The Life O'Reilly: Review and Giveaway

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.

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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'Reillyis 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.

Terrific news! The author is offering an autographed copy of The Life O'Reilly as a giveaway--worldwide!

• To enter the giveaway for this book, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
  
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
• For an extra bonus chance, define the expression 'the life of Riley' briefly in your comment.

Enter by 5 PM PDT on Monday, May 24. One winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 25. Good luck!

Special thanks to Brian Cohen for sending me his book and for sponsoring this generous giveaway.