Title: Nibble & Kuhn
Author: David Schmahmann
Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers
About the book: Two likable newcomers learn the ropes of corporate law at Nibble & Kuhn -- and fall in love -- just as that most proper of Boston's venerable firms comically tries to "rebrand" itself for the Google era.
Pompous and arbitrary, the ruling junta of partners at N&K saddles Derek Dover with a high visibility lawsuit just weeks before trial. The diligent young attorney arranges things so that Maria Parma, his sassy aristocratic girlfriend also gets named to the case.
As Derek prepares his arguments on behalf of seven young victims of industrial polluters, his anxieties about his career and his torments over Maria's mixed messages only increase. Have his eccentric WASP superiors handed Derek a "toxic" case to ruin any shot at becoming a partner? How can he get his opponents to settle -- the outcome the presiding judge all but demands -- unless his unorthodox "expert witnesses" perform with enough gravitas to match that of the side with its Harvard Medical School scientist? Ultimately, Derek sets in motion a line of inquiry that spins events entirely out of the control of judge, jury, and any and all attorneys. (back cover)
My thoughts: I thought this book was a hoot. It centered more around Derek and Maria's relationship and why they had to keep it a secret than it did corporate law. The author, even though he is a practicing lawyer in Boston, did not seem to have trouble poking fun at the "proper" way that lawyers should behave and advance in their careers. I found it amusing that even though Derek didn't necessarily believe in the "aristocratic" ways - he had been working to become a partner for many years.
I found Maria in the beginning to be a little selfish and felt she was using Derek, but she redeemed herself in my eyes in the end. I was afraid this book was going to be a little stuffy - being about a Boston law firm -- but it was very refreshing and very fun to read.
Nibble & Kuhn
Publisher/Publication Date: Academy Chicago Publishers, November 2009
ISBN: 978-0-89733-592-8
279 pages
~This book was provided for review by Academy Chicago Publishers.~
