Customer Reviews

The Life O'Reilly

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A man phones a lawyer and asks, "How much would you charge for just answering three simple questions?"

The lawyer replies, "A thousand dollars."

"A thousand dollars!" exclaims the man. "That's very expensive, isn't it?"

"It certainly is," says the lawyer. "Now, what's your third question?"


Although I'm not a lawyer, I can get away with telling a lawyer joke because my husband is an attorney. He often tells lawyer jokes at the beginning of speaking engagements, to loosen up the crowd. His sense of humor extends to his profession, and since he's hard-working and dedicated, his jokes are well received.

Because I'm familiar with the legal profession through association, I thought it might be interesting to read a novel written by a lawyer about a lawyer. Published in 2009, The Life O'Reilly is the first novel by lawyer Brian Cohen. It's the story of Nick O'Reilly, an attorney at Williams Gardner and Schmidt, a prestigious law firm on Wall St. in NYC. In an attempt to help bolster their image, Will, the managing partner, has decided that the firm needs to devote some time to pro bono cases, and Nick is assigned the first case. He's asked to represent a domestic violence victim, Dawn Nelson, who's fighting to gain custody of her three-year-old son, Jordan. Soon after their initial meeting, Nick begins to develop strong romantic feelings for Dawn (uh-oh!), and also starts to question what he's doing with his life.

"What was I doing with myself? I couldn't help but think about my unsavory corporate clients, off in their weekend cottages and vacation homes, water-skiing behind yachts and diving in Grand Cayman, basking in comfort by directors and officers liability insurance, boasting about how royally they screwed their own shareholders.
Ha, ha, ha, fraud, schmaud!
And then I thought about Dawn and drifted off on my office couch for a while until the phone rang."
~The Life O'Reilly, Brian Cohen

As Nick's story unfolds, unexpected twists and turns keep it exciting. The Life O'Reilly is written with the precision and clarity of a lawyer, but it also has heart. This novel exudes warmth (his mother is called "Mom", as if that's her name)--and humor. In Chapter 9, Nick and Dawn meet to review an affidavit and go to a "Chinese restaurant" in the village, and what occurs there is absolutely hilarious. Having grown up in NYC, I could imagine such a scenario really happening.

What's the verdict on this novel? I enjoyed reading this book, which is a modern day love story and more. It made me smile, laugh, and cry. Emotionally moving, The Life O'Reilly is about what makes life worth living, about love and sacrifice and commitment, about being at peace with yourself. It makes you think about what you will leave behind, about your legacy. Last night, I recommended this book to my husband. And now I recommend it to you.

Brian Cohen's first novel is an affecting and haunting story that captures the attention of the reader and holds it throughout, lingering long after the final page is turned.

As a partner in an affluent law firm, Nick O'Reilly is at the top of his game, but what Nick does not realize is that the rules are about to change. When the high profile attorney is assigned to a pro bono case, his focus is shifted from that of his wealthy clients on Wall Street to a young wife and mother, Dawn Nelson, seeking asylum (along with sole custody of her little boy) from her violently abusive husband.

Nick is drawn to Dawn both emotionally and physically. After listening to her heartrending account of life with her sadistic spouse, Nick becomes determined to win Dawn and Jordan's freedom. In the process of building his case, Nick's inappropriate attorney/client relations with Dawn results in devastating consequences to his career that will change his life forever.

Cohen has a fluidic writing style. His story is well paced and his characters have dimension and distinctive personalities. It is inspiring to watch Nick's heroic battle for survival as he evolves into the kind of man (and life) that will leave a lasting and impressionable legacy.

It is not often that a work of fiction leaves the reader contemplating his or her personal outlook on life, but the trials that Nick endures are easily applicable to reality. His story gives us pause to think, leaving us grateful for having made Nick's acquaintance.

Nick O'Reilly works for a law firm that expects its people to put their job first and foremost. Families, friends and a personal life are not important to the senior partners. If you're going to be successful, sacrifices are expected to be made.


However, that attitude has also given the firm a bad reputation as being cold and impersonal (duh!). To change their image, they decide to designate a certain number of hours to pro bono cases. In other words, each lawyer is expected to do a case for free and work with the local legal aid to do that.


Certain of the senior partners seem to have it in for Nick. One in particular doesn't like him and is always trying to make him look bad. So, guess which lawyer is the first to be assigned one of these cases?


Nick actually finds himself enjoying working to help others. It gives him an entirely new perspective and he begins looking at his life anew. Is the high-powered position worth it? Or are there more important things in life?


Along with this new attitude, Nick finds himself attracted to the client he's been assigned to represent - a young woman who has been severely abused by her husband.


The book takes several turns and twists, including an interesting surprise ending. I found the story delightful and I thank Brian Cohen for asking me to review his book. He's a wonderful writer and I hope to read more of his work in the future.

It is rare that I sit down and read a book cover to cover, forgetting to go to sleep because I absolutely had to know what happened next. Brian Cohen's "The Life O'Reilly" kept me up all night. I felt that Nick and Dawn were my friends and I couldn't stop reading, until Brian finished their story. I have been recommending this book to all my friends & I can't wait for Brian's next book!

