The trial lawyer's art /

While many have recognized the importance of stories and storytelling skill in legal trials, few have themselves managed to tell good stories about the dramatic side of the trial process. Schrager's The Trial Lawyer's Art is an immensely readable and engaging account of what lawyer's do as they try to persuade jurors. It boldly and forthrightly analyzes the performances of some of the best lawyers in America. Filled with illuminating anecdotes, this book makes a good case for the view that those performances are essential to truth-finding in the courtroom. Though it may not convince the most die-hard cynic, this book humanizes the legal process. Based on observation of lawyers at work and skillful interviews, the book reveals to the reader lawyers' styles and strategies, their view of clients, judges, and jurors, and the ways that the character of lawyers themselves is shaped by their courtroom personas. Schrager (Evergreen State College) offers a wealth of original data presented in a way that allows readers to draw their own conclusions about the skill, commitment, and effectiveness of lawyers and the health of the adversary system. Highly recommended for undergraduate, graduate student, and faculty collections. A. D. Sarat; Amherst College

How can you tell the difference between a snake that's been run over and a lawyer who has met the same fate? There are skid marks in front of the snake. Folklorist Schrager suggests that today's antipathy for the legal profession stems from our cherishing the ideal that the evidence will determine a person's guilt or innocence while at the same time recognizing that it is often the lawyer's performance that tips the scales of justice. Further, Schrager contends that the jury trial, a kind of ritual verbal combat, demands compelling performances from attorneys if they are to win. He draws from fieldwork in Philadelphia courtrooms, interviews with lawyers, and mock court battles at the 1986 Festival of American Folklife to create a fascinating portrait of the attorney as storyteller and performer. Recommended for popular legal collections.ÄJim G. Burns, Ottumwa, IA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.