New Book Offers Insight Into Personal Injury Trials and Preparation

New Book Offers Insight Into Personal Injury Trials and Preparation

By Tyler Tichelaar

In Approaching the Bench: Tales of a Personal Injury Lawyer, attorney Jan Weinberg shares some of his most fascinating cases over a career that has spanned decades. Beginning with stories of his time at Harvard Law School-years marked by anxiety and skipping classes-to his first assignment to a client while still a law student, and then being a partner in a law firm and finally practicing on his own in Hawaii, Weinberg offers a revealing portrait of not only the clients, judges, and opponents he faced in the courtroom, but also a look at how being a lawyer at times affected his personal life.

Anyone who loves good courtroom drama will find much to enjoy in this book. There are fascinating details about how Weinberg researches his cases and finds precedents for his arguments; there are female clients more interested in hitting on him than having him defend them, and there are some heart-wrenching stories of clients who desperately needed someone to stand up and fight for their rights, and Weinberg was able to do that for them.

While I can't detail every story here, I'll briefly mention a few of my favorites. One case Weinberg wasn't involved in but that was a key case he learned about in law school was the case of the hairy hand-in this case, a doctor did a skin graft by taking skin from a patient's chest and using it for his hand-when chest hair grew on the patient's hand, the patient was not happy. This case is one every good law student apparently knows about.

In Weinberg's first case, which he was assigned while still a law student through Harvard Legal Aid, he handled a divorce. He quickly discovered how much he still needed to learn despite his law school training. His client was getting divorced for the first time, but her friend, who accompanied her to her appointment with Weinberg, had been divorced three times and apparently knew more about court protocol when it came to divorce cases than he did, so he learned a thing or two from her.

In another case, Weinberg was assigned to do some research in a pro bono case where a partner was representing a convicted bank robber in his appeal. The conviction was based on an identification of the client's left elbow that was hanging out of the getaway car's window.

Throughout his career, Weinberg has proven himself very good at researching his cases and preparing for trial as well as examining and cross-examining witnesses. As Weinberg states at one point, "So, if an attorney isn't willing to spend time after hours and on weekends to think about cases while walking, gardening, working out, and even performing basic bodily functions, to research, to question, and to worry, then an area of law other than a personal injury practice would almost certainly be a better fit." Weinberg's stories and results testify to the fact that he was always, like Perry Mason, trying to figure out his cases and strategy from every angle possible.

One story that really made me admire Weinberg's techniques in the courtroom was when he was questioning a doctor who was an expert witness in the trial for his side. Feigning full disclosure, but really to get the jury's sympathy, Weinberg asked the doctor whether it was true that he was a convicted felon. The man replied, "Yes, I am a convicted felon. But, please, may I explain. As I told the jury, I am a Hungarian. You may recall that in 1956, the Soviet Union sent tanks and troops to overtake our country. I was a young man then, and with other young men filled Coke bottles with gasoline and inserted rags in them. We would run up to the tanks, light the rags, and throw the bottles under the tanks. We called ourselves 'freedom fighters.' The Soviets called us 'terrorists.' I was convicted of terrorism and spent two years in a Soviet prison in solitary confinement." Weinberg goes on to say that the doctor "spoke in a mellifluous tone of voice, with a distinct Hungarian accent. His performance was operatic. He was mesmerizing. He spoke directly to the juror who seemed to be attracted to him. She had tears in her eyes as he finished his answer. The Hungarian dance of love looked like it was succeeding."

Plenty of other stories in the book will fascinate, surprise, and entertain readers. One landmark case from 1996 that Weinberg was involved in concerned a pedestrian who was hit by a driver who may have been using a cell phone. This occurred long before there were discussions about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. Ironically, twice during the trial, the driver's cell phone rang, which only made her look worse to the jury. Other stories demonstrate how handwriting samples are used to determine prospective jurors' personalities, and how Weinberg has used mock jury trials to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a case before going to trial.

Approaching the Bench will appeal to law students, lawyers, and anyone else involved with the court system or simply a fan of courtroom drama. I'm sure that after so many years of practicing law, Jan Weinberg has only shared the tip of the iceberg with the stories in this volume. I wouldn't be surprised if he writes another book someday. I'm sure fans of this volume will welcome it.

