Advice, Trials and Tribulations of a Country Lawyer: Calistoga, California 1973-1983

This humorous memoir is a wonderful narration about an ill-prepared newly minted lawyer starting a law practice from scratch in the Napa Valley who ropes himself into nasty small town politics resulting in his being elected Mayor. He relates overcoming a number of interesting antagonists, including the only other lawyer in town, a sadistic local newspaper publisher, a bullying deputy District Attorney, a 300 pound psychiatrist without a clue, and a lying double-crosser who he got elected to the City Council.

The best part of the memoir is that it skillfully uses the Author’s experiences as a vehicle to give the reader an excellent legal education on what to expect and how to handle everyday legal problems.

Although he came to the Napa Valley for peace and quiet, two of his clients were shot to death and he discovers a possible connection between the antagonist-lawyer and the killer of one of his clients to the Zodiac killer(s)? He also narrates how the antagonist-lawyer and the Deputy DA team up to con a survivor of the Bataan Death March. Kagel recounts a failed recall effort, what’s involved in running a city, getting knifed in the middle of the night and the insertion of a black widow spider through his mail slot in an open test tube. Through these and many other ordeals and circumstances Kagel, for the most part, keeps his poise and mischievous humor.

Want an interesting and amusing read? Read this book. Have a legal problem or want to know about the law in general? Read this book. Want to know what life is like in a small town or compare your small town experience with the Author’s? Read this book.