My Life in Court

My Life in Court is a 1961 memoir by American trial lawyer Louis Nizer documenting his career in law.[1] The work was a best seller when it was first released, lasting for 72 weeks on The New York Times Bestsellers list.[1]

My Life in Court

First edition
Author	Louis Nizer
Country	United States
Language	English
Published	1961
Publisher	Doubleday & Company
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	524 pp. (first edition)
OCLC	636241551

Background

The book is based on a number of court cases that Nizer argued in US courts. The original papers for many of these trials are held by the Columbia Law Library.[2][3]

Contents

All six cases depicted within the book are civil cases, which is unusual for legal fiction and non-fiction because of the greater sensationality of criminal law cases.[4] The book depicts the following cases:

• Baron v. Leo Feist[2]
• Reynolds v. Pegler[5] (a landmark libel decision in which Quentin Reynolds successfully sued right-wing columnist Westbrook Pegler, resulting in a record judgment of $175,001)
• Bercovici v. Chaplin (a plagiarism lawsuit in 1947 against Charlie Chaplin)
• Cambell v. Loew's Inc.[6]—which was presided over by judge Collins J. Seitz.[7]
• Eleanor Holm v Billy Rose[8]
• Foerster v. Ridder[8]
• Dolly Astor v. John Astor [8]

Reception

The book was received favorably. Commentary magazine reviewer David T. Bazelon said he did not "understand why it has become a bestseller", but all in all "Properly read, it is an occasion for some real understanding of the trial man. Haphazardly or naively read, it is interesting, instructive, and even exciting."[9] Bazelon challenges praise by Max Lerner that the work is "one of the great legal autobiographies of our time".[9] Kirkus reviews gave less praise, calling the book "direct and orderly" and enjoyable by "Trial lawyers, law students, and the general public".[4]

For the most part, academic and legal reviewers of the autobiography were particularly harsh critics of the book. In The Modern Law Review, British reviewer C.P. Harvey commented "I cannot help wondering what made Messrs. Heinmann think it would be good business to publish this book in [the United Kingdom]."[10] He writes "I pronounce this book to be didactic, long-winded and pretentious" and describes it as an example of "the breadth of the ocean which lies between the English and American legal systems."[9]

In the Osgoode Hall Law Journal, reviewer R. N. Starr described the work as not exactly realistic, and taken to "poetic license".[11] His review is rather skeptical and mixed; he writes: "For my own part I would have preferred it, had Mr. Nizer put his wide experience to other purposes."[11] In the Yale Law Review Joseph W. Bishop lambasts the piece as demonstrating the decline of legal practice, jury tried cases, and the flaws of the legal profession.[6] Nonetheless, he describes the book as anything but "dry and indigestable reading" which is usually the case for accounts of legal cases.[6]

Unlike other academic reviewers, American Bar Association Journal reviewer Alfred Schweppe praised the book as a "must for every lawyer searching for an answer to success in the courtroom" and the describing the style as "Moving with an easy finished prose".[8]

Legacy

The book has inspired a number of people to become lawyers, including Laurie Levenson[12] and Roy Black.[13] Nizer's subsequent book The Jury Returns follows much the same format and pattern as My Life in Court, attempting to create a similar work and success.[14]

Adaptations

The book was adapted into the 1963 Broadway play A Case of Libel.[1] The book was also adapted into a television film.[15] Both depict the Reynolds v. Pegler case.[16]

References

1. Pace, Eric (November 11, 1994). "Louis Nizer, Lawyer to the Famous, Dies at 92". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
2. "Music Copyright Infringement Resource – Sponsored By USC Gould School of Law". mcir.usc.edu. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
3. Louis Nizer Papers, 1940–1994, Box: Biographical Materials & My Life in Court. Columbia Librarias Rare Book and Manuscript Library Collections.
4. "My Life in Court by Louis Nizer". Kirkus Reviews.
5. Filichia, Peter (April 7, 2015). The Great Parade: Broadway's Astonishing, Never-to-Be-Forgotten 1963–1964 Season. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781466867123.
6. Bishop, Joseph (January 1, 1963). "Book Review: My Life in Court". The Yale Law Journal. 72: 614 – via Yale Law School Legal Scholarly Repository.
7. Caplin, Mortimer M.; Hunter, James (January 1, 1984). "Judge Collins J. Seitz". Virginia Law Review. 70 (8): 1543–1549. JSTOR 1072953.
8. Schweppe, Alfred J. (January 1, 1962). "Review of MY LIFE IN COURT". American Bar Association Journal. 48 (3): 264–264. JSTOR 25721921.
9. Bazelon, David T. (July 1, 1962). "My Life in Court, by Louis Nizer". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
10. Harvey, C. P. (January 1, 1963). "Review of My Life in Court". The Modern Law Review. 26 (2): 215–217. JSTOR 1093319.
11. Starr, R. N. (April 1963). "Book Review: My Life in Court, by Louis Nizer". Osgoode Hall Law Journal. 2 (4) – via York University Digital Commons.
12. "Gerry Spence and His Fight Against Power – Los Angeles Review of Books". Retrieved August 31, 2016.
13. WARD, STEPHANIE FRANCIS (January 1, 2011). "30/30: 30 LAWYERS PICK 30 BOOKS EVERY LAWYER SHOULD READ". ABA Journal. 97 (8): 34–41. JSTOR 23034037.
14. Meserve, Robert W. (January 1, 1967). "Review of THE JURY RETURNS". American Bar Association Journal. 53 (7): 648–649. JSTOR 25724089.
15. Berger, George. "Ten Things I Learned From Louis Nizer – Phillips Nizer LLP Articles". www.phillipsnizer.com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
16. "Vigilante justice". American Bar Association Journal. 69 (10): 1548–1548. January 1, 1983. JSTOR 20756501.

Further sources

• "My life in court / Louis Nizer ; interviewed by Elsa Knight Thompson". www.pacificaradioarchives.org. Pacifica Radio Archives. Retrieved August 30, 2016.