Malice Aforethought: How Lawyers Use Our Secret Rules to Get Rich, Get Sex, Get Even...and Get Awaywith It [Hardcover]

David W. Marston (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Those who doggedly respect the legal profession will probably find their faith shaken by this devastating expose; the cynical reader will only grow more cynical still. Marston, a Philadelphia attorney ( Inside Hoover's FBI ), establishes at the outset that he is writing about only a few "Bad Laywers," but he convinces us that they are the tip of an iceberg. Greed, asserts Marston, motivates many of the 750,000 attorneys in this country; they have been known to appropriate their clients' money, withhold information about crimes, commit perjury and demand sex as part of their fees. The profession's self-policing, he argues, is a joke: lawyers convicted of felonies are not always disbarred. After presenting an excoriating analysis, the author makes suggestions for reform--but holds out almost no hope that these will be heeded. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688077056
• ISBN-13: 978-0688077051
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,444,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Relief - the Truth About Lawyers from a Lawyer, August 14, 2004

By 

LINDA COSTANZO (Cambria, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malice Aforethought: How Lawyers Use Our Secret Rules to Get Rich, Get Sex, Get Even...and Get Awaywith It (Hardcover)

I read this book in one sitting. While addressing a very serious problem in our society (the legal profession) David Marston does it with great humor and absolute fact. He exposes the "Lawyers' Club" and he confirms the suspicions we all have about the legal system -- it's all about the money. I only wish I had read "Malice Aforethought" before I paid outrageous fees to too many dishonest lawyers.

Linda Costanzo

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A DEVIOUS BOOK, January 15, 2000

By 

"jas-webb" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Malice Aforethought: How Lawyers Use Our Secret Rules to Get Rich, Get Sex, Get Even...and Get Awaywith It (Hardcover)

MARSTON, A LAWYER HIMSELF, REVEALS MUCH ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF LAW. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ABOUT THE REASONS THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF THIS COUNTRY, LO, THE PLANET, DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL. THE CHAPTERS ARE SHORT AND THRILLING...WITH LITTLE PUBLICIZED ANECDOTES. READS LIKE THE WIND.