Customer Reviews

The Man to See: Edward Bennett Williams Ultimate Insider; Legendary Trial Lawyer

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Take a fascinating subject-- Edward Bennett Williams. Add a highly-skilled author with remarkably deep interviewing and archival research skills-- Evan Thomas. Put in a lot of hard work. And presto-- you have Thomas' "The Man To See," one of the most thorough biographies ever written (I have read many hundreds).

Edward Bennett Williams was one of the most dynamic men of the 20th Century-- a great figure of destiny whose life would have seemed emptier had not Evan Thomas been his biographer. EBW was a self-made man in the days where one could still achieve that accolade. He was no spoiled yuppie of family money. Bright, hard-working, forward-thinking, compassionate and disciplined-- and a wonderful rogue!-- this was Edward Bennett Williams. Warts and all, Evan Thomas presents the larger-than-life lawyer who pioneered criminal law practice in postwar America, bringing the constitution into the 20th Century. He sought power for the purpose of doing good, after doing well. Thomas interviewed practically every living person with whom EBW had a conversation or situation.

I am re-reading "The Man to See" for the fourth time in ten years. It remains fresh and fun. What a brilliant book!

I have never been more absorbed by a book than by this one. Admittedly my interest was heightened by the fact that Williams was my criminal law teacher at law school, but I found this a fantastic book. Evan Thomas (did you know he is Norman Thomas' grandson?) paints Williams warts and all, and I found it a searing read. The account of Williams' deathly fight with cancer is most poignant. Anyone at all interested in law should read this book, and anyone interested in an amazing life will be enthralled by this account.

This is one of those books that you'll have to read twice. It is that good. Like a good movie, the end comes to quickly. If you are a lawyer, you will especilly appreicate and understand the trials and tribulations of Edward Bennett Williams.

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It is a great story about a great man. I read a lot of biographies and I can tell when the author is fauning over his subject - just read some of Robert Slater's books on Jack Welch. Thomas book did none of that. Thomas made you feel that he was giving an accurate and true account of Williams life. Of couse Thomas was helped by selecting a subject that was larger than life, a one of a kind person both in legal talent and raw personality. This book is right up there with "Vince", Michael O'Brien's biography of Vince Lombardi. Interestingly, Lomardi and Williams were very much alike - both very religious yet profane, and above the rest of their competitors in their chosen fields. They were also both like to drink, were emotional and quick to say exactly what they thought or felt about something. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read biographies about great men.

Excellent means of learning about our legal system and about why the right lawyer can make all the difference in the outcome of your case.

"THE MAN TO SEE" was a great book. Since I'm going to be attending law school this fall (of 2007), I thought it wouldn't hurt to read books by and about lawyers; man, am I glad I included Evan Thomas's "THE MAN TO SEE" because this is without a doubt one of the best biographies I have read in ages. Page by page, you feel caught up in a drama without end. The characters, adventures, and funny stories add so much luster to a larger-than-life figure. By the end of the book, I was sorry to see it all end; I felt like I actually new Mr. Williams! If you're interested in a good biography check out "THE MAN TO SEE." You won't be disappointed.

I read this book when it was first published and decided that I'd like to have a copy for my library. What Bill Bennett, Ben Bradley, and Art Buchwald did to Phyllis Graham is reason enough to read it; too funny. Learn about the "Golden T*t" award, and who gave it to whom and what her reaction was! Some Washington insider stuff too that gives you some idea of what is really going on and who the movers and shakers of that time really were. What Washington hostess had a room in her Georgetown mansion set aside for JFK's use for clandestine assignations? If such sordid details titillate you, well you'll find it here too, although I really hope you aren't that kind of person.

This is one of the best, if not the best, biographies I have ever read. Evan Thomas takes an interesting subject, famous trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams, and makes him come alive in this book. The book moves with the speed of a good novel and Thomas paints a portrait of an interesting, charming, complex, and flawed man. This book is as much about D.C. culture from the 1940s through the 1980s as it is about Williams, for Williams was a pivotal figure in D.C.'s growth from a sleepy southern town to a city of energy and power. Williams truly was the man to see. He could make potential indictments disappear, he counseled presidents and politicians, was friends with writers and editors. He was a daily Mass-goer who had a ribald sense of humor. A committed father and husband who in his early years strayed a bit. I highly recommend this great book. A modern masterpiece.

This is one of the best biographies ever written. A wonderful piece about an interesting man.

Edward Bennett Williams (1920-1988) was among the last of the old-time trial lawyers who would handle almost any kind of case. A product of Holy Cross College and Georgetown Law School, the Connecticut native is best known for representing high-profile clients: for example, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, underworld kingpin Frank Costello, billionaire Armand Hammer, and the Washington Post's owner Katherine Graham and editor Ben Bradlee, just to name a few. Williams also achieved high-profile status by ownership of the Washington Redskins football team, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The book recounts Williams' practice of law in the District of Columbia. He started as an associate with the well-respected firm of Hogan & Hartson, but soon joined with a friend Paul Connolly to form the firm of Williams & Connolly. In a generally chronological fashion, the book traces Williams evolving practice of law, often giving capsule summaries of the major cases that he handled. Criminal cases often involved constitutional issues under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. In addition to trial work, there were arguments to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Pentagon Papers case raised issues involving freedom of the press under the First Amendment. The special investigation in the wake of Watergate brought representations that required negotiations with the federal prosecutors. All the while, Williams' ownership of the Redskins football club put him in a popular position with judges and government officials in the District of Columbia.

It is a well written and highly readable work. On some occasions, the nuances of the law are explained; but on other occasions the book offers no guide to the significance of legal maneuvers. The haphazard billing practices of Williams & Connolly are noted, but the reader is not told that virtually all law firms handled billing in the same fashion prior to the 1960s.

Thankfully, the narrative does not stoop to the level of overstatement that is found on the dust jacket. That summary states that "most members of his profession judge [Williams] to be the best trial lawyer ever to step into a courtroom," a bit of puffing that is reminiscent of the New York Times obit that anointed Philadelphia's John Graver Johnson as "the best lawyer in the English-speaking world." On the other hand, the narrative rarely misses an opportunity to cast other well known lawyers such as Louis Nizer, William Joseph Fallon, and F. Lee Bailey in a negative light. Denigration of other lawyers does not enhance the status of Edward Bennett Williams.

Although I do not know whether the Rules of Professional Conduct apply to the biographer of a lawyer, I was surprised to see the disclosure of a sensitive representation of Joseph Welch shortly after the Army-McCarthy Hearings. Had Williams made that disclosure, it would have been a clear violation of Rule 1.6 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

I cannot help but wonder about the author's extensive reliance on the comments of Williams' colleagues, many of whom undoubtedly had agendas of their own. Also, although the author mentions Williams' rigorous trial preparation and his concern about the need to win the case at hand, the writing does not adequately convey to the reader that emotional pressure.

All told, it is an excellent book.