FIFTY YEARS AT THE BAR

Barbara Del Buono

An intriguing peek at the life of a solo-practitioner of the law

written by his secretary

who also accompanied him through this journey as his loving, admiring wife.

True, entertaining, interesting life of a first generation Italian/American lawyer practicing all alone for over fifty years in the trenches of the legal system. He never became famous , he lived a quiet life in his hometown and fought for the legal rights of the people he represented. He represents the millions of lawyers in small town all over America who are like the privates in the army on the front line of battle. They will never know the glories of being a general but they defend the legal rights of their clients daily.

It is somewhat lighthearted and sometimes serious as he handles the cases of ordinary citizens who cam to him with their legal problems during his “fifty years at the bar”.

He turned out to be an extraordinary ordinary lawyer.

BOOK REVIEWS:

“The book delves into his experience in the trenches of the legal system – most of which came out of the public eye…the book details that lighter side of his career – most notably, many funny incidents with clients – without forgetting his impact on some of the state’s ground-breaking cases.”

Town Times

“Not your local pub…I think it’s a love story…wonderful book about your life together and his life as a lawyer…delightful easy read, I can get right in there with you…stories with humor, stories that are a little bit sad…with photographs of the people who were important in your journey.”

Carol Moore, VIGNETTE

“For 50 years, John Del Buono was a solo practitioner lawyer. His career, including its origins and most famous cases are chronicled in “Fifty Years At The Bar”.

Sunday Republican

READERS TESTIMONIAL:

“What a treat! I could not put it down…what an adventure! John is such an honorable man who lives in faith as a way of life, as through the trials and adventures the evidence is that God is the priority in your lives…” Annie Gunn

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Dream

Law School

The Law Firm

The Yankee in Rebel Territory Goes Home

John A. Del Buono, Attorney-At-Law

“Sonny” the Shyster Lawyer

The General Practice of Law

“Who Says You Can’t Fight City Hall”

“Beware of the Lawyer with One Case”

Wiretapping Lawyers is a No-No

The Three Headed Dragon

Lawyer Advertising

Don’t Blame the Children

Resigning from the American Bar Association

Suing a Lawyer Can Be Vexatious

An Honor from the Connecticut Bar Association

The Lone Eagle

Everyone’s At Fault

Changes in the Law in Fifty Years

The Dancing Lawyer

EXCERPT:

If the practice of law is done with the attitude of seeking justice for your client every time you represent one, it becomes a noble profession. But the strange thing about the law is that it is not a mathematical science, nor is it a political orchestration. It is always at least a two-sided argument and there will always be no less than two legal gladiators in the arena seeking to slay their opponent with facts, logic, reason, law and conterevidence. A lawyer must think through every aspect of the matter that he is handling and never allow himself to assume that he is right on every point he has encountered. He must go over and over each component in the case trying to unveil any arguments he has not considered. Mathematicians find this kind of reasoning dizzying in its inability to be finalized. Politicians use its wavering to circumvent its meaning.

I happen to believe that lawyers are very special people with intricate minds that always surprise me in the twists and turns they take in trying to solve legal problems. They intrigue me, fascinate me, surprise me and make me in awe of their talent.