Authors:Brian M. Felgoise and DavidTabasky

Publisher:Speaking Volumes, Inc

Brian M.Felgoise has been an attorney practicing class-action law for overtwenty-five years, including cases where tons of greenbacks have beenrecovered for class members who lost substantial sums of money. DavidTabasky has written several novels.

With BookOne of the Filthy Rich Lawyers: The Education of Ryan Coleman,they have crafted a tale about a young brash Philadelphia attorney,Ryan Coleman, who finds himself over his head when he becomesenmeshed with a superstar, filthy wealthy class-action attorney,Randy Hollis.

Thenarrative takes off when Coleman shows up in the East Cabell FederalCourthouse in Dallas to collect his fees for a class-actionlitigation. This was Coleman’s first significant securities classaction, and he was resolved to ensure his claim, which was twohundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. He had succeeded ingetting the defendants, because of their actions, to compensate twoand a half million dollars to the plaintiff, which had caused theplaintiff to pay their attorneys five million dollars. What’s amillion here or there? Representing Coleman in the Dallas courtroomis a local attorney, Bill Waterman, who was serving as an appointedattorney, as Coleman was not certified to practice law in Texas.

Before theonset of the proceedings, Waterman orders Coleman that whatever cropsup in the court processes, he is to shut up and not speak unlessspoken to by the judge. As we read on, this soon will develop intoprudent advice. Coleman doesn’t obey Waterman’s advice andaddresses Judge Brenda Glynn without obtaining her permission. Thejudge admonishes Coleman on his gall to talk out of turn andquestions how he reached his fee. She approves Coleman’s fees atthe end of her storm of humiliating remarks.

His time ina Texas courtroom was just the introduction to his education in theworld of “legal mumbo jumbo, courthouse theater and massivesettlements, with unheard-of rewards for the filthy rich lawyers andother players in a system that enable it all to thrive.”

Watching allof this unfold is the legendary hot-shot Attorney Robert Smalley, whowas so fascinated with Coleman’s chutzpah in persuading the judgethat he deserved his fees that when the two meet the next day, hecharms him by saying: kid, “you got balls.” And this would be thebeginning of Coleman’s inauguration into a universe he could merelyfantasize about. It would be one that transformed his life, notnecessarily for the better, despite all the money and extra perks hewould enjoy. Every moment of his new life would test his moral codeof ethics. So Coleman tells himself, yes, he might have balls, but ifby becoming entangled in this decadent world, did he have brains?

Impressedwith Coleman’s court shenanigans, Smalley invites him to meet himfor a night on the town in New York City. After quite an evening ofdining and wining, Smalley commits to work closely on future cases.

A few weekslater, Coleman meets Smalley in Miami, where he promises to introducehim to the illustrious Randy Hollis. Coleman asks Smalley when hewill meet Hollis, to which Smalley replies, “in due time”-anexpression he would reiterate many times in the future dealing withseveral of Coleman’s queries.

As Colliswill quickly learn, Hollis is thoroughly ferocious and thinks nothingof bumping other lawyers out of the way to take over importantclass-action cases. His existence is one in which beautiful women,unscrupulous and periodically spooky criminal conduct, are ingrainedin his soul. When he sees something he craves, look out. He takes nohostages! In addition, Hollis was hell-bent on acquiring the AFLfootball team, the Los Angeles Flash; however, during his crusade toprocure the franchise, he had become implicated in some seriouscriminal charges laid against him.

One ofColeman’s tasks was to make certain the owners of the other AFLteams accepted the acquisition. If you are speculating what taskSmalley, Hollis, and others have in store for Coleman, he is tobecome “the fixer.” Sound familiar? Michael Cohen and Trump?

In the end,what we have is a caustic narrative rich in humorous episodes thatare frequently surreal. Yet, there is something to be said about thehidden theme of the tale where, in the realm of class-actionattorneys, there is very often disregard for the plaintiffs’interests with the awarding of millions of dollars. Who frequentlybenefits the most from these settlements? The lawyers stride awaywith dumbfounding fees, leaving very little to their clients.

Staytuned for book two.