A Deadly Legacy
In 1870, after ceding millions of acres of land to the United States Government by treaties, the Osage Indians purchased a parcel of ground as their "reservation," hoping to live in peace with the white man forevermore. At the turn of the 20th century, an enormous amount of petroleum was found on the land. As a result, all members of the Osage Nation became wealthy. Their descendants continue to reap financial benefits from oil companies to this day. However, in the 1920s, white men committed many murders to take the oil money from the Osage. It took the FBI years to capture and convict the criminals. Now, almost a hundred years later, the legacy of death is revived...
ROXY BLUES
Roxy-Blues... ever hear of the term? It isn’t about music, it’s a slang term for a powerful pain-relieving medication called RoxyContin, which contains 30 milligrams of OxyCodone. It is sometimes called “Hillbilly Heroin”. Quite often, as in this book, people who are seriously injured are given the medication by their treating physicians to relieve pain. Once the doctor discontinues treatment, patients who have become dependent on the drug find themselves compelled to obtain it illegally.
This is a story about addiction, crime, entrapment, search and seizure, dependency court, the loss of a child to the state, imprisonment and, in the end, the hope of recovery. It is, as with all my books, based on true stories and the law is as accurate as I know it to be. It isn’t far-fetched to say that it could happen to any of us
Father, I Must Go
This book is a biographical account of the life of Jorge Frias, a Mestizo from Progreso, Mexico, a city on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, who left his homeland to come to America. After nineteen years in the U.S. he was deported. His tale, as told to me, begins when he, as a young man unable to speak English, finds his way across the country, meets people, makes friends and, in his words, follows the wind. Jorge tells how he found his way in "El Norte," why he did it, about being deported, and why he wants to return.
Thousand Yard Stare
George Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968 after graduating from high school rather than waiting to be drafted. After serving two tours of duty in Vietnam, first as a wheel and track mechanic and then as a crew chief on a Chinook helicopter, he was honorably discharged. He began experiencing painfully exquisite nightmares soon after leaving the Army. He battled through alcohol abuse, a divorce, loss of jobs and other undesirable consequences of what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is a fictionalized account of his story, which includes a trial on charges of aggravated battery and attempted murder resulting from a sudden and inexplicable loss of temper.
A Foreseeable Risk
Ever rent a horse and go off on a trail ride with your family or friends? Did you sign the 'release' you were required to sign before doing so? Ever wonder what would happen if something went wrong on the ride? In this fictitious tale the protagonist, Pete Collins, finds out all about it the hard way after he falls off his horse and is injured. This is a story of a man going from being a virile, young man in the prime of life to being in a wheelchair. It is a story of survival.
Kennedy Homes: An American Tragedy
In late 2003, the owners of a 172 unit housing complex occupied by low-income residents of Gainesville, Florida, decided to shut it down despite having signed a contract with HUD to keep it open for another six years three weeks earlier. A law suit was filed on behalf of the dispossessed tenants by lawyers from Three Rivers Legal Services. This is a true account of that lawsuit and of the conditions under which the tenants were forced to live.The defendants included the largest landlord in the country which was and still is an entity with reported earnings of over 12 Billion dollars per year. This was a battle between David and Goliath. Mr. Kelley was one of the lawyers who represented the tenants.
Asleep at the Wheel
When Craig Forrest, a retired military man, falls asleep at the wheel of his truck as he is returning to Fernandina Beach after spending a weekend fishing in Cedar Key with his best friend, Billy Sizemore, the resulting collsion with a tree caused the death of his passenger. Shortly after the incident, Craig is charged with the crime of DUI Manslaughter. Not long after, he is sued for causing the wrongful death of his friend. Although Craig wants to see Billy's heirs recover from his insurance company, the company has other thoughts. In addition to the possibility of personal financial disaster, as well as psychological problems, he must constantly re-live the incident, which drags on month after month. The attorney appointed by the insurance company to represent him is of no help and seems to have the interests of the insurance company at heart, not his. When no settlement is reached, a jury must decide the case.
A Tinker's Damn!
