Going the Distance: Trials and Tribulations

Step into the world of a Massachusetts litigator whose court experiences are both entertaining and educational. George Caner invites you to join him at the counsel table in five cases that helped shape his career, at Ropes & Gray, as Assistant U.S. Attorney (District of Massachusetts) alongside U.S. attorney, Elliot L. Richardson, and as a special Assistant Attorney General.

Written in a candid and engaging style, Going the Distance is a unique book that tackles tough and intellectually invigorating issues, such as:

• Does the right of fair speech, to many a super-right, overcome rights of privacy, contract and trademarks?;

• What can a litigant do when the judge sitting on his case does not—or will not—obey the rules and there is no right of appeal?;

• Can a charitable corporation change its mission and pass on profits to another’s business?

Chapter 1 presents the author’s encounters with the late Honorable Charles S. Wyzanski, Jr., a legal mind of genius proportion whose demeanor on the bench was both harsh and mercurial. Mr. Caner recounts "combat" experiences battling Judge Wyzanski’s inexplicable acquittal of the Standard Coil defendants even before witnesses had testified. Chapter 3 recalls a comical episode in a 19th century pastoral setting. Mr. Caner recounts developments in the case and evidentiary issues that make the reader chuckle.

Other cases featured in Going the Distance arose out of headline events of the recent past, such as the sale of the Boston Marathon, a Boston icon; and the Commonwealth’s action to ban showings of Frederick Wiseman’s film depicting "various forms of madness" displayed by inmates of MCI Bridgewater. Going the Distance treats the reader to a savvy, "bird’s eye view" into what may unfold upon entering the halls of justice as a litigant, attorney, witness or juror.

George C. Caner, Jr., who tried the cases and tells their story, is a trial lawyer with fifty years of experience in the courts of Massachusetts. A graduate of Harvard, he served as a field artillery forward observer with the 95th Infantry Division in World War II and wrote a history of his unit, Battery Adjust. He is also the author of the centennial History of the Essex County Club.