Books : Indefensible: One Lawyer's Journey into the Inferno of American Justice
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 345.74727501
EAN: 9780316156233
ISBN: 031615623X
Label: Little, Brown and Company
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: June 03, 2006
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Sales Rank: 76340
Studio: Little, Brown and Company
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
A young lawyer's outrageous and heartbreaking long day's journey into night court.
If M*A*S*H took place in the Bronx instead of Korea and was about lawyers and judges, not doctors and officers, it would look a lot like INDEFENSIBLE, David Feige's darkly funny and thrilling account of an ordinary day in the complicated life of a public defender in the South Bronx. In the span of a single day we meet murderers and misdemeanants, loutish lawyers, and vindictive judges. We race from courtroom to courtroom, judge to judge, and defendant to defendant, in a shocking behind-the-scenes look at big city justice as it really happens.
This is a book full of black comedy and outrage, of unforgettable characters and situations. Written with the verve and insider know-how of a John Grisham thriller, but with the social conscience of a Barbara Ehrenreich, INDEFENSIBLE has real crossover potential--and should ignite a profound debate about law and order in America. It puts a human face on the terrifying systemic failures that make American criminal justice the dirty little secret of our time.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
On television we see how the concepts of criminal process where justice is dispensed in 60 minutes, in reality, it's the real thing. Indefensible takes the readers inside the criminal process from the stand point of a public defender in the South Bronx who believes in the truth which isn't pretty and his account is often scathing. A great read.
Rating: -
I'm an incoming law student this fall and I bought this book because I'm considering working as a public defender after law school. The book itself didn't disappoint. It was written well and really made me feel what it might be like to endure the daily struggle of too many desperate clients and not enough time to adequately represent them. I was very shocked at how much time the criminal judicial system wastes through a variety of substandard mechanisms... Mr. Feige did a remarkable job of explaining it all.
However, after finishing the book... I can't help but feel a little sad. As an ex elementary school teacher, I almost feel as if taking a job as PD would be similar (a job that is very demanding and rough for very little pay). The work of a public defender seems so noble and so important, yet after reading Feige's book... I have to say that I'm actually not inspired to do the work. I'm instead inspired to seek out to practice law in a different setting.
I think I'll certainly use one of my law school summers to intern for a PD office, as I know that I can't possibly understand what the job is like until getting as close to working it as is possible.
But man, is the system messed up. It's frightening. Thanks, Mr. Feige, for giving me a little insight into the world of big city indigent defense.
I recommend this book for anyone thinking of pursuing similar work in the legal profession or for anyone wishing to know just how ... Read More
Rating: -
First, the book is terrific and it has been exceptionally well reviewed. The reviews focus on the legitimate and obvious reasons for which the book is great. Specifically, it is well written, riveting, thought provoking, and wildly entertaining--regardless of your predetermined views of the justice system. I agree with all of those reviews and will not repeat them here.
For me, the book has made a lasting impression and it is on my required reading list for all lawyers or aspiring lawyers because it forces the reading lawyer to ask the fundamental question of "what type of lawyer do I want to be?" Most lawyers and law students confuse this question with "how much money/prestige can I accumulate over a legal career?" The book helps the reader answer this question in a profound way. For that reason alone, it is worth reading. For all the other reasons and reviews it is MUST reading.
Keith J. Bruno
Rating:  -
I pre-ordered this book right before I took the bar exam, but didn't get around to reading it until I visited my parents' house almost a year later. In the meantime I'd passed the bar, been sworn in as a lawyer, and spent nine months as an ADA in the Big City (not the same Big City where Feige practiced, but not much changes in the grimy world of high-volume, high-stress courthouses). I found this book when I came back home for vacation, and just finished reading it last week.
I'm glad I accidentally waited so long before reading it. I think a book like this looks different from the inside than the outside. It has different benefits: rather than giving you a glimpse inside a new world, it makes you look at familiar surroundings from a new perspective. In a career where every professional relationship is adversarial and the other side is often met with suspicion (and often with good reason), it's invaluable to get an honest view of what the other side is thinking. Feige's book is an excellent reminder of the fact that we're still all human in a sometimes inhumane system, and of how it is possible for good and worthy people to stand on both sides of the courtroom. I realize that sounds incredibly basic, but it's so easy to forget in the battlefield. The book provides some reassurance that I'm not failing in my job when I cut defendants breaks, or withdraw charges when justice doesn't line up with the letter of the law. And it reminds me to be decent to the defenders ... Read More
Rating: -
If you're teaching a class in law, this is an excellent introduction to the legal system...I had to discipline myself from reading it too fast...
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