The How-To-Win Trial Manual - 4th Edition [Hardcover]

Ralph Adam Fine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1933833165 | ISBN-13: 978-1933833163 | Edition: 4th Edition

Ralph Adam Fine pulls no punches. In the newly revised fourth edition of his highly acclaimed The How-To-Win Trial Manual, he shows why the traditional ways to try a case in court are suicidal, and he gives extensive examples of such suicidal advocacy by famous, high-profile, well-paid trial lawyers: Daniel M. Petrocelli in his representation of Jeffrey Skilling in the Enron trial; George McCall Secrest, Jr., in his representation of Kenneth Lay in the Enron trial; Robert G. Morvillo, in his representation of Martha Stewart; Robert G. Abrams and Ronald S. Katz, in their representation of opposing sides in a federal-court anti-trust case involving Caterpillar, Inc.; Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., in his representation of O.J. Simpson (even though Cochran won largely, in Ralph Adam Fine s opinion, because of the incompetence of the prosecutors, which The How-To-Win Trial Manual also shows). In each of his examples, Ralph Adam Fine shows how the lawyers should have done it, and this will help you hone your winning skills. Ralph Adam Fine also demonstrates why many of Irving Younger s famous Ten Commandments of Cross-Examination are not only also wrong, but why following them reduces significantly your chance of winning. Ralph Adam Fine s The How-To-Win Trial Manual shows you how to win by using your most powerful tool: The jury s belief that you, the lawyer, knows the truth of the case. He also shows you how to ask questions on both direct-examination and cross-examination in such a way so the jury will know the answers before the witnesses (whether lay or expert) respond. Simply put, if you phrase your questions so that the jury answers them the way you want before your witnesses answer and irrespective of what your adversary s witnesses may say on cro ss-examination, you will win! Ralph Adam Fine s The How-To-Win Trial Manual shows you how to do all of this and more. You and your clients deserve no less.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A succinct, masterful approach to trying cases." --- Gregory P. Joseph, Partner, Gregory P. Joseph Law Offices LLC, New York, and Former Chair of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association (ABA).

"Judge Ralph Adam Fine s The How-To-Win Trial Manual is filled with fresh ideas. By giving lawyers a new point of view, Judge Fine s book will make them better advocates." --- Professor James W. McElhaney, Joseph C. Hostetler Professor of Trial Practice and Advocacy at Case Western Reserve Law School, Columnist for Litigation, the journal of the ABA Section of Litigation, and the ABA Journal.

I have read many trial books in my 25 years of trial practice. Judge Fine s Manual contains the most practical and reliable approach to a winning trial strategy I have seen. --- Timothy H. Herman, Senior Partner, Herman, Howrey & Breen, Austin TX, Past Chairman, Public Law Section, State Bar of Texas; Former Vice Chairman, American Bar Association, Litigation Section of Natural Resources and Environmental Law

About the Author

Ralph Adam Fine has been a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals since 1988. He served as a trial judge from 1979 to 1988, and presided more than 350 jury trials. He was the presiding judge in the PBS Frontline production Inside the Jury Room, which was the first time jury deliberations in a criminal trial were filmed and broadcast. Judge Fine has taught trial-advocacy, evidence, and appellate-advocacy at over one-hundred continuing-legal-education programs around the country, at in-house trial-advocacy programs to law-firm litigation departments, and as Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University National Law Center in Washington, D.C. In January of 1995, the University of Virginia School of Law honored Judge Fine with the Honorable William J. Brennan, Jr., Award for his contributions to the teaching of trial advocacy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 450 pages
• Publisher: JurisNet, Inc.; 4th Edition edition (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933833165
• ISBN-13: 978-1933833163
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, August 13, 2009

By 

J.C. (Boca Raton, Florida) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The How-To-Win Trial Manual - 4th Edition (Hardcover)

Judge Fine has to be given credit for writing an excellent book on how to effectively try a case. The substance of the book is a 5 but I rate it a 4 because the book has an unacceptable number of typograhpical and grammatical errors. These kinds of mistakes should not be in an Appellate Judge's book.

Judge Fine masterfully explains how to deliver an effective opening statement. He also makes the very important point that closing argument is all about giving the jurors that agree with your theory of the case the arguments that they need to pull the jurors that disagree with your theory of the case over to your side.

The chapters on direct and cross-examination outline battle-tested techniques that are instrumental in conveying one's theory of the case to the jury. These chapters challenge the lawyer to ask questions in a way where the jury already knows the answer to the question before the witness has a chance to respond. This subtly and powerfully reinforces the advocate's theory of the case to the jury.

The longer chapters on cross-examination could be written a little less "densely."

Every trial lawyer should buy this wonderful book!

J.C.