Smart, sexy, sassy and driven—Victoria Rodessa just graduated from one of the country’s top law schools and joined the international firm Acker, Smith & McGowen, respected for its advancement of female lawyers.
When Victoria lands a prized assignment vital to the ambitions of the firm’s powerful partners, she sets out to become the first woman to join their ranks. But behind closed doors, deviant agendas are at work. With only her intellect and guts to guide her, Victoria confronts a perfect storm of misogyny, lies and criminal intent. If she follows her conscience, she could lose everything. But keeping silent could come at an even higher cost.
I'm the author of The V-Files, a legal thriller series with strong female protagonists. As an attorney for more than thirty years, I've litigated in U.S. federal and state courts and served on the management team of a national law firm. My law degree is from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law and I received my MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. After graduate school I became one of the founding members of an international consulting company.
While I've handled more than 200 litigated cases, I've also consulted on matters stemming from natural disasters including the earthquakes in New Zealand, cyclones in Australia and hurricanes in the US.
In addition to writing novels and practicing law, I've received the Business Insurance Women to Watch Award, the Women with Vision Award, and the Mercedes Mentor Award.
The concept of what a law firm should, and should not, be may be changing. For instance, an ABS is an alternative business structure which is different than the typical law firm model. These structures can include publicly traded law firms or non-legal ownership of firms. The US has not ventured too far down this path. Australia, however, allows law firms to be traded on its stock exchange, which means that the public can buy and sell shares in the firm. The first firm to do so in Australia listed in 2007, with two other firms listing by 2013. In addition, and separate from the ABS, there are investment vehicles (in the US as well as other countries), where people can invest in the outcome of other people's litigation. This is generally referred to as litigation funding. Watch for this field to grow!
Book Excerpt
Deviant Agendas: Book 1 of the V-Files
BY THEIR SECOND year of law school, Billy, Adam, and Trever knew exactly what they wanted, and it didn’t involve being part of the mind-fuck of a traditional law firm. The boys had decided that the only way to make use of their law degrees, yet maintain their sanity and vision of power and wealth, was to create their own firm. But it had to be markedly different from the way other firms were organized and run. The boys had no intention of sharing either the power or profits with other lawyers that became part of their firm. So one year before their own graduation, the boys formalized their commitment to Acker, Smith & McGowen, a closely held and tightly managed, international law firm specializing in high-stakes business deals and the litigation that inevitably followed.
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