Lust For Justice: The Radical Life and Law of J. Tony Serra

Editorial Reviews. Review. "This book, Lust for Justice -The Radical Life & Law of J. Tony Serra, is the story of his life. I am glad there are a few (and there are.
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Nov 16, Cathy Scott rated it it was amazing. Courtroom artist, and now author, Paulette Frankl spent 17 years following Serra--and tracking him down--from courtroom to courtroom. It was in one of those courtrooms, this one in Las Vegas, where I first met Paulette. It was and I was in Clark County District Court to cover the Ted Binion case--the first of two Binion trials--and Paulette was there to sketch and paint the goings-on for news outlets.

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We became fast friends. During a dinner Courtroom artist, and now author, Paulette Frankl spent 17 years following Serra--and tracking him down--from courtroom to courtroom. During a dinner downtown near the courthouse after a day in court, I vividly remember Paulette telling me about the book and her work-in-progress. I also remember her saying, "I'm not a writer. Earlier, when a phone call came in to Serra's office asking Tony to consider defending Tabish, Paulette happened to be sitting in Tony's office. After all, she had first-hand knowledge after sitting through every moment of the first lengthy trial--the biggest trial, which ended in guilty verdicts, Las Vegas had seen in recent history.

She believed the defendants needed a lawyer like Tony on their side. For the second trial, with Tony at the helm, the case ended in murder acquittals for Serra's client, Tabish, as well as co-defendant Murphy. Binion died from an overdose of prescription and street drugs, which Binion had himself purchased. The prosecution, however, charged Tabish and Murphy with forcing the drugs on Binion, despite no physical evidence against them. In the midst of the retrial, with nightly prepping for the next day's proceedings, Serra took time out to attend an evening fundraiser where Paulette's art was featured.

Paulette Frankl's book, with a foreword by attorney Gerry Spence, had been hatched more than a decade earlier.

And while she had interviewed Serra multiple times, the idea and content for the book morphed from her early interviews and Tony's soliloquies to the completed literary work we see today, which vividly covers Serra in action in the courtroom. Yet, Paulette doesn't paint a percent positive portrayal of Serra. She includes the flawed man as well. Despite his foibles, Serra has a following that reaches far and wide.

He also successfully represented Huey Newton, leader of the Black Panther Party in a murder trial and represented individuals from groups as diverse and politically charged as the White Panthers, Hells Angels, Earth First! I am so proud of Paulette and her tireless, nearly two-decade effort in capturing lightning in a bottle and pulling together this beautifully written tome.


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And I'm proud to call her friend. She is, after all, an artist first, and the artist's brush is evident in her words alongside her illustrations of Tony, which are sprinkled throughout the text.

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Tony, a self-described "street lawyer," is anti-establishment, taking a vow of poverty early on not to become a rich lawyer off of the backs of those who need a fair hand in the criminal justice system. He drives old cars, wears second-hand suits, and lives weekends with his longtime girlfriend in the sleepy beach town of Bolinas and weekdays in a modest North Beach apartment in San Francisco near his co-op law office. He owns nothing and only asks for payment to cover his basic expenses. Still, his vow of poverty landed him in hot water a couple of times with the IRS for not filing tax returns.

When Tony, celebrated by filmmakers and fellow lawyers as an advocate for the downtrodden, was sent to the Lompoc Federal Prison Camp for 10 months in for tax evasion, he assisted fellow inmates with their legal appeals. Also while incarcerated, he corresponded with Paulette. At one point, Paulette sent Tony a painting she titled "Desert Landscape.

Gives me a lift sometimes when the mind drips dreary. I'm leaner and stronger. I'm ready for my murder trial re-entry in March. I've had a sufficient "retreat"; I'm ripe to join the struggle again. Serra's fight for the underdog goes on, and Paulette artfully covered his unwavering quest for justice in this painstaking work. Reprinred from Women in Crime Ink www. Sep 12, Susan Dudney rated it it was amazing. Mar 18, Sue rated it it was amazing.

I loved it; it has everything. I also thought it was very well-written by a wonderful soul about a wonderful soul. The particular book that has fallen into my hands has been personally autographed by the author. I shall cherish it all the more. Tony Serra handled my parents' divorce, finalized August , so I have a special link to this guy.

Reading about him, he probably did it pro bono. Nov 16, Victoria Pynchon is currently reading it. I met Tony Serra many years ago when I was in law school. When I'm further into the book I'll share my toughts about it. Brandon Waltrip rated it really liked it Jan 06, Karen Signell rated it it was amazing Jul 11, Alicia rated it it was amazing Mar 25, Kemi rated it it was ok Sep 06, Steven rated it it was amazing Feb 10, Nancy Mcnally rated it it was amazing Jul 05, Chris rated it really liked it Apr 20, The Radical Life and Law of J.

Tony Serra is a non-fiction biographical account by author and courtroom artist Paulette Frankl about renowned counterculture defense attorney J. Serra began his practice in the s, an era he has called the golden age of law. Frankl, a courtroom artist, spent more than a decade following Serra from courtroom to courtroom, sketching and painting him as he defended clients, many of whom were charged with murder. The first large case she attended was Serra's representation of Ellie Nesler , who, during a court hearing, gunned down and killed her son's accused molester.

After watching Serra's performance during Nesler's trial, Frankl told Serra, "Let's do a book -- your words, my art," according to The Sixties blog.

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Frankl and Serra "scribbled out an agreement" on the hood of her car in a parking lot. But as time went on, it became evident Serra was too busy in court to write his autobiography, and Frankl began penning a biography. It also includes Serra's two prison terms for tax evasion. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Leah Garchik quoted Serra as saying, at the end of the book, "By nature, I'm egotistic, self-centered, domineering, obsessive and vain.

Yet these are the qualities, shallow as they may be, that allow me to dominate in court. Those are things I still believe in. In May , Frankl sat on a panel at the annual Law Journal Summit, titled "Justice by the Book," with Serra and two legal writers, Mary McDonagh Murphy and Sheldon Siegel , with Serra being billed as a "fiery, counter-culture defense attorney considered to be among the very best in the nation.

Told by a woman who was there for much of the story, Lust for Justice certainly lives up to its red-blooded title.