Donna Bader Book
Review Personal Injury Handbook
By Larry Booth and Roger Booth James Publishing
Okay, I’ll admit it. Sometimes I just
want to take the easy way out. I can get cranky reading about theories, psychology and procedural maneuvering. There is simply too much information out there. Who wants to spend hours on how best to take a deposition with a difficult witness? Or which comes first . . . interrogatories or depositions? Sometimes I just want some- one to provide a roadmap, and if it makes sense to me, I am going to follow it. That’s what the Personal Injury
Handbook provides. It is written by two of the heavyweights in plaintiffs’ personal injury work. Larry Booth has been around since 1959, first starting in entertainment law, and veering off into criminal law, spending a few years prosecuting, then defending criminal cases. He worked for Silver & McWilliams, later Silver, McWilliams & Booth, in Los Angeles for over 20 years, concentrating on construc- tion and product liabilities cases. Booth opened his firm, Booth & Koskoff, in 1984, concentrating on personal injury and death cases. He was elevated to the Inner Circle of Advocates, a national organization of the top 100 trial lawyers, and in 1978 he served as the president of CAALA, the largest organization of trial lawyers in the country. His son and co-author, Roger Booth, also a CAALA member, began his career
in 1991 and joined his father in 1997, where he also specializes in personal injury and death cases. What they have done is put together
a book, complete with a CD-Rom (of the entire book), which includes 140 forms, 60 checklists and numerous tips, plus 14 chapters on specific personal injury cases. This loose-leaf 600 page annually supple- mented book is available for $99 from
www.jamespublishing.com In the first two chapters, the authors
write about “Taking and Investigating a Case,” which generally applies to all per- sonal injury cases. They include interview forms for your new client to fill out. They also include client handouts, including a “Client Confidential Information Booklet” and “A Few Facts about Liability Cases.” In those handouts, the authors stress to their clients that complete information must be disclosed to the attorneys. The Booths also advise their clients about the principles of comparative negligent, set- tlement and case worth. Chapter Two covers “Discovery and
Trial.” Yes, I know, how can you cover both in one chapter? Remember, we are taking the quick and easy route. For example, the authors strongly recom- mend hiring an investigator as soon as possible, and never to rely on either the
ELIOT LEE GROSSMAN, ESQ. CONTRACT ATTORNEY
Personal Injury Workers’
Compensation Criminal Defense
• Appearances • Depositions • Mediations • Arbitrations • Trial Preparation • Research & Writing
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA (626) 417-8128 •
sinjusticia@juno.com
32 years experience. Fluent Spanish. $60 per hour. 86— The Advocate Magazine JUNE 2011
police report or unsigned statements. Get those photos and medical records ASAP. End of story, no discussion, just do it! After that, Chapters 3-16, cover spe-
cific types of cases, including medical mal- practice, construction site accident, and premises liability. The book even includes some unusual cases, such as railroad crossings, dog bites, and collisions with livestock on roadways. The authors have many years of experi-
ence and a string of successful verdicts and settlements to show for it. Just take a look at their Web site at
www.boothkoskoff.com. They have tried over 70 jury trials and often received settlements over $1 million. That is an understatement because the summary reveals settlements of $28.9 million, $17 million, $13 million, etc. Enough said. They have the credentials to make me listen.
A roadmap The Booths do not engage in much
discussion about theories or different approaches. What they are presenting to their readers is a roadmap that shows what works for them. If you accept that the authors know what they are doing, then you follow their advice. You might have other ideas, but the book can work as a resource and a simple checklist. Most personal injury attorneys have
form folders that cover the entire process from the retainer agreement to the end of the trial. You can reinvent the wheel or take what is given here and adapt it to your personal style. Or you could just accept the authors know what they are talking about and follow along. If you want to ponder the psychological aspects of depositions or mediation, then you will have to go elsewhere. This book is simple and doesn’t waste any time. Let’s take the chapter on dog bites.
Now I subscribe to the theory that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners, but if your client gets bitten, you might disagree and believe that something went wrong in Fido’s family. You will want to know what
See Book Review Page 88
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