The year is 1973. Thanks to a loophole in old territorial law and the savvy of her indomitable Grandfather, 14-year-old Kate Hope is the dubiously proud holder of a license to practice law in the state of Colorado, and on the first day of summer vacation, she rides her ten-speed to work at the offices of Hope and Hope, Esq. Her Grandfather has come out of retirement after the death of his son—Kate’s father—to champion Denver’s disenfranchised, much to the dismay of its Establishment. But Grandfather is old and not entirely well, so in fairly short order Kate finds herself in sole charge of a trial to defend a dotty old lady’s dog from an order of destruction for viciousness. Downing spins an adequate mystery around Kate’s quest to exonerate the dog and presents readers with a decent introduction to legal practice and maneuvering through Kate’s experiences. But between undistinguished prose and the sheer unbelievability of the premise, this courtroom drama will have readers’ credulity straining at the leash. (Fiction. 10-14)