Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1-9772-1554-3

Many law graduates often complain that their law education did not prepare them for the nuts and bolts of regular legal work. They did not get much practical training for all their time and money invested. Law schools, for the most part, emphasize the theoretical and defend themselves by asserting that they are not a trade school. To a considerable degree, they leave the practical training to the law firms that hire the graduates. Unfortunately, the essential how-tos of daily practice are a subject that many professors know little or nothing about.

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In The Practise: What They Don't Teach You in Law School, Stanley Harris Jr. fictionalizes the life of attorney Gordon Graham providing his readers with an insightful analysis of many of his interesting experiences and practical obstacles encountered while practicing law in Georgia,which I very much doubt were presented to him while a student studying law. 

It was effortless for me to relate to some of these situations that Graham faced, although I had never practiced English Common law but rather Quebec Civil Law. For those of you who are not familiar with the main differences between the civil and common law systems, common law relies on case law — in the form of published judicial opinions, which is of primary importance, whereas in civil law systems, codified statutes predominate. Many countries use a mix of features from common and civil law systems. And like Graham, when it came to the “real world,” it was a whole new ball game where very often practical sense prevails. 

Harris was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and at a young age, he and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Emory Law School and chose to have a general law practice, as is the case of his principal character in the story. 

Harris points out in the introduction that “a local lawyer who did not focus on any particular area of practice or possess a specific orientation could, by chance, fall into a fascinating variety of situations which benefited his clients, maybe society and, hopefully, himself. One cannot plan the unexpected.” And this is what The Practise is all about.

As the story unfolds, Harris traces the career of Graham from his early years in college, his graduating law school, his first employment as an attorney, his setting up practice, and a variety of interesting experiences dealing with his clients including matters of divorce, legal malpractice, white-collar crimes, Federal law liens, business law, real estate and construction cases, and a host of other fascinating events and unusual situations that make for some intriguing reading. 

It was quite interesting to read about the cross-examination of a noted attorney. In this case. Graham's client felt that an attorney who had defended him in a criminal matter had overcharged him to the tune of a $1.6 million fee, which the client resisted paying. 

Although Harris is a good raconteur and for the most part transforms simple sets of factual circumstance into a fascinating narrative, there were times, however, where I felt the attempt to simplify technical terms and explanations was too complicated for readers who are not associated with the law to understand. Nonetheless, law practitioners and students alike can benefit from the book.