And Give Up Showbiz?

In the early ’90s, Big Tobacco was making a killing. There was no entity more powerful, and national tobacco-related deaths numbered in the hundreds of thousands each year. The economic loss from smoking-related illnesses was billions of dollars.

And yet, Big Tobacco had never paid a nickel in court. Until one trial lawyer discovered he could revise part of a Medicaid law so that it would enable Florida to sue Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for health care costs. The end result? Hundreds of thousands of American lives have been, and will continue to be, saved because one lawyer found a loophole and ran with it.

Meet Fred Levin.

Called by his son “a philanthropist and a cockroach,” Fred Levin is no clean-cut lawyer pulled from the pages of a John Grisham novel. And Give Up Showbiz?: How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing Manager of the Year, and Transformed American Law gives readers a glimpse into the extraordinary and entertaining life of the top trial lawyer who was a pioneer in establishing American personal injury law.

And Give Up Showbiz? presents the extraordinary life of a lawyer of a different breed. Seen as an inspiring innovator by some and a flamboyant self-promoter by others, Levin once called his profession “the most exciting damn thing in the world.”

With victories for women, African Americans, workers, and his famous win against Big Tobacco, Levin’s unprecedented legal career is just one aspect of his rollercoaster life story. From civil rights, to boxing management, to avoiding multiple disbarring attempts and murder investigations, Levin’s story reads like a novel suitable for the silver screen. Levin worked closely with New York Times bestselling author Josh Young to create a memoir that is both shockingly candid and surprisingly funny.

“Because of what Fred did to bring Big Tobacco to its knees, he likely is responsible for saving 100,000 American lives each year. I’m proud to have him as one of my law partners.”

—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“A Jewish trial lawyer from a small Southern town is named national boxing manager of the year and then made a chief of Ghana. It could only happen in America, and it could only happen to Fred.”

—Don King

“He makes people feel comfortable with who they are and with what he is doing for them. He has done a lot for the African American community. He also throws amazing parties.”

—Emmitt Smith III, NFL all-time leading rusher

“[The] Fred Levin I knew will always be a superstar in my mind.”

—Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

“[Fred Levin’s] success against the powerful on behalf of those with few champions has earned him election to the Trial Lawyer’s Hall of Fame... Fred wins when most lose because he has true passion for justice.”

—Morris Dees, founder, Southern Poverty Law Center

“...one of the most fascinating people I have ever met.”

—Terdema Ussery, Dallas Mavericks President

“Fred Levin is one of the most talented lawyers in the history of the state of Florida.”

—Reubin Askew, former Governor of Florida