Forrest Gump goes to law school

Attorney John Poswall (Sacramento) tells a story – not merely writes about characters. The book begins and ends at the 30th reunion of the graduating class of ’69 from Boalt Hall, the law school located on the campus of UC Berkeley.

Law students struggle in school, relationships, career choices and finding their place in society. The students become lawyers and the struggles continue. A reader’s journey travels through three decades of success, failure and tragedy. Some of the characters interact with historical figures as they chase success or attempt to make a difference.

I ran into the author at a bookstore hawking his book, The Lawyers: Class of '69, front and center to passersby. Frankly, I expected the book to be a vanity publication with little substance by an incredibly successful lawyer – success describes John Poswall. I was pleasantly surprised.

Early chapters are so well-written that I felt as if I was reliving a nightmare. I was forced to avoid reading too close to sleeping. Later chapters brought introspection - the ‘60’s, making a difference, family and responsibility. Not your typical lawyer book.

Note: The first customer review at Amazaon.com is by the late Congressman Robert T. Matsui, he gave the book five stars – I unreservedly agree.