The Adventures of Tom Lawyer
Justice, Mercy and Law in Appalachia
The
Adventures
of Tom
Lawyer
Justice, Mercy and Law in Appalachia
MemoirAt the intersection of law, family, faith, and mercy.
Tom Kimball’s stories grow out of his years in public defense, especially in rural East Kentucky and East Tennessee. They bring readers close to the tense, funny, moving, and unexpected moments that live behind a case file.
This page preserves the language and structure available on the current site. It will be strengthened with the approved book cover, a confirmed full description, and any review excerpts Tom authorizes.
So It Begins
Twenty Years and a Car Seat on the Table
“What am I doing here? I’m looking up at a judge, beet red in his face. He is so enraged, I can’t understand his words. I know why he is mad. My client did not show up for his trial this morning.”
“I’m in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, for my first trial as the new director of the Public Defender’s office. They hired me a couple of months ago and sent me to the Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia, for intensive training.”
“They didn’t cover this situation…a raging judge, an absent client.”
Twenty-six chapters
- Rage and Resolve
- Justice Weighed by the Pound
- The Leap of Faith
- Handshake on the Tug
- A Foot in Heaven; A Foot in Hell
- Take Me Out to the Ballgame
- Mama Tried; Mama Cried
- Be Not Afraid
- A Feverish Defense
- Kentucky Boy
- Excavating Truth
- Thanksgiving without Thanks or Giving
- I Wish I Could Remember
- Everything Changes for a Reason
- Never Work on a Saturday Morning
- Give it to Mikey
- A Call From the Mountains
- Bo and the Congressman
- A Different Rider
- In the Shadow of a Newborn’s Joy
- The Tree
- The River Squall
- The Easter Mouse
- A Hot Date
- My Day on Death Row
- Rutabaga or Studebaker
“As a natural-born storyteller who sees with his heart, Tom’s stories bring Appalachia’s heart and struggles vividly to life.”— Jim Camp, retired District Attorney, Wisconsin & Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, Tennessee