Winning at Trial (Winner of ACLEA's Highest Award for Professional Excellence) [Paperback]

D. Shane Read (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 160156001X | ISBN-13: 978-1601560018 | Publication Date: June 11, 2007 | Edition: 1st

Winning at Trial uses innovative techniques to teach students and experienced lawyers alike the art of presenting a clear and compelling case in order to win at trial. These skills are gained first by observing then by doing, and in Winning at Trial the reader is enabled to do just that by analyzing transcripts and viewing almost four hours of footage from the O. J. Simpson trial and a focus group deliberating a civil trial. This book is one of the most comprehensive trial advocacy resources published in recent years. Students, lawyers, judges, and librarians alike will benefit from Read's wisdom. Winner of the international Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) 2008 Award for Professional Excellence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Shane Read has written an excellent book that will be most helpful to the bench and bar for many years to come. I wish he had produced this gem 50 years ago so I could have used it when I was a trial lawyer. It would have also made easier my job as a trial judge if the attorneys had the benefit of Winning at Trial when preparing their cases. Shane draws upon his unique experiences as a civil trial lawyer, prosecutor and law professor to set forth in an original and practical way the skills needed to win in the courtroom. --Robert F. Chapman, former U.S. District Judge, retired U.S. Circuit Judge

Shane Read takes a fresh view of the art of persuasion at trial and challenges some of the basic assumptions about what is effective advocacy. Mr. Read s text is a refreshing and thought-provoking analysis that is bound to change the thinking of lawyers and teachers about the art of trial advocacy. The book contains analysis of transcripts of the Timothy McVeigh trial and includes over three hours of video (DVD) of the Simpson trial. --Frederick C. Moss, Assoc. Prof. of Law, Dedman School of Law

Shane Read takes the mystery out of learning trial skills in this unique book, sure to revolutionize the way trial skills are taught. . . . In Winning at Trial, readers study actual trials where techniques are either executed at such a high level of excellence or so badly demonstrated that those skills needed to master winning techniques will never be forgotten. --Eric H. Holder, Jr., former U.S. Deputy Attorney General

About the Author

Shane Read is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Texas School of Law. He began his legal career in 1989 at Akin Gump in Dallas, Texas, before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. from 1992-1998. Since 1998, he has worked at the U.S. Attorney s Office in Dallas. He has been lead counsel on countless civil and criminal trials over the past eighteen years. In addition, he has served as lead counsel for numerous oral arguments before appellate courts. He has also held a wide variety of teaching positions during his career. He is currently an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Here he has taught Trial Advocacy, coached mock trial teams, and currently is teaching a unique seminar on trial strategies. He has also taught both new and experienced lawyers at NITAs seminars on trial skills and at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: National Institute for Trial Advocacy; 1st edition (June 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160156001X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601560018
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Law > One-L > Civil Procedure

More About the Author

I am the author of Winning at Trial which won ACLEA's 2008 top award for Professional Excellence and which has been praised by major law schools as "the best" trial advocacy book. It comes complete with DVDs that contain 4 hrs. of video from actual trials. I am a graduate of Yale Univ. and the Univ.of Tex.School of Law. Since 1992, I have been both a criminal prosecutor and civil atty for the U.S. Atty's Office.I have also taught law students at S.M.U. since 1998. I have also taught lawyers at the Dept. of Justice's National Training Center and at other seminars throughout the country.
The views in my book and on Amazon.com do not necessarily reflect those of the Dept. of Justice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The DVDs included with the Book are Amazing, October 22, 2007

By 

D. Tittle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winning at Trial (Winner of ACLEA's Highest Award for Professional Excellence) (Paperback)

I have been a trial lawyer for 18 years and have tried numerous cases to verdict. I like this book so much because it is the first trial advocacy book that contains video of trial skills as seen in a real trial. The book has almost 4 hours of video from the O.J. Simpson trial to compliment the author's analysis of transcripts of actual trials to teach trial skills. Also, the DVDs are extremely easy to navigate.

So, instead of using hypothetical scenarios to teach lawyers like other textbooks (such as Mauet's Trial Techniques) which are often unrealistic, the author draws on countless examples from real trials. For example, in Chapter 5, the author teaches how to cross-examine a witness by giving a detailed analysis of a cross-examination used in a civil trial. Then, the author provides study questions for you to consider as you watch six video excerpts from four different attorneys conducting cross-examinations in the Simpson trial. The video clips for cross-examination alone total over 35 minutes. You must read this book before your next trial.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An accompanying DVD rounds out this highly recommended text, October 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winning at Trial (Winner of ACLEA's Highest Award for Professional Excellence) (Paperback)

D. Shane Read, an experienced legal professional and adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, commits his wisdom to paper in Winning at Trial, a text ideal for legal courses and self-study alike. Chapters cover basic trial strategies, Voir Dire, tips tricks and techniques for the phases of the trial (opening statements, direct examination, cross examination, and closing arguments), exhibits and objections, and much more. Numerous examples illustrate Read's practical and experience-tested recommendations. "If your case has many witnesses, take a digital photograph of each witness when she is in the witness room before she testifies. Having the photograph will help you immensely in closing argument. When you summarize an important part of a witness' testimony, you can project the photograph on your screen in the courtroom. This will aid the jury in recalling exactly which witness you are referring to and help you refresh the jurors' memory regarding her testimony." An accompanying DVD rounds out this highly recommended text for legal professionals of all skill and experience levels - even courtroom veterans are sure to discover a useful tidbit.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Classic on Trial Techniques, November 9, 2007

By 

Atom (Severna Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winning at Trial (Winner of ACLEA's Highest Award for Professional Excellence) (Paperback)

Finally, a trial advocacy book that teaches skills by looking at video and transcripts of actual trials! This book contains almost 4 hours of video from the O.J. Simpson trial and transcripts from other famous civil and criminal trials.

In the chapter on Opening Statements, the author (a seasoned trial attorney and law professor) takes you through all the steps on how to prepare an opening statement. He gives you a checklist of things you should and shouldn't do. Then, he critiques the opening statements of the Oklahoma City bombing trial. He points out in detail why the prosecution's opening is one of the best ever given (the prosecutor tells a powerful story by using memorable themes such as the innocence of the children who died and McVeigh's cowardice) and why the defense's needed a lot of improvement (a weak start and a forgettable ending).

For opening statements alone there are about 45 minutes of video of the O.J. trial, including Darden fumbling, Cochran shining, and Clark being consumed by boring details. There are also plenty of examples from civil trials, and every chapter - whether it is direct, cross, closing, or jury selection - has transcripts and accompanying video.