I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT

This latest entry in the attorney's reminiscence sweeps, I-knew-I-was-right division, proves again that a trial lawyer's selective recall of famous clients and much publicized cases need have no depth at all. In probing motives, character, or the law, Hollywood lawyer Isaac's book is on a par with drilling for oil with a pipe cleaner. He presents a little Vegas, a smear of sex, a couple of wives, and sundry names often found in the more sensational tabloids. Indeed, sophisticated counselor Isaacs seems positively star-struck, happier to represent the names than the people who bear them. Featured are Sirhan Sirhan, Los Angeles coroner Tom Noguchi, Judy Garland, and Phil Spector. There are cameo appearances by Marilyn Monroe, Chuck Colson, Frank Sinatra, and other notables of the beau monde as well as a few luckless civilians. The difficulty of the legal challenges doesn't seem to correlate with the solutions; hard cases may be solved satisfactorily, while apparently simple disputes are never settled. The Beverly Hills braggadocio is unimpaired, though, and there's a self-serving nonchalance regarding the personal and professional confidences of persons living and dead. As easy to digest as popcorn, and 99% bosh.