In Smell Test, seasoned business lawyer and author Jim Freund has created a unique and compelling book for lawyers of all ages and experience levels. He entertains the reader with ten fictional short stories about business lawyers who find themselves facing challenging situations--challenges they sometimes rise to yet often come up short.

After each story there is a detailed commentary, in which the author analyzes the key actions taken - the crucial decisional points faced - by the fictional lawyers. The essential questions are then posed for the reader: Do you approve of what Jack did at this juncture: If not, why not? What would you have done instead? It's an invaluable exercise for any lawyer testing his or her judgment on how to deal with thorny situations that face business lawyers.

Jim Freund then explains in detail how he would have handled the particular situation--applying to these difficulties the good judgment honed over a lifetime of practical experience. And he offers valuable advice about the larger lawyering issues involved. The book explores the numerous conflicts that a business lawyer faces: lawyer-to-lawyer, often at the negotiating table, between lawyer and client (or prospective client); and inside the law firm between partners, or partners and associates. Some of the most wrenching conflicts take place within the lawyer's mind, as his better and baser instincts wrestle over how to handle a sticky situation.

A number of the tales in Smell Test have an ethical issue at the core, such as a lawyer deciding whether his firm should take on some questionable (but profitable) new business. Some of the most sensitive moments involve a lawyer agonizing over the implications of telling the truth. Several stories deal extensively with negotiating--lawyers strategizing and bargaining over deal terms, facing difficult choices along the way.

Reading Smell Test is a great way to help you improve your lawyering skills and understand how to deal with similar situations while being entertained by the lively adventures of your fictional brethren. It also provides valuable primary materials for conducting training programs and professional seminars.