Phillip Margolin, the author of such bestselling legal thrillers as The Last Innocent Man and Sleight of Hand, and the Amanda Jaffe series, began his professional career not as a writer, but as a criminal defense attorney. He attributes his first career to his early love of Perry Mason books. He is also the president of the nonprofit organization Chess for Success, an outfit devoted to helping youth learn skills for success in school and later life through the game of chess.