OFF THE PRESS

The scales of justice are a universally recognized symbol of modern law and project the idea of fair distribution of law, with no influence of bias, privilege or corruption.

But there is no widely recognized counterpart for acts of injustice. Still, as Joel Cohen explores in his new book, "Broken Scales: Reflections on Injustice," injustices do happen and often are perpetrated by prosecutors, judges and manipulators of the system, with adverse consequences on the lives of celebrities as well as everyday people.

Cohen's book, which was recently reviewed in The New York Times, provides insightful narrative, case histories and interviews with 10 people who suffered from or participated in legal system injustices. At its core, the book raises the paramount question of what is an injustice. Beyond that, Cohen tackles related questions of whether there is an injustice when the game is played fairly but the system got it wrong; when an otherwise fair jury trial convicts the wrong man; and when over-the-top passions of advocates cloud the clear-thinking of others.

Cohen, a respected white-collar criminal defense lawyer and a former prosecutor in New York, has practiced for nearly 30 years, including handling complex civil litigation, at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. He writes regularly for the New York Law Journal, The Hill, The Huffington Post and Law.com, on criminal law, legal ethics and social policy. Contributor Dale J. Degenshein has practiced law since 1984 and has worked at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP since 2007.

"Broken Scales: Reflections on Injustice"costs $29.95 and can be ordered by calling 800-285-2221 or online at http://shopaba.org.

Published: Fri, Jul 14, 2017