Customer Reviews

The Devil's Advocates: Greatest Closing Arguments in Criminal Law

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great book. Not all the arguments in the book are closing arguments, some are arguments made before the Supreme Court such as in Ch. 2, but all the cases in the book are very good and fascinating. What I really love about the book is that the authors give plenty of background information on the case and the events that led up to the case. This is a must read.

I simply cannot heap enough praise. Oh...how I wished I had this audiobook - of nineteen disks - when I studied criminal justice and trial practice in law school.

What makes this book extraordinary? The audiobook provides dramatic recreations of the great speeches before juries or stirring appellate arguments before the Supreme Court coupled with comprehensive and intelligent contextualization. The cases and arguments are explained within the framework of American history and jurisprudence. For example,in discussing the landmark case of Mapp v. Ohio which created the
exclusionary rule for evidence obtained in violation of the Bill of Rights, the authors delve into the history of the Warren Court, the biographies of the justices, the social changes in the 1960's and the entire legal history of search and seizure from the days before the American Revolution to the time of the argument and beyond. Yes, it is the marvelous background and explanation that makes this a five star book. Thinking of a gift for that young adult who just took her LSAT or gained admission to an Ivy League law school? This is IT.

The authors once again have written a fine book which looks at landmark closing arguments. In this book, the third in their series, they focus on noteworthy crimes that formed the basis for trials. You will read the closing argument of Clarence Darrow, one of the 20th Century's most famous lawyers, that he gave in 1925 when he defended an African-American family that shot at a mob that was attacking their home. What I really liked about the book is that the authors put each trial in the social context in which it took place. In the example above, the authors give the reader a great insight to the racial tensions that existed in 1925 which provides needed background in order to understand the significance of the trial.

Oddly enough, the closing arguments themselves were almost always disappointing. Lief and Caldwell do a magnificent job in this book analyzing eight significant criminal cases, from fleshing out the histories of the legal principles to engaging with the most colorful characters to painting detailed pictures about the social settings. Their observations are worth the price of this book, but the direct quotes of lengthy (and probably highly objectionable) closing arguments (or, worse, confused and often ill-prepared arguments at the Supreme Court level) tend to drag everything down. If the authors had written a strict history book that quoted only the most interesting and effective highlights of the various arguments, I would certainly have given it a 5-star rating. As it is, by the sixth chapter of this book I began to skim the direct quotes (or skip them entirely), so I can only give the book three stars. And I'm a public defender who hears and delivers closing arguments frequently, if that means anything.

Yes, some chapters get pretty boring...but in all of the "Greatest Closing Argument" series, there's atleast two that truly shine. In this book, I personally enjoyed Gerry Spence's defense.

If you are a quick reader, or someone who is not bothered about spending a couple hours on reading about how someone supposedly killed someone and this and that supports what, this book is for you. If you cannot stand reading for more than ten minutes, you should save that money for movies.

I gave this as a gift in the audio format and it has been much enjoyed by the recipient, who quotes it often and who purchased 3 additional copies to give as gifts.

This book is well-written and captivating. Each chapter gives great details in leading up to the trial, as well as what happens after. I enjoy it immensely. I definately recommend it to history buffs and to trial watchers.

Truly amazing and inspiring, beautifully read, a must for any litigator.