Article Source: New Book Offers Insight Into Personal Injury Trials and Preparation

New Book Tells Tale of Cleveland Boy Who Overcame Obstacles to Play in the NFL

New Book Tells Tale of Cleveland Boy Who Overcame Obstacles to Play in the NFL

By Tyler Tichelaar

Move over Rudy-Dr. Kenneth Polke is here to tell his own inspiring story of overcoming obstacles to play in the NFL in his new book Conquering Your Adversities.

In this hybrid of a memoir and a self-help book, Dr. Polke shares his inspiring journey, from growing up on the Mafia-ridden streets of Cleveland in the 1950s and going to a Catholic boys school to watching the nation erupt in violence during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, seeing his neighborhood of Collinwood become known as Bomb City, USA, and all the while, staying focused on walking the straight and narrow path that would lead him to his dream of playing in the NFL.

I'm not a football fan, but I always love a good rags-to-riches or dream-come-true story and every page of this book is full of both. One thing I really enjoyed about Conquering Your Adversities is that Dr. Polke contrasted his personal stories with keeping a pulse on what was happening outside his private sphere-in his city and in the nation. As a result, the book was filled with nostalgia about America's best days in the decades following World War II, as well as some of its most turbulent times. At the heart of the story is the Polke family. Dr. Polke describes growing up in a small house in Collinwood with his brother and little sister and later a baby sister. His father read to them and educated them on everything from sports to the Mafia. When his mother was not busy caring for the family, she was working her hands raw at the Jergens factory to make sure they had everything they needed. Dr. Polke's parents were hardworking middle class people who upheld the Ozzie and Harriet values of the 1950s and instilled them in their children, providing them with strength and a moral code to follow when temptation came their way.

And temptation was all around Dr. Polke as a child. His parents sent him to Catholic school to keep him out of the troublesome public schools, but even when surrounded by nuns, he couldn't help getting himself into trouble-stealing communion wine from the church. But far worse, the streets of his neighborhood were controlled by the Mafia, and while Dr. Polke never had direct dealings with them, he was always conscious of them being in his neighborhood; he often had to take cues from his father about how to react to different situations, whom to be friendly with, and whom to avoid.

Foremost among the Mafia figures in the neighborhood was Danny Greene, who would later be the subject of the film Kill the Irishman. Dr. Polke had one memorable run-in with Greene when he was a child-a positive one, fortunately, that allowed him to understand why Greene was venerated as a type of Robin Hood in his community, although he also knew Greene's choices were ultimately a mistake.

When things got rough, Dr. Polke always managed to persevere, but the temptation was ever there to take the easy way to success. When he did not have a lot of money or when his dreams didn't seem like they were going to come true, Dr. Polke occasionally would see rich guys drive by in fancy cars with beautiful babes, and then he would realize that he could be enjoying that lifestyle if he wanted to join organized crime. Instead, he chose sports-specifically football-as his way out.

Dr. Polke's football career is impressive. He may not be a household name today, but he went a lot farther than most who dream of playing professionally. He tells us stories of great moments on the football field in high school. We feel butterflies in our stomachs along with him when he meets with recruiters from different colleges, and ultimately, we feel like falling off our chairs in shock when he finally gets that magical call. I don't want to ruin all the suspense, but I will say that Polke ended up playing for two different NFL teams.

And then, in the end, he walked away from football for something better...

You'll have to read the rest of Dr. Polke's story for yourself, not just to know what happened to him-but to discover what can happen to you. Each chapter of Conquering Your Adversities ends with a series of challenging questions to make readers reflect upon Dr. Polke's story, think about similar challenges they've faced, and figure out how to overcome them. In the end, this book becomes a blueprint for readers to follow their own dreams and achieve success despite any obstacles that stand in their way.

If you want to be inspired, if you love history, if you're from Cleveland, if you love football-heck, if you're a human being, you'll love this book because you'll relate to it and it will help you to conquer your own adversities. There are plenty of self-help books out there, but few can help as much as exploring how someone else overcame difficulties and taking inspiration from his personal story-and Dr. Polke delivers all the way.

