The following is a brief excerpt of a review of Grief & Loss by Jason W. Konvicka for Virginia Lawyer.
In their exceptional new book, Robert T. Hall and Mila Ruiz Tecala prove that wrongful death cases involve much more than funeral expenses, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Wrongful death cases stem from the loss of a human being, frequently under traumatic circumstance. Such a loss forever changes almost every aspect of the lives of those who are left behind to mourn. Truly understanding the depth of a client’s emotional pain is one of the toughest challenges for trial attorneys. Communicating that loss to a jury is an even greater challenge. Hall and Tecala show us how.
***
A large portion of the book is broken into chapters dedicated to specific types of loss. For instance, the death of a spouse, the death of a parent, the death of a child, and the death of a sibling are all addressed in depth. Each of these chapters contains sections devoted to special circumstances that can further affect the grieving process. It is hard to imagine a scenario involving death that is not touched on by the authors in some fashion.
***
Grief and Loss is an invaluable educational resource and deserves a spot on the bookshelf of any lawyer who represents families in wrongful death cases. The book will help lawyers of all experience levels better understand their client’s grief and emotional suffering and, in turn, enable them to better communicate that pain to a jury.
To read the full book review by Jason W. Konvicka, of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, please see the review in the Virginia Lawyer, Vol. 59, February 2011, pg. 55-56.