From Clarence Darrow and the Nuremberg Trials to "The State of California v. Charles Manson", this one-of-a-kind collection brings together the impassioned words that put evil men to death, freed the innocent, and provided justice for the injured.
The closing argument is a lawyer's last opportunity to convince a jury of his or her version of the events. The true masters touch not only the intellect, but the emotions. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury contains ten of this century's most masterful arguments.
Selected for their historical importance as well the oratory skills they epitomize, they include powerful summations of trials that determined responsibility for war crimes, took the nuclear industry to task (the Silkwood case), demanded equal rights for women (argued by the first woman to do battle in California courts), and showed that the passage of time does not absolve a killer (the conviction of Medgar Evers's assassin). Historical background, a brief biography of the lawyer, and the editors' analysis of the argument put each case into context. Whenever possible central participants in the trial offer their perspectives.
“Richard RobertsThe Indianapolis StarThe majesty of the law stands tall in this presentation of the powerful closing arguments in ten of the most dramatic and eventful trials of modern times....Relatively few people were present for their original delivery. Now anyone can revisit them.”
Richard Roberts The Indianapolis Star The majesty of the law stands tall in this presentation of the powerful closing arguments in ten of the most dramatic and eventful trials of modern times....Relatively few people were present for their original delivery. Now anyone can revisit them. James C. Alvord The San Diego Union-Tribune [The] arguments read like passionate poems, deftly crafted to challenge the mind and satisfy the soul....Masterful speeches. Bruce D. Brown Legal Times What makes Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury enjoyable, in the end, is the variety of styles in the volume -- Spence's chatty informality; Darrow's use of the rhetorical question; Kunstler's blunt spoken tongue; Jackson's awesome solemnity....The flavor of the times comes through in the voices in the courtroom. Henry G. Miller New York Law Journal As much about history as advocacy. Don Franzen Los Angeles Times Book Review Lawyers and nonlawyers will enjoy the passion and eloquence of these counselors; practitioners of law will find much to learn from them.
Michael S Lief is a senior deputy district attorney in Ventura, California. A former newspaper editor, he was a submarine driver for the U. S. Navy during the Cold War.
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