BOOK REVIEW – A CIVIL ACTION

BOSTON: JULY 1986

In a case where its nature is yet to be revealed, a lawyer by the name Jan
Schlichtmann wakes up from a hazy dream by the ringing of a telephone, the
person on the other line is a bank employee reminding him of his arrears in his car
loan. It appears that Schlichtmann had himself deeply involved in a single case.
Apparently, this undisclosed case in this part of the book is highly controversial and
that Schlichtmann had staked too much on this one case, so much so that it brought
him in a financially unstable position. Despite his on-going financial problem, the
lawyer seems to be more worried about the outcome of the case, that if he would
lose, he would lose something of far greater value than money. A few days later,
another session of the case begins. Inside the federal courthouse, the lawyer waits
patiently.