Synopses & Reviews
A woman seeking a divorce has no idea of the family finances--her husband doled out money only after she gave him requisition slips for her intended purchases. A lesbian couple wants to include their sperm donor in their child's life--the sperm donor is the brother of one partner, so he will be the biological father as well as the child's uncle. These are the clients who come knocking on family lawyer Margaret Klaw's door, hoping for resolution.
Keeping It Civil looks at hot-button issues, such as new reproductive technologies and gay marriage, through the lens of ordinary people seeking counsel. A case about a prenuptial agreement becomes a meditation on the financial independence of women. A father who sues for custody because his ex-wife sends their son to school in slippers offers a look at how a lawyer selects what is relevant when pleading a case, and how a judge determines what makes a "good" parent.
We accompany Klaw as she negotiates with opposing counsel, prepares witnesses for testimony, sifts through legal precedents to develop her courtroom strategy, presents an argument to the judge, and keeps her clients in check. Like the medical observations of Atul Gawande and Oliver Sacks, these actual cases reveal our cultural biases and make for addictive reading, while offering a deeper understanding of what we talk about when we talk about family.
Review
"Margaret Klaw's keen observations about the law and human nature are eye-opening and jaw-dropping. This book shows how today's cultural conflicts are played out in the lives of ordinary families in true-life cases that involve love, money, sex, betrayal, and power. A must read!" Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of the legal thrillers "Save Me" and "Think Twice"
Review
"Margaret Klaw has captured the drama, conflict, intensity, and the rapidly changing practice of family law." David Rudovsky, civil rights lawyer and senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Review
"Conversational, entertaining . . . informative and smart . . . An accessible description of an intricate field of law, examined in an open-hearted style." --Kirkus Reviews Review
Review
"This book shows how today's cultural conflicts are played out in the lives of ordinary families in true-life cases that involve love, money, sex, betrayal, and power . . . Margaret Klaw's keen observations about the law and human nature are eye-opening and jaw-dropping. A must-read!" --Lisa Scottoline, author of
Come Home
"Conversational, entertaining . . . Informative and smart . . . An accessible description of an intricate field of law, examined in an open-hearted style." --Kirkus Reviews
"With this eminently readable book, Margaret Klaw has captured the drama, conflict, intensity, and rapidly changing practice of family law. She shows how lawyers can be zealous advocates while retaining a sense of humor and humility." --David Rudovsky, civil rights lawyer and Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Reviews
Review
"With a lawyer's mind and a writer's heart, Klaw brings a deeper understanding of the way cultural attitudes about sex, money, women and relationships influence the law--and vice versa. Keeping It Civil grants access to Klaw's most intriguing cases, exploring today's hot button issues through the lens of ordinary people seeking counsel." --Philadelphia Tribune
"What doesn't happen very often is that I read a book straight through, but that's what I did with Keeping It Civil. I just couldn't stop myself. That's because author and Pennsylvania 'Super Lawyer' Margaret Klaw shares her cases with excitement, energy, and compassion here." --The Bookworm Sez
"It is both Klaw's legal expertise and her warmheartedness that make this book so approachable--and her terrific prose doesn't hurt, either. I especially recommend this for book groups, where discussions about these ethical and legal dilemmas will no doubt be spirited." --Bookpage
"An excellent, non-technical crash course on how and why lawyers do what they do . . . This book accomplishes an admirable goal: to foreground the humanity in the halls of justice." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Love can be messy, and law is just as complicated. Klaw's book reminds readers that nothing about law is impersonal. Instead, human emotion remains the glue of the legal system, societal norms, and family law." --Foreword Reviews
"Conversational, entertaining . . . Informative and smart . . . An accessible description of an intricate field of law, examined in an open-hearted style." --Kirkus Reviews
"Margaret Klaw's keen observations about the law and human nature are eye-opening and jaw-dropping. This book shows how today's cultural conflicts are played out in the lives of ordinary families in true-life cases that involve love, money, sex, betrayal, and power. A must read!"
Synopsis
Provocative true cases that explore the intersection of our most intimate relationships and the law--and offer a window into how we define a family today.
A woman seeking a divorce has no idea of the family finances--her husband doled out money only after she gave him requisition slips for her intended purchases. A lesbian couple wants to include their sperm donor in their child's life--the sperm donor is the brother of one partner, so he will be the biological father as well as the child's uncle. These are the clients who come knocking on family lawyer Margaret Klaw's door, hoping for resolution.
About the Author
Margaret Klaw is a founding partner of Berner Klaw & Watson, a family law firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named by Martindale-Hubbell as a “Preeminent Woman Lawyer,” she has been recognized as a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” for the past five years. An adjunct professor of family law at Temple University’s Law School, she speaks frequently on family law and blogs for the Huffington Post and DailyWorth.com.