In "The Presidents Lawyer," by Lawrence Robbins, Jack Cutler, a one term womanizing president, is charged with the murder of one of his former lovers.  The government's case seems strong so Jack turns to his life long friend and brilliant defense attorney, Robbie Jacobson, to defend him.

I found it hard to suspend my belief sufficiently to actually believe the premise of the plot - that the President of the United States is on trial for murder. However, the actual court case and court room testimony felt real and engaging. The court room exchanges were fun to read. For those interested in a court room procedural, this book is a great option, Nevertheless the "surprise ending" was predictable early on and certainly dampened the suspense.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

This is one of the books where you can tell that, although not nonfiction, the author is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about what they’re writing about.

This was an excellent legal thriller. The addition of the therapist chapters added an additional layer of intrigue that I really enjoyed. I recommend this to any fans of legal thrillers!!

Lawyers will like The President's Lawyer, a legal thriller by Lawrence Robbins. The premise for the story is that John Cutler, a recently defeated former president, and suspected womanizer ,has been charged with the murder of Amanda, his former staffer and has asked Rob Jacobson, his boyhood friend and skilled trial lawyer, to represent him.
The conundrum for Jacobson is that he had himself previously been in an affair with the now dead staffer when she had worked as an associate in his law firm. But the former president knows all this and successfully begs Jacobson to take on the case.
The gripping book is filled with discussions of strategy, what will work and what won't, facts that get uncovered in the lead up to the trial and dramatized courtroom exchanges. Of course there are the inevitable plot twists, conflicts and confrontations -- all very well done - that one would expect to find in a legal thriller. Enthralling read!

The plot of The President’s Lawyer is relevant in today’s political atmosphere…bringing charges against an ex-president and bringing him before a court of law. There is a surprising plot twist.

DNFed

Could not keep reading due to personal triggers

And more due to the fact that it's not only jewish, but "israel" based (childhood and memories at least), and i can't stand that!

The President’s Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins

Publication Date October 8, 2024

Wow, this one was a surprise! I was looking for some escapist fiction…you know, aka “news avoidance.” Described as “perfect for fans of John Grisham and Scott Turow,” instant thought was “sign me up!” – even though I had no idea who Lawrence Robbins was, I was ready to take advantage of the copy I received from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Other than #45, every President has one or more truly reliable friends, right? In this story, an attorney named Rob Jacobson is asked by his lifelong best friend, the former President of the U.S., to defend him when he accused of murdering his is mistress. Typical of many powerful men, the President – make that FORMER President – has some familiar attributes: he has anger issues, some “unconventional” sexual habits, and he is just a sleazy guy. As Rob dives into the case, it becomes more complicated by the history between the two men. For example, Rob sees his childhood friends as a guy who had never been held accountable for anything: “He was born with bumpers that kept his bowling balls rolling down the middle of the lane, while the rest of us had to worry about staying out of the gutter.” Rob, by contrast, “…grew up thinking that around every corner lurked a manhole with a false cover, and that no matter how gingerly I stepped, I was bound to fall through.”

There are some interesting characters. I especially liked Jane, the first Black female lawyer at her firm, who tells Rob “…you really can’t imagine. You’re thinking that I had to deal with racist remarks, maybe some misogyny thrown in, but no. The…partners were far too genteel for any of that. Theirs was the soft racism of low expectations.”

It really is a fun read, and well written. I will definitely look for anything else by Lawrence Robbins, and highly recommend this one. (oh, and wow, that ending!). Five stars, mostly for the entertainment value and the whiplash at the end.

I love a good courtroom thriller and this book was a 5⭐️ read for me. This is the story of a former US president, Jack, being accused of the murder of his mistress, Amanda. Jack turns to his lifelong friend and attorney, Robbie, to represent him at his trial. Although there is circumstantial evidence surrounding the president, Robbie and his partner Jane, do an incredible job of casting doubt over the prosecutors evidence. But that leaves the question of who actually murdered Amanda. Was it the Presidents wife, Jess? Was it Robbie’s son? Or could it possibly be Robbie’s brother, Evan?

