responses from members of the federal judiciary, trial and appellant (but not the Supreme Court) in the telling of their stories, it becomes apparent to anyone who has a basic knowledge of how courts function that the lives of these judges probably do not differ significantly in many aspects to those in the state judiciaries of the United States or judges from other countries. For that reason this is a book that can be beneficial to judges everywhere.

There are parts of the book that would be of more interest to judge/lawyer readers than others. The author has a lengthy section on “Life Before Admission to the Bar” which contains accounts by a large number of lawyers about  their college and law school days. These accounts are probably of marginal interest to readers except to focus on the fact that sitting judges have attended a variety of colleges and universities. One part of this chapter seems to be devoted to judges who went to Harvard Law School, which seems to place too much emphasis on that school and to suggest that it offers an advantage over other law schools for those planning a judicial career. Elite law school backgrounds tend to assist those seeking a federal appellate judgeship as opposed to a district (trial) court appointment.

The chapter on “Judicial Appointments Recounted” (Chapter Three) would be of special appeal and assistance to those lawyers or state court judges who are undergoing consideration for a federal judge appointment. It recounts the process "and the pitfalls that occur during that process".

Other chapters however, focus on matters that would be very useful to new judges and those that have been sitting for a more extended period. The three chapters titled successively  “Once Appointed, Transition to the Job,” (Chapter Four) “Nature of the Job,” (Chapter Five) and “In Chambers, in Court, and Getting Along with Others,” (Chapter Six) offer insights and comments that cannot be but helpful in determining what actions work and what don’t work to be a successful judge.

A sample of a commentary by one judge in the chapter on actions in chambers and in courts is instructive about the kinds of viewpoints that appear in these chapters. This observation is taken from  an oral history by a U.S. district judge from Idaho, on the subjects of “the way judges manage their work in chambers, while another is to look at how judges manage what they do in court, which includes how they handle the lawyers practicing before them.” The judge in his oral history made the following observation:

You learn to use your law clerks, you use your secretary, everyone’s around that can be helpful on this, you learn to put them to the highest and best use. Then on top of that you learn to use your attorneys in asking for the briefs and for all the help you can get out of the attorneys, and they’re more than willing as advocates to do everything they can to serve their side of the case.

The three chapters referred to above are filled with similar observations from the judges who were interviewed about how they viewed their jobs, the actions they took and, the activities they engage in. These narratives will provide helpful advice to lawyers who want to become judges, and those who are already embarking on a judicial career.

William Domnarski has provided the bench and bar with a valuable volume which can enrich their knowledge about how the U.S. legal system works and contributes to rule of law principles which support that system.