Super Lawyers - Florida 2016

COURTROOM ARTIST

Creative works by lawyers BY AM Y KATES

Three attorneys who wrote—or were mentioned in—
published books share their stories

The book: Sara Rose, Kid Lawyer

What it’s about:

When attorney Spencer Aronfeld was invited to a parents’ reading day at his daughter’s school, he noticed there were cool storybooks about careers like firefighting, law enforcement and even dentistry.

“But there was no story for lawyers,” he says. So he wrote one—about a girl who strongly resembled his daughter, who used advocating skills to correct an injustice at school. The illustrated children’s book aims to empower girls to become lawyers.

Feedback: It sells thousands of copies a year. “We’ve had people buy 500 copies at once and send them to children’s hospitals or advocacy groups,” Aronfeld says.

“Someone wanted to produce it into a musical; the problem was, we had to give them the rights to own Sara Rose, and I just wasn’t ready to give up my baby.”

Other projects: Aronfeld also penned

Make It Your Own Law Firm: The Ultimate Law Student’s Guide to Owning, Managing, and Marketing Your Own Successful Law Firm. “My son wants his own book, too,” Aronfeld says, “but I’ve been sucked back into being a lawyer.”

Snag a copy at: Sararosekidlawyer.com; online retailers like Amazon or Barnesandnoble.com; proceeds go to Lawyers to the Rescue, a nonprofit humanitarian organization.

Spencer M. Aronfeld

FOUNDER, ARONFELD
TRIAL LAWYERS;
CORAL GABLES;
PERSONAL INJURY

The book: Have Heart, by former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein and Greg Brown.

What it’s about:

Eckstein’s true-life story chronicles his rise to become 2006

World Series MVP, as well as his family’s battle against kidney failure in three of his five siblings and his father. A key part of that off-field victory? Lori Vaughan, best friend of David’s brother, Ken. Vaughan donated one of her kidneys to their father.

“I was a match,” says Vaughan, pictured in the book (and above) with Ken and a friend. “The family refers to me as the sixth Eckstein kid. I’d do anything for them.”

Feedback: It was a hit in St. Louis.

“Once I was in town at a restaurant, and the valet looked at me and said, ‘You’re the lawyer who donated a kidney to Mr.

Eckstein!” she says. “I couldn’t believe it. … The state Bar ran a story; I got letters from lawyers all over whom I never met before.”

Other projects: “I leave the creative writing to Ken, who’s working on a Broadway play,” she says.

Snag a copy at: Amazon or Eckstein’s website, davideckstein.com.

Lori V. Vaughan

SHAREHOLDER, TRENAM LAW;

TAMPA; BANKRUPTCY

The book: Blue Chip Kids: What Every Child (and Parent) Should Know about Money, Investing, and the Stock Market

What it’s about:

“I was going to write about 10 pages or so for my son, Trent, who was 12 at the time, about what he should know about money, three-hole-punch it and stick it in a binder,” says David Bianchi. Those

10 pages blossomed to 100-plus before it occurred to Bianchi that no kid wants to read 100 pages about finances. He took a hint from the book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid and had his art-student nephew add cartoons. The project turned into a bestselling work.

Feedback: One day, Bianchi says, “I was walking down 5th Avenue in New York City, and the Barnes & Noble had a huge, blown-up image of the book hanging in the window. That was pretty great.” Bianchi’s book became No. 1 on Amazon for “kids and money.” Later this year, it will make its TV debut in a series produced by South Florida PBS affiliate WPBT. And Miami-Dade guardianship and probate judges have asked Bianchi to create a money-management video for young adults about to receive monetary rewards from a case.