The Litigators

Written by John Grisham

Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris

The Partners at Finley & Figg - all two of them - often refer to themselves as 'a boutique law firm.' 'Boutique,' as in chic, selective and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who've been in the trenches much too long making much too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple, but somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy offices in southwest Chicago.

And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks out of his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our 'boutique firm'. Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he's suddenly unemployed, any job - even one with Finley & Figg - looks OK to him.

With their new junior partner on board, F&F are ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make them rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx , the no. 1 cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire as several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money.

A little online research confirms Wally's suspicions - a huge plaintiff's firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg have to do is find a handful of people who had a heart attack while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won't even have to enter a courtroom!

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

(P)2011 Random House Audio

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Oct 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781444730128

Reviews for The Litigators

[auntieg0412 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The classic battle between good and evil -- Grisham does this so well with his good-hearted, idealistic, usually completely broke young lawyers taking on big, bad law firms and evil corporations (both of whom always have very deep pockets) and winning against all odds. It may be unrealistic and formulaic but, after all, one of the reasons I read novels is to escape the real world for a while. I found The Litigators to be a quite satisfying read.

[imyknott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely fabulous read. A great storyline that features David Zinc who begins the book in a very high powered legal firm and very soon moves from them into a small partnership where we see them take on a big pharmaceutical company with disastrous results. However with David's tenacity the small legal partnership move on to a more appropriate legal route. A pleasure to read and I am surprise there isn't, as far as I am aware, a sequel.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two street lawyers are joined by a disillusioned corporate lawyer as they pursue a drug company.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Typical John Grisham. Couldn't put it down.

[soosthemoose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An entertaining and at times humorous book.

[tmph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crazy story. Crazy characters. And, a perfectly decent ending.

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was not the greatest novel ever written or even Greshem's greatest novel but it was a really pleasant read. Two ambulance chasing lawyers are joined by a refugee from a soul sucking large firm to fight legal battles - some they win, some they lose.

[henrimoreaux · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Litigators is a bit different in tone to the usual Grisham book, however that is in no way a bad thing, in fact I quite enjoyed the lighter moments within this book.It's the kind of book that once you begin, you have a hard time putting it down, whilst for a few moments I was worried there might be some rehashing of plot lines from King of Torts that thankfully was not the case beyond some vague similarities due to one of the topics at hand, tort litigation. However here it was more about the maneuverings of the small struggling law firm than the rampant greed we saw in King of Torts.Overall, it was a gripping read that had be glued to the book to the extent that I finished it in a day. Would recommend for those who enjoy legal thrillers.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh.. how long until the next John Grisham?? I loved The Confession and I loved this book!

[paperdust · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Character cliches in stereotypical roles; corporate vs boutique firm; pharmaceutical greed; culminate in closing arguments and predictable ending.

[decaturmamaof2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining... Much more humorous than other Grisham novels I've read... A refreshing take on the 'legal thriller' genre, with some truly entertaining characters.

[earthwind_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

9.8.2018 A five year veteran of corporate giant law firm one day has an awakening, de-combusts, and then walks into the other side of . . .everything. Funny, sad, scary, compelling and oh so Grisham.

[ginafava · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This hilarious law firm must be based on the circus nuts I worked for during law school! No wonder I walked away (ran) from practice! The boutique firm in Grisham's novel will crack you up, however, and engage you with federal courtroom procedure, as well as some personal drama on the side. Though the hero is one to root for, the hijinx of the partners is dry and cliche at times. The ending is satisfying, and I'd recommend it for a car ride or light beach reading.

[fernemysteryreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the very first pages, I knew I'd enjoy this Grisham novel and found myself routing for David Zinc from the moment that he climbed back on the elevator and decided there had to be a better way than the long, grueling, thankless, billable hours in a prestigious downtown Chicago megafirm. He was on the "fast track" but at age 31, there comes a morning when he decides he’s done with being a part of the corporate law firm way of life.

I loved the character of Rochelle, the office secretary at Finley & Figg. Her morning routine at the office made me smile every time it was described.

This is definitely one of the Grisham novels I've enjoyed the most - not as a legal thriller - just due to the characters of David and Rochelle.

[pilgrimjess · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I feel that it is only fair to admit upfront that I am a huge fan of Grisham's books and have read the vast majority of his books, legal or otherwise.Now I have got to admit that when I initially started this book I honestly felt that it was going to be a disappointment, it just seemed like a rehash from some of his earlier novels. Overworked but well paid, under-sexed lawyer= The Firm, chasing ambulances, personal injury and divorce cases = Street Lawyer, mass liability case = King of Torts. However right from the start there was a sense of humour that was missing from all the above and this became more and more apparant as the book progressed.The book showed the seedier side of the American legal profession as the little guy battled the giant corporation but I actually felt rather sorry for all the participants other than the Tort lawyers. Wally and Oscar had their problems but were basically pretty nice guys, the drugs company were protecting a safe product for seriously over-weight people, the toy company were trying to do the right thing and even Nadine Karros was only doing the job that she was handsomely paid to do but eventually stopped short of doing a real hatchet job.Now while the general plot was pretty unbelievable, not in your wildest dreams, and the ending was fairly predictable, if you are, like me, a fan of Grisham's work then this is one of his better ones. If you are a novice to his works, then this book is not a bad place to start