Kevin Coffee becomes a thief at a young age in order to survive after his father leaves him, his mother and three siblings to fend for themselves in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. As an adult he moves to Miami Beach and becomes a drug smuggler. He meets members of the IRA and supplies them with guns. With their help, he finds his father, who is a Tinker, traveling about Ireland in a covered wagon. He falls in love with Maeve Connelly, a member of a radical splinter group of the IRA. When Kevin is arrested and seems headed for prison, despite the best lawyering Siobhan O'Sullivan can provide, he decides to flee the country and escape to a remote island off the northwest coast of Ireland where he will live with Maeve, but only after a bank heist and one last sale of guns.
Bocas del Toro
Billy Starkey must infiltrate a gang of drug smugglers operating off of the Gulf Coast of Florida to avoid being sent to prison after being arrested and put in jail due to the lies of a confidential informant gone bad.. Fleeing to Bocas del Toro, an archipelago of islands in the Caribbean off of the northern coast of Panama, without either the criminals or law enforcement being able to track him down, seems to be his only hope of escape from a world of crime. This fictitious tale is loosely based on the real-life stories of four innocent people caught in the web spun by those who commit crimes and those who seek to capture criminals.
A Very Fine Line
Daniel Brennan, a successful, young, high school football coach is arrested for DUI Manslaughter after hitting a man jogging alongside a dark road late at night. He faces imprisonment and the loss of his job, if convicted. His wife files for divorce, he is sued for causing the death of the jogger and a jury will decide his fate.
A Plenary Indulgence
Haruki Tanaka, the owner of a Japanese-American restaurant in Tampa, is accosted by a a would-be robber who threatens him with a gun late one night as he was putting food, intended for the homeless, in his car. When the crime is thwarted by a another store-owner who happens by, Haruki chases after the man in his car and finds him as he was crossing a street several blocks away. In an effort to apprehend the man, Haruki runs him over, killing him. Following an investigation, Haruki is arrested and charged with the crime of vehicular manslaughter. After several days in jail, through the efforts of attorney Marjorie Holland, Haruki is able to bond out, but faces months of anxiety and uncertainty as to what is to become of him. The threat of prison and a lengthy separation from his wife and children looms ominously over his head. When the State Attorney refuses to offer any leniency because he doesn't want to be seen as soft on crime or permissive of vigilante justice, Haruki's only hope is that a jury of strangers will exonerate him.
Fistfight at the L & M Saloon
Jake Norris, one of four college students visiting Cedar Key, Florida, for a weekend of fishing and fun, becomes involved in a fight at a bar over a girl. When the man dies after hitting his head on the floor, Jake is sought for causing his death. The students return to the University of North Florida undetected, but are sought by Stephen Riles, a police officer assigned to investigate the incident. None want to provide assistance to help effectuate Jake's arrest and one of them is accused of being an accessory after the fact as a result of his lack of candor. A rarely used loophole in the law discovered by another of the four is the solution to their legal problems.
Pieces to the Puzzle
In this work, Pierce has written 31 stories, six of which have been published, which are mostly personal essays about his days as a lawyer and as a tennis player. The stories include his personal observations on what it takes to be a champion and his recollections of the early days of "open" tennis after money entered the game, when amateurs were allowed to compete with professionals. They also include his favorite legal case, which involved a trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Civil Litigation: A Case Study
This legal text is currently being used in various colleges across the country to teach paralegal students about litigating civil cases. It begins with an incident in a department store and proceeds through all of the various stages of a lawsuit, concluding with a verdict. It is comprehensive in scope and is written in easy to understand language that is intended to explain the process to lay persons. It would be helpful for anyone who has been injured and wants to know what will happen should he or she decide to consult with an attorney and file suit.
Introducing Children to the Game of Tennis
This book is for parents whose children want to learn to play tennis. It has been called "THE" perfect introduction and primer for parents of beginning players by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. Chapters include when to begin, how to choose equipment, how to choose a tennis professional, drills that parents can use to practice with their children in between lessons, even though they may be beginners or non-players themselves, and much more, plus a history of the game, rules, etiquette and suggestions to make the experience an enjoyable one for all. It is not intended for parents of advanced players but it should be useful to all parents of beginning players, even those with some knowledge of the game.