This book was a fast page turner that I didn’t want to put down. I thought a couple times I had figured out the twist, but it wasn’t until the last 20 pages that I realized what was happening. For me it was a unique premise and the suspense was palpable. I believe this is the author’s debut novel and I hope to read more from him in the future!

Thank you to the author and to Atria books for providing me an Advanced Readers Copy.

This was a solid legal thriller with a few surprising twists and a lot of interesting courtroom scenes. As someone whose early career aspirations included prosecutor, I really enjoyed this book! I did feel like some of the dialogue was a little stuffier and more formal than it would have been in real life, but I have a feeling the age difference between the narrator, Robbie, and myself was the reason behind that.

The ending completely surprised me and didn’t feel 100% realistic but it did make sense.

Watch out Grisham you have competition. A compelling book for sure. The courtroom scenes were riveting. Page turner for sure. Definitely would buy book as gift. A 4.5 rating.

One-term former Democratic president Jack Cutler has been arrested for murder. The victim is 32-year-old Amanda Harper - a junior lawyer who worked in Cutler's White House Counsel's Office. Harper's body was found in Rock Creek Park, strangled, with rope burns on her wrists and ankles. Near the victim was a small, locked briefcase, with a dinner knife from the White House 'James Monroe Collection' wedged into the opening.

Cutler, who's married to Jess Friedland Cutler, and has two teenage children named Gretchen and Harlan, has a reputation for philandering. And not JUST philandering. Jack is rumored to like the rough stuff, including choking and hitting women during sex. Cutler knows he's in big trouble, so he calls the best criminal defense lawyer he knows, his lifelong friend Robbie Jacobsen.

Jack, who knows Robbie was once in love with Amanda himself, tells the lawyer, "There's no easy way to say this - Amanda and I, we started an affair." Robbie is hesitant to represent Jack, but the former president insists he had nothing to do with Amanda's death, and Robbie agrees to defend him.

As Robbie prepares for trial, there are flashbacks that reveal both he and Jack had difficult fathers. Robbie recalls an occasion in high school, when he was invited to dinner at Jack's house. Jack's father Sherm, a hedge fund CEO who was constantly in the business pages, was berating Jack for getting a B plus on an AP American History exam. Sherm shouted, "B plus? You got a B plus? I own bonds with a better rating than that, you dumb f***. " Sherm went on shouting and haranguing until Jack stood up and confronted his father, with a dinner knife clutched in his fist.

As for Robbie, he thinks both his parents were insane. Robbie's mother Evie suffered from severe depression and his father Nathan had anger issues. When Robbie or his brother Evan got out of line, Nathan would throw Evie's high-heeled shoe end over end, or beat the offender with a studded utility belt that had a large American flag buckle in the front. Robbie remembers the imprint lasting for hours, even days. This went on until Nathan was fatally assaulted on his way home from work one evening.

After graduating from college, Jack went into politics and Robbie studied law. Jack rose to the presidency and Robbie became a preeminent Washington, D.C. defense lawyer with a knack for representing his clients. This comes in handy when Robbie defends the former president, because there's a mountain of evidence against Jack, including DNA, hair, phone records, the James Monroe knife, and more.

Author Lawrence Robbins is an experienced attorney who understands how lawyers work and what it's like to try cases in Washington, D.C. courthouses. Thus the novel's courtroom scenes feel very authentic, with jury selection, questioning witnesses, cross-examining witnesses, legal maneuvering, and so on.

The alert reader might detect hints about the denouement of the story, but there will still be surprises at the end. This is a devious mystery that will appeal to fans of legal thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lawrence Robbins, and Atria Books for a copy of the book.

Pacing, flashbacks, a truly shock ending. A perfect legal fiction.

The courtroom scenes were so fun to read. Robbins broke down the legal terminology and proceedings in a way that was easy to digest, but did not come across as arrogant.

I love a good legal mystery, but I was admittedly skeptical about the premise of this book. ‘Sure, only he can defend the president,’ I thought. ‘Typical cliche.’

