Thomas Benigno

WHY I WROTE THE GOOD LAWYER BY THOMAS BENIGNO "As a Legal Aid Attorney in the South Bronx in 1982, I handled the grittiest of cases. These cases didn't just include the run-of-the-mill burglaries and robberies or drug deals at a time when miles of square blocks there were leveled to rubble and burnt out buildings seemed to be everywhere. There were much more horrible crimes there. And I was...... defender of all of it. But this is not why I became a lawyer. I wanted to do some good--help the...See more

WHY I WROTE THE GOOD LAWYER BY THOMAS BENIGNO "As a Legal Aid Attorney in the South Bronx in 1982, I handled the grittiest of cases. These cases didn't just include the run-of-the-mill burglaries and robberies or drug deals at a time when miles of square blocks there were leveled to rubble and burnt out buildings seemed to be everywhere. There were much more horrible crimes there. And I was...... defender of all of it. But this is not why I became a lawyer. I wanted to do some good--help the innocent, give the guilty poor a second chance-a chance for a better life outside of prison. I graduated in the top 11% of my law school class. Tried a case in my 3rd year and won. Took the job at Legal Aid in the Bronx to hone my skills for a few years prior to entering private practice. There were high hopes for me. I started out on fire, getting more cases dismissed in Criminal Court than just about anyone. I was cocky, a bit arrogant. I had the makings of one damn good trial lawyer. For my age, I was convinced there was no one better. I had also fallen in love. Didn't think I needed to study for the bar. Then I flunked. When I did pass I was on a mission to prove myself. Failing was humiliating. So I took on the most difficult of cases intent on winning at almost any cost. And I did win, time and again. Rapists, child molesters and drug dealers were freed, and all my doing. Finally, I couldn't take it any more, accolades and all. I was a young man drowning in the conscience of my own success. This was not the boy my Mom raised me to be. She purposely kept me away from my mob connected relatives who were now dropping like flies in burnt out Cadillacs and after hour joints, winding up charred remains of flesh, stuffed in garbage cans, wrapped in plastic. Then a case came through the system. Headlines. No prior arrest record. Horrible crime. He could be innocent. This is why I became a lawyer- to champion for the innocent man. And so life set me up for the greatest fall ever. Years later I couldn't shake what I had done, so I wrote it down. The original title of my novel was "The Confession." Then Grisham came out with it. So why not then..."The Good Lawyer." A fictional account--the names changed to protect the innocent. My name on the cover remains the same. Don't hesitate to give the author feedback after or even during your read of "The Good Lawyer" at: tombenigno@aol.com. Website: facebook.com/TheGoodLawyer See less