Law Religion Culture Review

Exploring the intersections of law, religion and culture. Copyright by Richard J. Radcliffe. All rights reserved.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Year in Review, 2011.

Books Read (in no particular order)

1. Fate, Time and Language: An Essay on Free Will (2011) by David Foster Wallace.
2. Forged: Writing in the Name of God--Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are (2011) by Bart D. Ehrman.
3. Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail (2011) by Caitlin Kelly.
4. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (2008) by Tim Keller.
5. Easter Everywhere: A Memoir (2008) by Darcey Steinke.
6. The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (2011) by Sam Harris.
7. Laker Girl (2010) by Jeannie Buss & Steve Springer.
8. Conservative Assault on the Constitution (2010) by Erwin Chemerinsky.
9. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.
10. Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter (2009) by Steve Dublanica.
11. Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival (2010) by Norman Ollestad.
12. The Fall of the House of Zeus: The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer (2010) by Curtis Wilkie.
13. Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care & Deceiving Americans (2010) by Wendell Potter.
14. The Grand Design (2010) by Stephen Hawking (& Mlodinow).
15. Griftopia (2010) by Matt Taibbi.
16. Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN (2011) by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales.
17. On B___S___ (2005) by Harry G. Frankfurt.
18. Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived (2011) by Rob Bell.
19. Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Roadtrip With David Foster Wallace (2010) by David Lipsky.
20. The Pale King (2011) (CD, unabridged) by David Foster Wallace.
21. Divinity of Doubt: The God Question (2011) by Vincent Bugliosi.
22. Truth and Consequences: Life Inside the Madoff Family (2011) by Laurie Sandell.
23. The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin (2011) by Joe McGinniss.
24. Of Thee I Zing (2011) by Laura Ingraham with Raymond Arroyo.


Losses Sustained

Christopher Hitchens

Concerts Experienced

1. 311/Sublime
2. Chicago
3. Sade/John Legend
4. blink182/My Chemical Romance

Appeal of the Year

Appealed ruling of trial court refusing to compel arbitration. The trial court determined that the arbitration clause in a franchise agreement was purportedly "unconscionable." Court of appeal reversed on 3-0 vote, holding it was not "unconscionable" and published the opinion, making it precedent throughout the State of California.

Trial of the Year

Client hired law firm to represent him in a securities fraud case, claiming millions in damages. That law firm obtained an award of approximately $30,000. Thereafter, the law firm sued my client for its attorneys' fees approximating half a million dollars. We asserted that the law firm was retained pursuant to a contingency fee agreement, so their fee was about $10,000. While the law firm claimed that it "rescinded" the attorney-client fee agreement due to purported breaches of contract and thus was entitled to it hourly rates of over $550, we argued that rescission was unable under the circumstances and asserted the contingency fee controlled. The trial court agreed with us.

Book of the Year

Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival
(2010) by Norman Ollestad. Beautiful tribute to his father, also named Norman, a California attorney, whose life lessons ended up saving the son's life in a tragic airplane crash that took his father's life.

Film of the Year


Drive with Ryan Gosling. Film noir, the movie does so much with so little words. A testament to fine acting and directing. With his other two movies this year--Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love--no actor had a stronger triad this year.

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