[bness2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This my first Grisham Novel to read. It was a good book, but not a great one. It is a fairly straightforward legal tale following an attorney who leaves a large, prestigious legal firm because he is tired of the 80 hour work week. By chance he settles into boutique practice run by two street lawyers with questionable ethics. It all works out in the end. Pretty slow read for first half, mildly suspenceful in the second half.

[phyllis.shepherd · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I did not finish this book; it was just too boring.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Classic grisham, little more needs to be said really. Small town lawyer goes up against the big guns, wins some loses some. Family and human relationships remain important, and the effect of work pressures on the lives around them is always one of his key themes. The drama is all added from the court scenes, where lawyers remain scrupulously polite, but naturally seek the fullest advantage that their resources can give them. The same negatives that appear in his other work can also be found here of course. It remains a testament to old white men, and while Grisham tries hard to include a diverse range of characters they never come to life and never really feel believable. Enjoyable read, if you've never read any Grisham, this is as good a place to start as ever. It's not classic literature, and it's never pretended to be, but worht thinking about all the same.

[jgoto_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another highly entertaining legal thriller from John Grisholm.

[mtlkch-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointed in the ending.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It took me a while to get into this book. Grisham's plots never go quite how I expect. I expected the trial about CrayOx, but even when all the big law firms pulled out and left Finley & Figg to try the case on their own because the drug wasn't causing the problems they'd thought, I still expected some big, last-minute revelation that would turn the case around and win it for them. Instead, the win came from David Zinc pursuing a product liability case he'd found on his own. Lead paint in a children's toy called Nasty Teeth that had poisoned a young boy who is the grandson of a housekeeper. David turns the experience he gets in federal court and the success of settling the Nasty teeth case into his new specialty. I sort of expected David to buy out Finley and stay on at the law firm--all 3 did form a partnership for a year, so it did happen as I expected in a way, just not in the exact way that I thought it would.

[bravenewbks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Writing and plot-wise, this probably only deserved three stars -- it was perfectly enjoyable, but nothing terribly impressive. However, the big case is a class action lawsuit against a big pharmaceutical company for a drug named Krayoxx that allegedly causes heart attacks. Since I just wrapped up a case where we represented a big pharmaceutical company in a lawsuit alleging that there were undisclosed cardiovascular risks to a drug that also ended in "oxx," I found myself unduly fascinated by the subject matter.

It also helped that the opening chapter involves a lawyer at a Biglaw firm suddenly and dramatically deciding that enough is enough... his exit may play into my work-related fantasies for years to come.

[likos77_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ein Buch mit Tempo und sympathischen Hauptcharakteren, die zwar im Kampf David gegen Goliath untergehen, im Endeffekt aber mit einem blauen Auge herauskommen.

[johnfishlock · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A weak story, not even close to his other work

[marshapetry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not much of a fiction reader so don't place too much weight on this... but I wasn't all that crazy about this book. It was interesting to hear legalese in action but I guess I expected to have more plot twists and surprises. It seems to be a light hearted book so I thought there'd be more "fun"... now I will say that the opening chapters were great, as we meet David Zinc with great comedy, but then the book sort dragged as it got deeper into the cases and the ending was just a plain case ending. So... thumbs up for lots of comedy but then boo for the banal endings.

[mainrun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The start of this book didn't work well for me. It took too long. One lawyer quit his job in a rather exciting way. A couple of other lawyers day-to-day work was described in a comical way. Eventually things started to progress, and a couple unrelated cases were taken up by those three lawyers who were now working together. My favorite part of the book was the end, when one of the cases went to trial. Heart attacks, AWOL lawyers, and interesting court action scenes were well done.

[sesquipedaliansays · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had spent an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing, and I was absolutely bored. While trying to figure out what to read, my boyfriend called with the suggestion that I try a John Grisham. Upon entering our family kitchen, I noticed this novel on the kitchen table and picked it up. Afterwards, I just could not put it down. While the character development was rather lengthy and there was a lot of bad language, the book itself and its eccentric characters were astounding. I loved every minute of this wacked out tale. Rating - 4 star due to language

[cindyb29 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

characters very black and white; surprising that a lawyer would write so venomously about his profession. good story, predictable ending, fast read.

[carebear10712 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually really liked this one; it was a nice, light, easy read. I've started getting tired of Grisham novels, more so since becoming an attorney, but this one was funny and I enjoyed the characters.

[piersanti-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grisham's books are always good. This wasn't one of his best, but still interesting.