The Man to See: Edward Bennett Williams
By Evan Thomas
Simon & Schuster 1992, 592 pages, $32.35 paperback

A superb biography of Williams (1920-1988), the brilliant and powerful Washington, DC, trial lawyer whose clients included politicians (Joe McCarthy), Hollywood stars (Frank Sinatra), underworld figures (Jimmy Hoffa), media moguls (Hugh Hefner), and billionaires (Michael Milken). In his day he was the highest-paid lawyer in America ($1,000 per hour). He owned the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Orioles. A champion of civil liberties, he was at the top of President Nixon’s enemies list—even though he was an arch-conservative who support Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court. According to the author, he was “addicted to fame, power, and wealth.” This “brutally honest” (NY Times) book reveals a lot about not only Williams the man, but also American politics and the legal system. The author Thomas was Newsweek’s Washington Bureau chief. (Click on the image for more details, or to purchase the book.)

Lawyer: A Life Of Counsel And Controversy
By Arthur Liman
Public Affairs 2002, 416 pages, $18.00 paperback

High-powered trial lawyer Liman (1933-1997) is best known as chief counsel to the Senate committee investigating the Iran-Contra affair, the White House’s arms-for-hostages scheme in 1986-87. He famously grilled Col. Oliver North in televised hearings. In this autobiography, Liman “portrays a Reagan White House out of control, run by zealous aides. He lambastes the Reagan administration for its disdain for constitutional procedures and its use of covert actions circumventing our system of checks and balances” (Publishers Weekly). He actively opposed capital punishment based on its racist imbalances. He represented blue chip clients (Time Warner, Weyerhaeuser, Pennzoil, Heinz, CBS, Calvin Klein), shady characters (Robert Vesco, Dennis Levine, Michael Milken), and the City of New York. He was known as a brilliant legal strategist and master of cross-examination, especially when representing white collar defendants and people charged with securities fraud. Robert M. Morgenthau, former United States Attorney in Manhattan, said, ”He can take a witness’s socks off, leaving his shoes still on and securely tied.” (Click on the image for more details, or to purchase the book.)