The Making of a Country Lawyer is the first-hand account of a beloved American attorney, a modern-day folk hero, a man who has devoted his life's work to the downtrodden and damned. It is also the tragic story of a 20-year-old son who learned one October morning that his God-fearing mother had shot herself in the mouth with a hunting rifle. This single event in Spence's life, was the thing that transformed him, preparing him to be a trial lawyer, eventually handling such landmark cases as the defense of Randy Weaver and the vindication of Karen Silkwood.

The Making of a Country Lawyer not only follows Spence through law school, but also chronicles his years as a young prosecuting attorney, his first cases, his successful battle with alcoholism, and his consuming love affair with the woman who would save his life. Like Russell Baker's Growing Up, Spence's work promises to be a bestselling classic.

"(Spence's) book is a chronicle of a self-discovery, as well as the account of how a superstar learned his trade". -- The Los Angeles Times

"A uniquely passionate account of life and law from an American original". -- Dan Rather