I could not have been further from the truth. At about the halfway point of the book, I came to form two theories. Both fun, but overused. I was grasping at every shred of evidence that I was building my case. The book was quickly winding down and I was worried about the ending being rushed.

It could not have been more perfect. I gasped out loud and had to sit up straight to absorb the story.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

Disclaimer: An ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Atria Books.

Trilling and compelling, I got sucked in and really enjoyed this book. I had to read until the end to see how things unfolded. It was a slightly different angle than other books in this genre which I appreciated. Highly recommend!

After a long career as one of DC’s most powerful litigators, Rob Jacobson is faced with the case of a lifetime: the former President of the United States—his childhood best friend—has been accused of murdering his mistress.

Rob knows he’s the only one who can prove his friend’s innocence, but he is soon overwhelmed as he attempts to devise a strategy to defend an authoritative man with a taste for infidelity, serious anger issues, and unconventional sexual appetites. As the high-profile case unfurls, the troubled, intertwining pasts of the two men complicate Rob’s efforts, and lead to an explosive denouement.

Compulsively readable, this is a fabulous legal thriller. This reader's only caveat: I wish novelists would realize that they're alienating half their readership with blatant partisanship and swipes at the opposition. Highly recommended. #ThePresident'sLawyer #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries

Sometimes you select a book because you like the title or cover and it's a dud. Not this one. I have not heard of this author but will need to.search out other books..Please note-- Review notes below contains a spoiler:


You think this is a typical but well written and slightly different lawyer/trial book until you get to the end, then bam! Wow. Did not see that ending coming!

This was an intriguing book with so many twists and turns. When it concluded, I was scratching my head about the relationship between the main character and his brother.

Thanks to Atria Books for an advance copy to read and rate. I had my wife read it too ... she then explained the ending to me. I had to go back and reread some of the chapters.

The ex president is on trial for murder. The bulk of the story is the trial. But to hire a lawyer that has had relationships with his wife and his girlfriend? Who would do that? The ending is a huge twist. A story well worth reading. Kept my interest from the first word to the last.

This was a great read, it was a cross between an episode of CSI and How To Get Away With Murder. It was very well written and kept my interest!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. I love legal thrillers and this book fit the bill! You can tell the author has the experience of an attorney, as the courtroom scenes are very well written and mimic reality I like the depth of the characters, as the book does dive into their lives, which gives you a helpful perspective. I found the book improved as I read further, but boy, the ending! Mixed feelings, the conclusion seems so slapped together but the guilty party was certainly not what I was expecting!!
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Oh wow, super page turner. This book is so timely in so many ways, I could feel the author winking at me. Robbie is asked to be the lawyer for his longtime best friend, the former president. The charge is murder. The question is, did the president murder his pregnant girlfriend?

Robbins takes us through a fascinating trial, but it is the injection of the back story of the best friends, Jack and Robbie, that made this such a complex and twisted story. This isn’t your ordinary legal drama, this is a compelling, complex novel that forces the reader to sift through the evidence, not only at the trial, but strewn though the book.

Robbins takes the genre of courtroom drama to a new level. I can’t wait to share this book and see which readers can figure this out! A truly enjoyable reading experience.

Thank you Netgalley for introducing me to this author. I can’t wait to continue reading his future books, especially if they are as good as this one.

The basic plot of The President’s Lawyer involves Rob Jacobson, a high-stakes Washington, D.C. litigator, being hired by his childhood best friend and the former President of the US, to defend him after being charged for the murder of his mistress.

It’s plot,while not filled with edge-of-your seat excitement, will hold your interest from beginning to end as you become engrossed in its interesting, complex courtroom scenes, and with the particularly well-developed, yet flawed characters that Lawrence Robbins has developed. Further, the ending of The President’s Lawyer, is one you’ll unlikely anticipate. In many ways, this debut novel by Robbin’s - himself an acclaimed litigator - will remind you of the early works of John Grisham, Scott Turow and Richard North Patterson.

Definitely worthy of your consideration.