Title: A Lion Where There Were Lambs
Author: Bill Erxleben
Publisher: Forseti Books
ISBN: 978-1-7328912-0-3
Genre: Autobiography
Pages: 356
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Pacific Book Review
A former state attorney general who gained prominence in the Pacific Northwest with his unshakeable defense of truth and tolerance, Bill Erxleben has created a colorful autobiography that includes details of some of his finest judicial moments.
Erxleben was born in the midst of World War II; his mother early on predicted he would become a lawyer because he had “An answer for everything.” Completing law school was at first daunting for Erxleben, but by the second year, he recounts that he began to “think like a lawyer.” He served in the Air Force in the Viet Nam era, then was hired as assistant attorney general for the state of Washington. He participated in a lawsuit involving pollution in Puget Sound and gained professional kudos for his court presentation, quickly solidified by further acclaim when he helped expose a police payoff scandal in Seattle. The nationally significant trial of the Chicago Seven, accused of conspiracy and incitement during the Democratic Convention of 1968, was immediately followed by a trial in Washington state of the lesser known but culturally linked Seattle Seven, in which Erxleben describes his role with the prosecution as that of “objective insider.” Working as Seattle Director of the Federal Trade Commission placed him in critical cases; such as a movement against pornographic films, a tightening of regulations on drug companies that refused to advertise prescription drug prices, and even an investigation of “psychic surgery” – a hoax perpetrated in the Philippines but touted by US airlines offering special flights for such “cures.” After seven years as a lawyer, he left that career with high marks and wide-ranging media attention. He moved on to teaching such complex subjects as business ethics, something for which his legal experience had well prepared him, at the University of Washington.
As a raconteur, Erxleben is charming, intellectually gifted and scrupulously honest. He gently mocks his “fifteen minutes of fame” while making abundantly clear his personal ethical code: justice and fair treatment for all. He rightly earned the sobriquet “lion” in his many notable courtroom battles, and, in choosing to teach what he knows, has moved his grasp of legal and moral right and wrong to another, still valuable level. This book is written with remarkable clarity and deftly explains a difficult subject matter. It is extremely timely as it provides the backdrop for what is happening in our current events today. Fans of courtroom drama and anyone interested in legal issues, and very American history will enjoy his lively recollections between the covers of A Lion Where There Were Lambs. This book is a must read for everyone who believes in the good of mankind and the absolute need to continue to fight corruption.
