug. In the process, the lawyers get a cut of the settlement amount. The ugliness and the frenzy in getting potential clients were plainly narrated as if this is common in the States. (Maybe it is.)

Finley & Figg rounded up some cases and they filed suits against Varrik Labs, so did all the other legal firms in the game. But the novel focuses on Finley & Figg and in particular David Zinc. The trial by jury did happen which was not intended by the partners of Finley & Figg in the first place. The courtroom proceedings were captivating. The small legal firm for the plaintiff suddenly had to face with big-firm lawyer representing Varrik Lab, whose success rate was impeccable. I will leave you to read for the ending, otherwise it will spoil your enjoyment.

John Grisham writes simply and in a style that is easy to read. It was clear and the story line easy to follow. He kept you in suspense and you wanted to turn the pages quickly to know what is next. I was never tired turning the pages. No long-winded and irrelevant details were provided. There is humour and I was tickled a number of times. The story line is great I enjoyed the ending.
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Dec 31, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Highly paid young lawyer David Zinc walks away from his big salary job with a huge Chicago law firm and bounces from a drunken binge into Finley & Figg -- a bottom feeding, ambulance chasing law firm on the Chicago south side. Zinc has never argued a case in court, but possesses enough integrity and common sense to begin to rescue the bumbling firm from its own comical ineptitude and blunders. As with Grisham's earlier novel, The Rainmaker, this young lawyer finds a legitimate and worthy cau...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Elias Chountalas added it · review of another edition

The Litigators

The predominant notion of lawyers -largely accurate yet still unjust- outlines over-worked, grim, dull young men and women in suits (the latter carved out from the same mould of aggression, classiness and devouring appetite which on sexual terms would produce the vivid popular stereotype of the “cougar”). And although this peculiar race of professionals thrives in the well deserved notoriety of its self-appointed image, one should be reminded that the versatility of one other race,...more The Litigators

The predominant notion of lawyers -largely accurate yet still unjust- outlines over-worked, grim, dull young men and women in suits (the latter carved out from the same mould of aggression, classiness and devouring appetite which on sexual terms would produce the vivid popular stereotype of the “cougar”). And although this peculiar race of professionals thrives in the well deserved notoriety of its self-appointed image, one should be reminded that the versatility of one other race, that of humans, statistically and historically guarantees that even within the ranks of hardball firm lawyers, ambulance chasers, trial lawyers that could send doctor-witnesses flying off their stands weeping like schoolgirls (not a particularly useful example for the purposes of this critique yet utterly pleasing), mafia lawyers, salesmen lawyers advertising on TV, there will always be a tiny spec of exception who indulges in the call of his more artistic, free-spirited, anti-conformist nature.
For thirty-one year old Chicago lawyer David Zinc, a fine exhibit of an ambitious Harvard-nurtured firm lawyer, the turning point was one fateful morning that he found himself on the brink of physical collapse. After 90-hour weekly sweat-shifts, cracking up was inevitable and David became determined to embrace his wild side in a local bar, somehow ending up – properly drunk and disorderly- on the couch of the inconspicuous law firm by the name of Finley & Figg. In a whimsical attempt to counterbalance the former sobriety and responsibility of his professional decisions, David settles there for good. His new partners (all two of them), their temperamental secretary and the office hound, AC -which stands for Ambulance Chaser- have set up a controversial business highly trained to rush into the fray of car crashes before the screeching of tires is over. Wally Figg, however, has always harboured a more grandiose agenda, fervently pursuing the fame, glory and dough -of course- of big time litigation. And despite his senior partner’s, Oscar Finley, intense objections against frivolous and costly cases, this time Wally has no doubts he stroke serious gold. David Zinc is involved in a case which could revive his waning financial stability and downward career. Or kill it once and for all.

At first look, to the regular readers of Grisham’s work, The Litigators might seem self-retrospective, in the sense that one does not encounter very original ideas or innovating thrilling techniques, twists and legal concepts. Indeed, Wally’s similarity in character and disposition to the classic figure of Deck Shifflet from another Grisham book, the highly appraised Rainmaker, is apparent. His questionable ethics, his comical/tragical struggles to claw his way up from the bottom of the lawyers’ food chain to a litigator’s paradise and his blunt opportunism irrevocably incite such contradictory emotions as sympathy and repugnance. David Zinc, on the other hand, appearing as an inexperienced, terrified newborn in the field of trial lawyering, can only inspire sympathy. His goofiness, despite his impressive credentials and professional background, highlights a generalised reality, prominent in several professions, yet most crucial when it comes to being an attorney: high-profile studies do not suffice by themselves to prepare an initiate for the forthcoming horrors and crude reality; the fray of competition, the degradation of, once idealist, aspiring professionals to petty, cynical opportunists. However, no matter how green or unspoiled or rebellious, David seems to lack the depth and variability of other Grisham characters and after his introductory unconventional behaviour, he offers us few alarms and surprises. In his effort to distance himself from the dubious “Krayoxx” case, Wally and the vile aspects of his vocation, he stumbles upon a case of his own, one of those “side-cases” enriching Grisham’s books with variability: a lead poisoning incident which victimized a socially, financially and legally unsupported immigrant child. Zinc attempts to infuse a bit of pathos into the story by enveloping the drama of the immigrant family with unspoken personal concern and empathy, yet his flat demeanour paired with the procedural complementing role of his wife, does not really fulfill such expectations.

One might be right to assume that The Litigators has been a conscious attempt by the author to pair some popular figures of his past work and social archetypes with their stereotypically attached behavioural patterns, producing light, humorous events and situations, in an always catchy legal background: the young, burnt-out big firm Harvard lawyer, the crooked marginally offensive ambulance chaser, his worn-out underachieving partner on the verge of divorce, their temperamental African-American secretary.

In this light, the book is beyond harsh criticism. In a nutshell, not the best nor the worst of among Grisham’s other twenty-six works. If you’ve never read a Grisham book, I would highly recommend The Rainmaker to start with, since The Litigators could as well be its humorous, lighthearted, traditionally inferior spin-off.

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Dec 13, 2012 Julie Luekenga rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In my ongoing attempts to discover the secrets of "what makes a best-seller", I read Grisham's The Litigators. He's in the top pinnacle of the writing pyramid--the rare writer who is wealthy from his books. Why? Grisham writes a good story.

The plot involves three lawyers, Wally, Oscar and David. Wally and Oscar, ambulance chasing lawyers with cornball ads on the sides of buses and backs of benches, are barely scraping by. David, upon fleeing from his high-paid, but tedious, butt-kissing job as...more

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About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

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