I am an avid reader who applauds and admires good story telling. The characters in this book are richly drawn. The author, Brian Cohen, unwraps these characters layer by layer for the reader. You are drawn into the drama because you realize you care about Nick and Dawn and their struggles.

Fast moving, at times witty, always entertaining this book allows you to run the gamut of emotions. This book touched my heart while sparking my intellect.

I look forward to reading more books from this author. I hope he writes quickly ... I am impatient.

From the moment I picked up this book I could not put it down. The characters were believable and the emotion intense. I did not want it to end and would recommend this book highly for a book club to read. It really made me stop and think as to how we tend to delay happiness and assume there be always be tomorrow.

Because of the media brouhaha over bringing in millions and doing nothing for the community, Wall St law firm, Williams, Gardner & Schmidt decide to do some Pro Bono cases. They choose NYS Bar Associate Trial Lawyers Section Chairman and company junior partner Nicholas O'Reilly to handle their first case.

His client is twenty-six year old Dawn Nelson, a mother of not quite three year old Jordan. She wants a divorce and a restraining order to keep her abusive spouse Jimmy, a stockbroker, away from them. Nicholas meets mother and son at the offices of the NYC Legal Services. Though his expertise is corporate law and not family law, Nicholas pledges to do what is best for his client. At their first meeting, he gives Jordan a Thomas truck to play with, which Dawn appreciates. As they work close together, Dawn reminds Nick what matters in life as he finds no satisfaction helping odious fat cats get off from situations they earned. Instead he finds himself working so much harder with so much satisfaction for the indigent mother and child.

The Life of O'Reilly is a deep character driven legal thriller starring a man who learns what life is all about when he takes on his first pro bono case as he has a client with a human face as opposed to a corporate mask (recent Supreme Court decision aside). The story line focuses on the changing attitude of Nick who begins to question is that all there is once he realizes how beautiful a person Dawn is and how precious Jordan is. Readers will appreciate the gift the Nelsons give Nick when they replace his cynicism with hopeful idealism.

Harriet Klausner

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was filled with compassion and characters that were so vividly described that I actually felt drawn into their lives. Brian Cohen is a wonderful storyteller with a gift with words that actually put a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. The Life O'Reilly is a beautiful love story. I am anxiously awaiting another novel from this superlative author!

Nick O'Reilly is a 36-year-old partner in the prestigious Manhattan law firm of Williams Gardner & Schmidt. Though he's devoted to his legal career, there's a side of O'Reilly that knows, even at the onset of this emotionally suspenseful novel, that all is not right with his world. He may have an upscale Central Park South address, but Nick has little time to smell the roses; he's far too busy defending his wealthy, corporate clients.

When his superiors decide to enhance the firm's image by taking on a small portion of pro bono work, O'Reilly receives the wake up call he needs to transform his life. O'Reilly is assigned the first pro bono case, which involves a beautiful young mother who's been raped and abused by her husband. It's O'Reilly's job to represent her in the divorce and custody proceedings, and hopefully to help send her violent husband to jail. But what might have been a simple open and shut case is complicated by the fact that Dawn Nelson, a Brooklyn-based pharmacy technician, makes O'Reilly all too aware of the love and intimacy that he's been missing, and before long their mutual attraction lands him in trouble, threatening his future career. The romance that appears to be his downfall, however, ultimately sparks his rise to power over his own life--even as he must face an unexpected health crisis, and a far tougher adversary than he's ever encountered in a courtroom.

First-time novelist Brian Cohen, who has practiced law for 12 years, adroitly melds legal drama with a compelling love story. Readers will find themselves rooting for charming young Nick O'Reilly in and out of the courtroom.

Reviewed by Kathryn Livingston

really enjoyed 'The Life of O'Reilly'. It kept me turning pages. I didn't want to lay this book down. This is the first book for Brian Cohen. I can see real potential in his writing so I want him to write, write, write!

First, I want to get the negatives out and then tell why I think he could be a five star writer in the future.

Nick O'Reilly, the main character seemed to be either a man that is very cold or not in touch with his feelings.
I have a hunch that it is the latter. In that case, the author needs to let Nick stew in the bad stuff more. Glimpses of his anger at the firm came out in the book but Brian Cohen needs to let Nick spend more time in anguish. One thing he could do it share more of his feelings with Evan his best friend at work.

Also, Nick needs to enjoy his happiest moment more. I really enjoyed his love of music and his feeling for nature. Let it show more.

Also, some of the fancy words sound awkward. Read it out loud and see how it sounds and make changes to simplify.

Now the good stuff. The main character tells his story in first person. That helps so much. It carries the story along seamlessly. The values of Nick O'Reilly come out easily and there is humor in this book. Dawn, his romantic interest was a real plus to this book in how she related to Nick.

I am very glad that I read this book. I will be adding a new writer to my favorites. I hope that he writes much more.

I would recommend this book to those of us who enjoy trying out new authors and to other struggling writers. The author had some fumbles but he also starred in keeping you reading the pages.