Through ten real-life illustrative matrimonial cases, Couric (The Trial Lawyers, 1988) offers an absorbing and useful ``general overview of the divorce process and divorce issues.'' The author describes each case from the point of view of one of the divorcing spouses, using each case to make some didactic point about the rapidly evolving and euphemistically misnamed field of ``matrimonial'' or ``family'' law. She argues, for instance, that the development of ``no-fault'' divorce has obviated the traditional necessity to assign blame as a legal prerequisite to divorce, and has transformed the practice of divorce law from a distasteful and somewhat shady business into a sophisticated and respectable legal specialty concerned primarily with tax and property issues. The case studies are concerned with such issues as the validity of prenuptial agreements, joint custody arrangements, custodial rights of stepparents, and tracing assets. As the title implies, however, it is the divorce lawyers in Couric's account, many of whom are nationally renowned (e.g., Raoul Felder, Stuart Walzer, Donald Schiller), who are the stars of her narrative. The lawyers in Couric's stories generally solve their clients' problems through masterful and creative litigation techniques. In a final chapter devoted to choosing a divorce lawyer, though, Couric points out that ``the profession has its share of rotten apples, incompetent, lazy, greedy practitioners who tend to spoil the reputations of their colleagues.'' She gives advice on how to choose and evaluate a divorce lawyer, as well as on the legal issues that typically arise in the divorce process. An insightful and practical handbook, useful alike for the attorney, the layperson interested in law, and anyone considering a divorce.
Pub Date: Feb. 25, 1992
ISBN: 0-312-07083-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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