Humorous Reflections on a Life in the Law

• Pages: 32-32
• Date: 01 October 2023
• Author: Grant H. Hackley
• Subject Matter: Civil Law

Published in Litigation News Volume 49, Number 1, Fall 2023. © 202 3 by the American Bar As sociation. Reprodu ced with permission . All rights reser ved. This information o r any portion ther eof may not be copied o r disseminated in any form

or by any means or stored i n an electronic database o r retrieval syst em without the expr ess written co nsent of the American B ar Association.

BOOK REVIEW

uch like life, practicing law has its ups and

downs. Janet S. Kole has seen her fair share.

In Stranger Than Fiction: A Retired Lawyer’s

Look at the Reality of Law Practice Today

(ABA 2021), she recounts a few of the

choicer cuts. Per the ABA’s summary, this is a “book of short,

funny insightful essays of the experiences of a retired female

attorney over the course of her career.” It delivers.

The book runs 73 pages in total, including a brief index,

and is split into 16 pithy and easily digestible chapters that

emphasize the author’s alacrity of verse. Importantly, it is easy

to get through in a single sitting. The Introduction lends a nod

to the pandemic, during which this book was published, and

invites the reader to “sit back, relax, read these essays, laugh a

little, and cry a little. Let me know what you think.” The result

is a thoroughly enjoyable and quick read, leaving the reader

wanting more at the end.

The value of this book lies in both the anecdotes recounted

and the broader lessons learned. The intended audience is

younger attorneys, but each chapter focuses on a particular

item of practical or professional advice that is germane to both

novice practitioners and those on the more experienced end of

the scale. Each chapter provides real-life experiences from the

author’s former practice and seeks to pass along gems of wis-

dom from what are sometimes humorous and sometimes har-

rowing situations.

This is not a book about how to write a brief or how to run

a law rm. Topics covered tend to relate more to how to deal

with the different personalities and professionals one inter-

acts with as an attorney. It is a book about relationships and

how to carry one’s imperfect, human self in a profession that

often demands perfection. The text is not gossipy, though the

author as much as admits that this book (and her other work,

both ction and nonction) may leave some former colleagues

guessing as to whom she is referring. Nevertheless, ctitious

names are used throughout to conceal—or protect—the identi-

ties of those described.

Chapters 1 through 3 focus directly on relationships. In

particular, the relationships with administrative staff and with

other attorneys within the rm, both more and less senior.

These relationships can impose risk when they become overly

friendly or unduly one-sided. Kole provides guidance on how

to navigate the hazards, along with a well-timed reminder of

the importance of boundaries.

Chapter 4 deals with setting expectations. Clients may

expect attorneys to work miracles, and juries may expect

a perfect case in which all of their questions are answered

by the end of the episode. Kole explains in this chapter that

Humorous Reections

on a Life in the Law

Stranger Than Fiction is available at http://bit.ly/LN491-stranger.

this is not how

the law works.

Sometimes, a

client’s strate-

gies may not be

the most effec-

tive way to win

a case. A jury’s

unanswered

question may be

irrelevant to a legal issue but may affect their deliberations.

Accordingly, she sets out strategies for ensuring that reason-

able expectations can be set with clients and juries alike.

Chapter 5 deals with the human aspects of law practice,

such as how the unexpected death of a coworker can invoke

crisis. Kole smartly encourages avoiding knee-jerk reactions

when faced with uncertainty. Rather, she suggests that tak-

ing a more measured approach can allow those impacted to

better cope with the personal and professional consequences.

“[T]he best thing you can do is stop and think before you act,”

she recommends.

Chapters 6, 9, 10, and 12 deal with practicing law in poten-

tially sticky situations, such as when dealing with difcult

or dishonest clients (Chapter 6), emotionally invested clients

(Chapter 9), giving clients bad news (Chapter 10), and legal

conicts between clients (Chapter 12). Common across these

situations is the client relationship, which can be fraught. Kole

preaches honesty, integrity, and—with a wry bit of humor—

ensuring that attorneys “conrm your authority” in writing.

The remaining chapters bear titles such as “From the

Ridiculous to the Sublime” (Chapter 8) and “Lawyers

Behaving Badly” (Chapter 15). Some of these titles provide

more insight to the included text than others. Nevertheless,

each includes Kole’s personal stories from her days of practic-

ing law that sometimes truly do seem stranger than ction.

These include judicial commentary at the bench on her hair-

style and opposing counsel’s attempt to seat himself at the

wrong table at the start of a federal civil jury trial.

Stranger Than Fiction is an enjoyable read. It recog-

nizes that lawyers, too, are fallible human beings, and it

encourages us to embrace that status and try to have fun.

Seemingly with that in mind, the author has kept the book

both brief and engaging, writing with a style that is uid and

unencumbered with extra verbiage. It may leave you hoping

for a second volume.

By Grant H. Hackley, Litigation News Team Editor

FALL 2023 • VOL. 4 9 NO. 1

32 | ABA LITIGATION SECTIO N