Article Source: New Book Tells Tale of Cleveland Boy Who Overcame Obstacles to Play in the NFL

New Book Offers Invitation to Get to Know the "Real" God

New Book Offers Invitation to Get to Know the "Real" God

By Tyler Tichelaar

In Adoring God by Keith Knell we get a look at the true attributes of God. We all have a concept of who God is, whether it's an old man in a white robe on a cloud, or a loving father, or the judge of sinners. Keith Knell, however, asks us to reassess who we think God is. Relying heavily on Scripture-the most reliable source for information about God-he walks readers through God's many attributes, separating the myths and misconceptions from what the Bible says and reminding us not to make the error of seeing God as having human attributes because we are made in His image and not the other way around.

As Keith states early in the book, "Ultimately, my goal in this book is not to teach you how to read and understand the Bible better, but for you to get to know God better, to understand Him more fully and love Him more deeply." Keith wants us to reread the Bible, asking ourselves in the process, "What does this passage reveal about God?" After all, Keith points out, "The Bible is primarily about God unveiling and revealing parts of who He is!"

Keith then walks us through the attributes of God, devoting chapters to such topics as God's holiness, His truth, how He is unchanging, and how He is merciful. But Keith also makes us realize that the Bible is not always presenting us with a loving God who will forgive us and only let people like Hitler burn in Hell. For me, the most rewarding and challenging parts of Adoring God were these chapters where Keith looks at some of the seemingly harsher aspects of God's character, including His jealousy and His wrath; again relying heavily upon Scripture, Keith shows how these aspects of God's character are not contradictory but righteous and part of God's overall perfection.

The result is a very eye-opening portrait of God that can result not only in increased love and devotion toward God but also facing some hard truths for the reader-truths that even Keith has struggled with, as clear from the Contemplations sections that end each chapter. In these sections, the reader can pray to God and ask for insight and better understanding. One such Contemplation reads:

"Wow. It boggles my mind to think that You don't consider what we would think of as 'the right thing to do.' You considered what You wanted, and did it. And that made it right. Now that's supremacy. You are what is 'right.' I don't have to spend time arguing with myself over whether something You chose to do was right or not. It is a given. It was right because You decreed it. How unsearchable are Your judgments and unfathomable Your ways!"
Another point Keith makes that many Christians today may try to ignore is that God is wrathful:

"Many people don't believe God is wrathful at all... And some who agree with the truth that God is wrathful, nevertheless make excuses for Him or feel the need to apologize for this part of who He is. Some think that if He was wrathful, then that was the 'Old God,' long ago from the Old Testament past, and that He has changed, matured."

Keith goes on to explain that God is wrathful, but He is just and righteous in being so. Furthermore, Keith denies the modern notion that God can mature or evolve. He quotes the Puritan writer Stephen Charnock to support this point. Charnock says, "What comfort would it be to pray to a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment? Who would put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to grant a petition one day, and deny it another?"

In other words, God is not like you and me. Once we move past that faulty view, we can discover who He truly is, as reflected in Scripture, and as highlighted in this book.

In addition to the main text, Keith quotes many theological giants to support his points. Those writers include A.W. Pink, Thomas Watson, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards, to name just a few.

Perhaps most impressively, the book is a superior example of Bible scholarship. There are over 500 footnotes, most listing multiple Bible verses, not only to back up Keith's statements, but more importantly, to be further reading for the person who truly wants to explore and understand the various attributes of God. Keith asks that people not just read the book, but that they spend a week on each chapter, praying over its message and meditating on the many verses cited. I believe this process would be very beneficial and turn a reading experience into a deeply spiritual one.

In the end, Keith hopes that the result of reading this book will verify the Scripture statement, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8). Whether you are currently a nonbeliever, an active Christian, or somewhere in the middle, Adoring God will give you much food for thought and, ultimately, I believe it will deepen your understanding and relationship with God in surprising and gratifying ways.

Article Source: New Book Offers Invitation to Get to Know the "Real" God