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F U, Your Honor, “ha-ha funny and funny uh-oh” San Francisco Book Review – Star Rating: 4.5/5
“funny and poignant” Seattle Book Review Star Rating: 4/5
“If your father was a lawyer, or you thought about law school or if you have served on a jury or have been served with a legal paper, you should give the book a try. You might learn something and you will likely enjoy it.” Jim Bates, Former Managing Editor, Denver Post
“The main character, Daryl “Wyn” VanWye, is an attorney and real estate broker, as self-unaware and ill-fit in his own life as Salinger’s Holden Caulfield or Ignatius J. Reilly from Toole’s “Confederacy of Dunces” . . . Even as we laugh and cringe at Wyn, there is something in this story which allows us to see that the mote in our neighbor’s eye really is the beam in our own.” from Mark Lehnertz, Tattered Cover Bookstore (Indie Bound)
FICTION AND FICTIONAL MEMOIR
This is the author’s official website. Craig Chambers is the author of F*ck You, Your Honor.
F U, Your Honor is a satirical literary novel about a low-end attorney and real estate broker who is ordered by a judge to write a book to save his law license.
Written by a licensed, practicing attorney, F-ck You,Your Honor is published by Black Letter Editions.
F*ck You, Your Honor – Order it on Amazon
Attorney Darwyn “Wyn” VanWye is down on his luck. He squats in a foreclosed government-owned HUD home and conducts his law practice over his smart phone from a sports bar.
While attempting to reconcile with Amalia, his Argentine ex-wife, so his excessive alimony payments can be terminated, Judge Solomon arbitrarily sanctions him for misconduct. Instead of a fine or jail time, the judge sentences him to write a sixty-five thousand word book about the “dignity and integrity” of the legal system. Wyn believes the judge is out to get him.
After resisting the order, this is the book Wyn writes to hopefully save his law license. Will he succeed in placating the judge and winning back his ex-wife?
REVIEWS OF F*CK YOU, YOUR HONOR
from Review of Fuck You, Your Honor, Midwest Book Review
“An unusual blend of political and legal satire offering thought-provoking insights into legal systems . . . Readers who want an out-of-the-box production that doesn’t neatly fall into a particular genre but which subtly and effectively lambastes the ironies and inconsistencies of legal process will find much to enjoy in F*ck You, Your Honor, a sterling and lovely, vivid portrait of the transformative experiences of lawyers, law school grads, and obstacles to the pursuits of wealth and happiness.” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviewz
Fuck You, Your Honor
from Review by Tamara Benson, Seattle Book Review Star Rating: 4/5
“Just when you think this is a man who really should be punished for breaking laws, he shows you a kinder, more conscientious side. He believes in free first appointments for potential clients and even does pro bono work for friends. There is more to him than even he realizes.
When he finally accepts the fact that he must complete this assignment to avoid losing his practice, what results is a book that is funny and poignant and does more than fulfilling the requirements of the sentence. One can’t help but cheer for VanWye! Tamara Benson, Seattle Book Review Star Rating: 4/5
F–k You, Your Honor, from review by Jim Bates, Former Managing Editor, Denver Post
The little legal tidbits are the heart of the book. But the arc and the adventure is Wyn. He is not always the most lovable character, but you rise and fall with him and in the end you are rooting for him. . . If your father was a lawyer, or you thought about law school or if you have served on a jury or have been served with a legal paper, you should give the book a try. You might learn something and you will likely enjoy it.” Jim Bates, Former Managing Editor, Denver Post
from Review from Mark Lehnertz, Tattered Cover Bookstore (Indie Bound)
“The main character, Daryl “Wyn” VanWye, is an attorney and real estate broker, as self-unaware and ill-fit in his own life as Salinger’s Holden Caulfield or Ignatius J. Reilly from Toole’s “Confederacy of Dunces. . . Even as we laugh and cringe at Wyn, there is something in this story which allows us to see that the mote in our neighbor’s eye really is the beam in our own.” Mark Lehnertz, Tattered Cover Bookstore (Indie Bound)
from Review from Library Thing, readafew Star Rating: 4/5
“I was trying to decide if the author was the lawyer in question, hiding behind fiction, or of it was a bit of meta humor pulling my leg. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, it was a good book that I enjoyed reading and have no problem recommending it to others. . . I would say that the book felt as if there was a bit of truth in it, and it makes me want to avoid ever having to deal with the justice system in a personal manner, and even less with lawyers for any reason.” readafew Star Rating: 4/5
from Review from Portland Book Review
“Readers interested in satire and those who enjoy a touch of schadenfreude are likely to find this an enjoyable read.” Portland Book Review Star Rating: 4/5
BIOGRAPHY OF A NOVEL
I wanted to write a novel based on some of my experiences as a trial lawyer, but, of course, fiction. The cases would be the low-end cases that you usually end up taking, which can be just as quirky and traumatic as the big cases. I also wanted a character who thinks and acts like a lawyer.
The plot of the novel is based on a Wall Street Journal article about a pharmaceutical representative who was ordered to write a book as part of a plea agreement for lying to the Federal Trade Commission. Instead of writing the self-reflective and respectful book the judge ordered, the executive criticized the judge and the prosecutor and denounced the legal system.
When I read this article, I thought, What if a lawyer was ordered to write a book like this? His first instinct would be to try and argue his way out of it. The idea made me laugh.
In my version — Fuck You, Your Honor — it is a low-end lawyer who is sentenced to write a book. Darwyn VanWye thinks like a lawyer. And he tries to find as many ways to get out of the order as he can.
As a fan of Heller’s Catch-22 and A. J. Jacobs’ The Know-It-All as well as satirists like Nathaniel West and Kurt Vonnegut, I thought I would give it a try.