Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am a third year law student whose team has won a Regional Mock Trial Championship and competed in a National Competition. I have read several books on trial techniques that have proven to be disappointing. Winning at Trial is an excellent and practical guide written by an experienced and insightful trial attorney. In a clear and straightforward manner, Shane Read takes you through each major stage of the trial and provides helpful examples and spot-on analysis. Not only does Winning at Trial concisely instruct an attorney on how to litigate a case, it teaches how to win as well.

A journeyman knows the mechanics of his trade where a master craftsman knows not only the mechanics, but the theory behind his trade. It is easy to see that the author of this work is a master craftsman as well as a master teacher.

"Winning at Trial" gives clear, concise guidance on how to navigate the turbulent waters of a trial without running aground. Mr. Read teaches not only the basics, but also the nuances of courtroom performance, and does so with concrete, real-world examples from actual cases. The information is presented within the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's model for trial advocacy, and that model is an excellent one.

I particularly liked Mr. Read's handling of cross examination. His description of the objectives of cross examination was very good, his instruction on how to impeach by prior inconsistent statement was sound, and he gave an excellent analysis of when and how to ask the ultimate question.

A graduate of Yale University and University of Texas Law School, the author is an Assistant U.S. Attorney who, as lead counsel for the past 16 years, has tried more than 100 civil and criminal jury trials.
He shows his readers successful trial strategies that make the book interesting and entertaining to read. Who says learning can't be fun?

An important and timely addition to the trial literature. Winning At Trial is both an enormously instructive text for law students and an invaluable resource for the experienced trial lawyer. Shane Read has skillfully bridged the gap between theory, trial strategy, and the development of fundamental courtroom skills. Through detailed explanations and well-chosen examples from high profile cases, Winning At Trial explains in detail how to do it and why it works.

I am the director of advocacy at The University of Texasl School of law. I look at a lot of trial books and this is a fresh and updated approach to trial advocacy. With almost four hours of video of focus groups and specific trial clips, the DVDs are worth their weight in gold. Shane Read has spent countless hours analyzing actual trials to bring the best teaching examples to your fingertips. If you are looking for the best advocacy book, this is it. Winning at Trial is a comprehensive guide to trying a case, from start to finish, voir dire to closing argument, including exhibits and objections. This book should be on the shelves of every student, lawyer and teacher of advocacy. Whether you are trying your first case or your 100th, you must read this book.

If Abraham Lincoln observed most trial lawyers of today, he would find little changed from his 19th Century heyday. It is almost as if there is a law forbidding the use of modern communication techniques and technology in the courtroom. The leaden weight of traditional advocacy training often leads to boredom. Part of the root problem is the lack of suitable books to assist law students and practicing lawyers in developing a sophisticated media influenced form of trial advocacy.
Shane Read has changed all of that in this unique, thoughtful, thorough look at the art of the possible. Above all else, a book about the exciting world of trying cases ought to be exciting itself. This one is. The multi-media approach of this book is unique. The author's considerable experience in trying cases comes through as well. I have been teaching trial advocacy for 25 years and highly recommend this book.

Shane Read has written a modern and thoroughly enjoyable book on trial advocacy. It has everything you need and (maybe more importantly as law books go) nothing you don't. After reading this book I know I will feel confident and comfortable in front of judge and jury from day one. It is like being able to sit down with a knowledgeable and experienced attorney and getting him to share his "tricks of the trade." The video examples from famous cases show you exactly what to do and what NOT to do. As I leave law school and enter the practice of law, Mr. Read's book will not just stay on my shelf, it will stay on my desk!!